George Washington University Athletics
Postgame Comments: GW vs. Nevada
11/22/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 22, 2010
NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL--DICK'S SPORTING GOODS NIT SEASON TIP-OFF November 22, 2010
Nevada 56
GW 58
Postgame Quotes
GW Coach Karl Hobbs
Talk about your defense toward the end of the game.
"That was the key to the game, particularly the last 8 minutes of the game. We really tightened up, we really focused down, we really paid attention to their scorers. The guy we were most concerned about was Story, and he was 2 for 9. We didn't allow him to make 3s tonight."
Is the team adjusting to not having Lasan Kromah on the court?
"They're comfortable to some degree, but I'm still adjusting because we need that one more good offensive player on the floor, and it was very noticeable today. It puts a lot of pressure on Tony to score more. But Joseph has picked up the load and is becoming a very good double-point scorer. But the guy who's really suffered is Nemanja, because he has to work harder to get his shot off. And that's something we'll have to adjust to for the rest of the year. I'm hopeful he'll come back, but we have to play as if he's not coming back."
GW Sr. C Joseph Katuka
On your success defending Dario Hunt.
"As Coach said, we wanted to get their big man in foul trouble. So I tried to get him out of his rhythm as much as I could. Once he got into foul trouble, he didn't play as hard as he could. And we were successful at both ends.
GW Jr. G Tony Taylor
Talk about feeding the ball to Joseph on offense.
"It's always a focus to try and get it inside to Joe. We want to play inside out, especially since we wanted to get Hunt in foul trouble. The more touches he gets, everyone else's opportunities open up. Joe did a great job attacking him, and that helped everyone else."
Are you getting comfortable playing the 2-guard spot?
"I like playing the 2; I'll do whatever Coach wants me to do. Playing the 2 spot is getting easier."
With this being the first regular season game at home, how important was it to get off to a good start?
"It's a big win. Anytime you can play in front of your home fans and win against a good team like Nevada is always big. We paid attention to the scouting report and came out with a W."
Nevada Coach David Carter
What was the key down the stretch?
"One thing was turnovers. Their pressure got to us. I don't think we executed down the stretch. When you have a lead, you have to play to win, but our execution fell apart."
What was the thought process behind your two-player substitutions?
"Kevin Panzer started our exhibition game, but got hurt and Malik started in Los Angeles. So I put Panzer back in the starting line-up. Had he not been hurt, he would have started last week at the 1. And Jordan Burris has been playing well, so I had that change between him and Jerry Evans."
Did the cross-country travel affect you?
"I thought we had our legs. I didn't think we were tired. You just have to give George Washington credit for good defense."
Was there anything GW was doing on offense that sustained their momentum?
"Taylor became more aggressive. He was the difference down the stretch. He was able to get to the free-throw line, and made some key baskets. That was the difference between the first and second half."
Nevada Jr. F Dario Hunt
What was GW doing down the stretch that gave you problems?
"We needed to execute and stop the turnovers. We needed to come down and make good plays. At the end, we started settling for some bad shots and some tough shots, and got out of synch after that."
