NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: FIRST FOUR

March 18, 2021

Dan Engelstad

Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers

Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall

Postgame Media Conference

Texas Southern 60, Mount St. Mary's 52

DAN ENGELSTAD: So the season when it ends, it's always abrupt. Especially with the half that we played to open up the game, I thought we were flying around. Our defense was terrific in the first half. I thought our offense was moving. They pressed us. I thought they got out of rhythm, had a couple good looks that we didn't make, and then our offense got stagnant.

We allowed them to go on a couple runs where they put their head down, got to the basket. But I could not be more proud of a group of young many that persevered through a lot this season. Backs against the wall they fought; no different than tonight they fought.

I have a great core that's coming back hopefully. If we can keep this core intact, we have a great run here set up, and now they've been in this stage and seen it, and hopefully next year there will be fans here and have a packed environment to play in.

You know, it was great to get to this point, to be conference champion, but the message was, too, we've now seen what this is and we want more next year.

Q. I know you said that the second half Texas Southern was pressing you guys a lot. When you got to the half court, what did you see they were really doing to stop Damian? Seemed like they were trapping him and forcing the ball out of his hands.

DAN ENGELSTAD: Yeah, they trapped him, and that was a good adjustment on their part. We got the ball to the short a few times and were able to generate some decent shots out of it, but they were really aggressive trying to get the ball out of Dame's hands and that was a good adjustment that they made at the half.

Q. You kind of touched on it a little bit, but coming down to the wire there, it's a five-point game and you've got a minute left. What's the thinking to play that out and not maybe stop the time there a little more?

DAN ENGELSTAD: Yeah, we've relied on our defense all year, so for me I felt like we were going to be able to get a stop and push it and get Dame downhill and not allow them to set up their defense. It was still a two-possession game at that point so felt confident, and in hindsight maybe should have fouled earlier.

Q. What does this whole season mean to you because I know this year was really tough on and off with games and COVID and all that stuff. What did you learn from this season that might help you throughout another couple years if we ever have this again?

DAN ENGELSTAD: Yeah, this season was different. I learned a lot about the character of our team this year. That's what I learned. I learned that we have some of the toughest young men that I've ever been around, and the resilience that they showed the entire season with the stops and all the adversity that they faced and never quit, kept showing up to work, and they're champions. It wasn't the result we wanted tonight, but they deserve and earned the right to be called a champion for the rest of their life because they worked through a tough season, and I couldn't be more proud to be their coach.

Q. Did you anticipate the adjustments that Texas Southern made to begin the second half?

DAN ENGELSTAD: We talked about that they thought they could come out and press us, so we knew they'd run a diamond press. They had run that 1-3-1, so we had seen that and we talked to our guys to be ready for it. They were really aggressive getting the ball out of Dame's hands. We knew they would make an adjustment; I didn't know that they would trap us to that extreme. Like I said, we generated some decent shots, got the ball to the high post and didn't make good decisions out of there, and they got us sped up a little bit.

Q. Your thoughts about the shot selection in the second half? I think you had 12 of your 19 shots were from three-point range. Did you kind of wish a little bit that they were more patient, try to get inside the arc as opposed to outside?

DAN ENGELSTAD: Yeah, we talked about that a few time-outs. We just told our guys you've got to be aggressive, you've got to get in-the-paint touches, we can hurt them off dribble-drive penetration. But some of those shots that we took, they were wide open shots and we want our guys to have confidence enough to shoot them. I've got to review the film to really give you an honest assessment with our shot selection. But I do know that part of the plan was to get it in the paint and whether it be for dribble-drive penetration or drop-offs. We got it in there a few times and didn't capitalize and make some free throws, too, and that hurt us, as well.

Q. Why do you think your team came out struggling at the beginning of the second half?

DAN ENGELSTAD: Yeah, I don't know. I thought we were in a good space. I just think we gave up a couple and-ones early, which gave them some rhythm. The game of basketball is a game of runs, and they went on a big run right out of the gate. Like I said, I didn't think the shots that we generated early were bad. We didn't make any of them. It does help everything when the ball goes through the basket. But we'll definitely learn from this experience and hopefully come back next season and make sure that we're more disciplined coming out in the second half.

Q. You guys are part of a historic tournament. You guys were the first game back after the pandemic. What's your lasting impression of being part of history?

DAN ENGELSTAD: Yeah, obviously the result wasn't what we wanted today, but I believe that our guys enjoyed their experience, and we got to be part of history, as you mentioned. I think a big thing for our guys, they got to play in front of their families and friends today, which they hadn't been able to do that all season, so that was special for our guys.

Obviously we wanted to be on the other side of this game and get a win, and that was the mindset, and that was where our focus was. It stings, it always will, and the season when it does end, as I said, it always is abrupt. But I could not be more proud of these guys, and they were part of history, and they earned that right. They earned that right by becoming the NEC champion, and like I said, I couldn't be more proud.