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NIT SEASON TIP-OFF


November 26, 2014


Nemanja Djurisic

Mark Fox

Charles Mann


NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK

GEORGIA – 76
GONZAGA - 88


COACH FOX:  Certainly was a hard‑fought game.  Gonzaga has a terrific team, a terrific offensive team.
We didn't get off to a very good start but after that, we played it pretty nose‑to‑nose.  We made it a point to try to take away the three‑point line, which we did and we knew when we did that, they were really good post players one‑on‑one, and they completed those plays inside and that was the difference, that and the foul line.

Q.  Your team down, 10‑point deficit‑‑
COACH FOX:  You know, we didn't start well.  I just think that‑‑ I mean, we can't use the excuse that it was the atmosphere and the stage.  We've got to be old enough to be past that.  We just I thought didn't defend them as well, and I thought we ran our offense a little bit slow; not nearly with as much authority out of the gate as we need to.

Q.  Obviously Kyle had a great game.  What made it tough for you guys to guard him tonight specifically?
COACH FOX:  Well, what we chose to do, their team was getting nearly 29 points a game from the three‑point line, and so we decided we were going to eliminate the three‑point line, and then let their post players play one‑on‑one.  And he finished a lot of those plays.  He's just too good to play one‑on‑one.
But the gamble was to leave him in that situation; and we sent some help in the second half once he was hot.  But if you sent coverage to double‑team him, you would leave their great three‑point shooting open.  That's why Gonzaga is such a tough matchup.  That's why they are so good offensively.

Q.  A couple times in the second half, you got up and started missing some free throws.  How much did the free throw game play into the outcome?
COACH FOX:  If you look at it, we had 25 field goals, they made 26.  We made four 3s; they made four 3s.  We had nine turnovers; they had nine turnovers.  We host 35 free throws; they shot 35.  They just made ten more than they did, so it was a huge part of the game.
Everything being considered, all things being considered, if we match them from the foul line, we are sitting here with a two‑point difference.  That was a major factor in the game.

Q.  What happened with that technical foul?  Seemed like you were upset.
COACH FOX:  I was upset.  I felt like a point needed to be made and I deserved the T.  And I also thought it might motivate my team.  Just one of the things you use in your bag of tricks but wasn't enough.

Q.  How do you think Gonzaga stacks up with the rest of the teams you're going to see this year?
COACH FOX:  Well, offensively they will be better than probably anybody we play.  Offensively, that's as good an offensive team as we'll play.  They can score from every position all the time.  They can score from all five spots.  Their subs can come in and shoot.
Just offensively, I think it will be as good of a team as we play all year, plus the fact that we have got seniors and an experienced point guard.  We didn't guard them very well.  They shoot 50 percent but I think offensively they will be as good as probably anybody we play.

Q.  Charles, you ended with 23 tonight, you had a lot of success getting to the hole, what were you seeing out there?
CHARLES MANN:  I just wanted to be aggressive and just help my team win.  I was able to attack and I just wanted to keep on attacking and make plays at the rim.

Q.  Can you comment on what it was likedefending Wiltjer?
NEMANJA DJURISIC:  Well, he's very hard and he's very skilled player.  It was hard mostly because we were long on the post most of the times.  We tried to matchup and we tried do different things, but often times he found a way to score, either on us, or the small guys when we switched.  I mean, he's a great player.  We all knew that.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports




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