LSU came away with a key SEC victory over Texas A&M on Saturday night with Matt McMahon's program getting it done on the road.
McMahon and star point guard Jalen Cook discussed the victory in College Station:
Jalen Cook
On getting the win…
“We knew going into the game it would be a tough game for us to open SEC play so we came out with a lot of energy and got it done. We attacked the boards, kept them off the glass, and it was big time for sure.”
On the contributions of the bench…
“It was an all around team effort. The guys off the bench came in and stepped up to the challenge. We knew coming in it was going to be an all-around team effort, so we just have to stay focused now.”
On being a willing passer…
“All my life I’ve been a scorer, but I definitely like to pass the ball. That helps us win and it’s all about winning.”
What’s next…
“We just have to keep taking care of business. On the defensive end I have to be ready to go. Just continue to stack wins.”
Matt McMahon
On getting the win…
“I’m really proud of these players. The physicality and toughness was on full display. Every area that we’ve been trying to make improvements in were the strengths of this A&M team. Their ability to dominate the glass, get to the free throw line, and win the turnover battle and I can’t say enough about our guys’ defensive rebounding and also our rim protection. Even when guys got beat we came over to help and didn’t foul. Then, I liked our composure on the offensive side of the ball. We didn’t shoot a great percentage, but we got good shots and guys took care of the ball.”
On the toughness…
“Our focus the whole time was competing, playing with great energy and effort and bringing toughness to every possession. We were a little concerned a bad mistake to end the half would carry over to the second half, but we moved on to the next play. Then we got off to a great start in the second half.”
On the improvement…
“We’ve gotten better and it sounds strange, but our season kind of started over on December 16th when we got Jalen Cook eligible and it changed the way we were able to play. He’s made everyone around him better. We’ve had tremendous leadership from Jordan Wright. We knew there were three stats where A&M dominates their opponents, that’s offensive rebounding, the free throw line, and the turnover battle. We were solid in two out of three of those and if you would have told me we outscored them 18 to 3 in second chance points, I would have lost everything I own, but I was proud of our guys out there.”
On closing the game late…
“We had some really nice plays late. It was a seven point game, then JAlen Reed had a nice finish, then Jalen Cook found Will Baker on the roll, and then when they were trapping in the press our guys took good care of the ball and showed good composure. We were able to melt the game away there.”
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