RUSTON – Louisiana Tech men's basketball head coach Eric Konkol and women's basketball head coach Brooke Stoehr spoke with the media Tuesday.  The Bulldogs and Lady Techsters both split the opening Conference USA series with Marshall and are set to take on WKU this Friday and Saturday. 


 
Head coach Eric Konkol
 
On the Marshall series:
"It was great to be back in Conference USA play.  We jumped right into it with two games against the same team which is unique.  It was a great challenge for both teams.  I thought we played very, very hard in both games.  The first game was one of those where not a whole lot of points separated each team for most of the game.  It was really a two-possession game really throughout, but we were able to pull away in the end.  I thought our defense was good and we executed well, even after the layoff, and were able to get a win over a good Marshall team on Friday.  AS we went into Saturday, that is the unique part.  Never in my career have I played the same team two days in a row like this.  You had that feeling of knowing each other so well and that it would come down to having to execute even better.  And I thought we did that for about another 25 minutes.  We built a lead, had a good run.  But then Marshall, which is so capable, went on its run.  Then in the last three minutes just like Friday night, it came down to one or two possessions and they ended up making more plays than we did down the stretch.  Disappointed that we didn't get two wins, but we learned a lot about our team and how we can grow from this."
 
On playing back-to-back games against the same opponent:
"There are two aspects of it – there is the physical aspect and the mental aspect.  Physically, you have a quick turnaround.  Not a lot of time and energy you can use to develop another practice plan or make a ton of changes where you are practicing them live and at full speed.  We've talked about having some different things in our back pocket that we might be able to go to.  It comes down to no matter what play you run, you have to run it really, really well.  You've got to be sharper, tougher.  There is also the mental aspect of whether you've lost or won the first game, of being able to turn the page quickly from either the joy of winning or the disappointment of losing.  It is different, but it is something we need to get better at and work towards this week."
 
On Kenneth Lofton, Jr.:
"Junior has really good feel, No. 1.  He is a guy that was a guard growing up and hit a growth spurt.  We always knew he could have a presence on the inside, that he could pass it and score it.  There are a number of things that make the college game so much different to high school, but he has adjusted nicely to those aspects.  Those are things you find out once you get into practice and get going.  I think he has a high ceiling to get better and better.  He comes in with a frame that is able to hold people off and post up.  I think he has added a real dimension to us that we haven't had."
 
On Western Kentucky:
"They are really good.  They have an inside-outside combination in a number of guys like [Charles] Bassey in the interior and [Taveion] Hollingsworth on the perimeter.  Guys that have been in the program three or four years that have experienced a lot of success.  And then they have other guys who have been there.  They are an old team with experience together.  They are off a good start, having picked up some good wins.  It is a team that we have to be really ready for, guard the interior and the perimeter.  They are good in transition and mix up their defenses.  We've had some good games with them in the past.  We've got to defend for a good 40 minutes and take care of the basketball, because when you don't, they really get it going on the other end."


 
Head coach Brooke Stoehr
 
On the Marshall series:
"Overall, I was pleased with our effort.  On the defensive end, we met every defensive goal we had in both games, holding them to 51 in overtime for the win and held them to 61 on day two with a quick turnaround.  We just didn't shoot the ball very well.  You go back and evaluate if we got good shots, are the right people taking shots.  We took care of the basketball, turning it over only 12 times on Friday and 13 on Saturday.  That was good for this group.  Shot great from the free-throw line.  We got plenty of open looks, we just have to be able to knock down some shots.  I think those will fall.  We've got to continue to fight for good shots.  We just had a couple of spells where we maybe took some bad shots and forced some things when we weren't getting to the free-throw line."
 
On fighting back to win in overtime on Friday:
"I think the team cares for each other.  They are really fighting for each other.  I think anytime you go on the road, you are going to face adversity because you are not sleeping in your own bed, you are on another team's home court, you don't shoot in that gym every day.  We've had some close games this year and they have been able to execute and finish those out.  I think that experience has helped.  When you have players like Raizel [Guinto] and Amber Dixon who have had a lot of game experience.  They had a lot of those moments last year where it didn't go our way.  We lost probably seven games by one possession and as a coach, that's frustrating.  I love the fact that they care for one another.  This is a very selfless team.  They get along well and have great chemistry.  I think it is something that started for them really the last three or four weeks last season and then continued during the quarantine.  We got down 17 on Saturday and cut it to one and had multiple chances to take the lead, but we just couldn't finish it off.  They understand that when you have moments in games where runs are made, you have to answer those runs."
 
On Western Kentucky:
"I think the biggest difference, they lost a lot of experience and a lot of scoring from last year's team.  If you look at both games we played last year, we had leads and had chances to win.  Then in critical moments, their studs took over.  They were seniors who were experienced players.  Those players are gone.  They are very talented now, I think they are just young.  They have been playing without Raneem Elgedawy who is one of the top players in Conference USA.  And I think one of the best post players in her ability to score and play defense.  They have been without her this whole time.  We will be prepared for her if she returns this week.  It is a different supporting cast around her, but they still have [Meral] Abdelgawad on the perimeter and is a great rebounder and experienced guard.  We feel like we have to protect our home court and be who we are.  We've got to take care of the basketball.  I think if we knock down some open shots, we will be fine, and we are capable of doing that.  We have to continue to get good shots and see that ball go in the net.  And then we have to do a great job defensively, keeping them of the glass."