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MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE MEN'S TOURNAMENT

March 12, 2010

THE MODERATOR: We're joined by UNLV head Coach Kruger and student-athletes. We'll start with an opening comment about the game from Coach Kruger.
COACH KRUGER: It's really a hard-fought game obviously. Two great games tonight for the league. Four teams playing, I thought, really good basketball at a very high level and two that go right down to the wire. Any one of the four could have won any one of the games.
Really proud of our guys. Let a lead slip a little bit there. BYU took it away from us. To come back, tie it up, take the lead back, really proud of that moment especially.
A lot of respect for BYU and how good a job Dave always does. Really proud of our guys for being able to finish it tonight.
THE MODERATOR: We'll open it up for questions for the student-athletes.

Q. Chace, can you talk about the last few minutes of the game after BYU took the lead.
CHACE STANBACK: Well, we were just trying to stay focused and work together as a team. Coach drew up a good play and I knocked the shot down.

Q. Chace, talk about playing BYU and what is it about this rivalry that you always give it your best effort.
CHACE STANBACK: BYU is a great team. We know they're going to come out and fight hard every game. We respect them. And we just got to play hard every time we face them. That's what we did tonight.

Q. Brice, you've really come on these last two games. What do you think brought that about?
BRICE MASSAMBA: I mean, we just came out. We wanted to play the championship game. It was just focus. Focused the two last games. Play hard. We played like a team together. So it's probably why we're playing so good now.

Q. A lot of talk in the last month or so has been about if this league had four teams good enough to make the NCAA tournament. Do you think that was proved tonight?
CHACE STANBACK: Yeah, I definitely think it was proved tonight. Obviously, San Diego State won. They had a great game. We played well. There's a lot of talent in this league. I think people don't really realize that.
But we showed it.
BRICE MASSAMBA: I think the same thing as Chace said. San Diego State played really good against New Mexico to beat 'em. It feels like all the teams got great talent. So it could be whoever.

Q. Chace, can you talk about what Tre'Von did in the last minute. Did you expect him to come through for you down the stretch?
CHACE STANBACK: We always expect him to come through for us. He's our warrior. He's our leader. We follow him. Whatever he does is positive for our team. We try to pick him up when he goes down.
THE MODERATOR: At this time we'll dismiss the student-athletes and open it up for questions for Coach Kruger.

Q. Were you pleased with the defensive effort you had on Fredette?
COACH KRUGER: He's a terrific player. I thought he had to work all night long. Didn't give him too many easy ones. Didn't foul him too many times. Didn't need to. He's just a terrific player. He's a guy that keeps the pressure on, defenses all the time. I thought our guys made him work.
But he did okay, though, getting 30.

Q. What did you feel like turned the tide for BYU to take the lead back?
COACH KRUGER: Their zone, we had a couple looks there that didn't go, and then converted in transition a couple times during that stretch. You know, they're always good. But they're especially good when they get out in transition and go.
That happened during that stretch there. We missed a couple shots over their zone, they got a couple in transition. All of a sudden it's a tied game.

Q. With you making the championship game again, your response to playing this on your home court here at the Thomas & Mack and what kind of advantage that gives you guys?
COACH KRUGER: There's an advantage to some degree. Who knows how much that is. We have a good basketball team. We have four in the league that are playing at an awfully high level. If we weren't a decent team, we wouldn't be there tomorrow. It's not because we're at home only.
You know, sell-out, great atmosphere. You turn on TVs across the country. A lot of tournaments where the crowd is not very good, the atmosphere is not there obviously. To have an atmosphere like this, I know the players would rather play in this atmosphere regardless of all else. I understand the coaches being a little skeptical.
For the most part Vegas is a great city to visit and fans love traveling here. The fans New Mexico brought and BYU and San Diego State, it's great to see people travel like that. It creates an atmosphere if we want to be a big-time league, we need a big-time atmosphere for our tournament, and we've got that.

Q. Should anybody across the country be surprised at the results of tonight's two games?
COACH KRUGER: Wouldn't think so. You have four teams that have played at a pretty high level all year. Two ball games tonight that could have gone either way. I don't think anyone is surprised by -- would have been surprised if it had gone the other way in both games again.

Q. Can you talk about Massamba, gave you points early, was on the free-throw line. How far has he come?
COACH KRUGER: Really happy for Brice. He's made so much progress. He made a lot of progress over the summer and the fall, and he'll make that progress again next summer. He's a great player, instincts as a player, very good passer out of the post. He's starting to get more comfortable, more confidence in finishing opportunities in the post.
A big part of our having a lead at halftime was Brice's play in the first half.

Q. What exactly was Tre's injury? Were you sure he was coming back?
COACH KRUGER: Didn't know for sure if Tre was coming back. His injury, he resprained that ankle that he sprained earlier in mid league play. He made a tough shot. A little right angle bank shot. Then he's been awfully good for us at the free-throw line late. We like having the ball in Tre's hands.

Q. Can you talk about San Diego State, what you expect tomorrow.
COACH KRUGER: They're playing awfully well. They're rangey, they're athletic. Coach Fisher has them playing at a very, very high level. Our guys know how tough they are. They're maybe playing as well as anyone in the conference right now.
They had a great stretch to their conference play regular season; two really productive games here. So it will be awfully tough.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you very much, coach.
COACH KRUGER: Thank you.

End of FastScripts

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MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE MEN'S TOURNAMENT

March 12, 2010

Lon Kruger

Brice Massamba

Chace Stanback