Though Georgia State has lost back-to-back games, coach Ron Hunter doesn't seem too worried as he prepares his team to play James Madison on Monday.
Yes, his defense was ripped for 23 3-pointers in losses at Northeastern and Delaware.
Yes, his offense failed to hit free throws that might have changed either of those results and kept the Panthers (13-6, 5-3) closer to the top of the Colonial Athletic Association.
But Hunter summed up the state of his squad with a phrase that's all the rage among coaches: "We are who we are."
He's not worried about his team's defense, which carried the squad during its school-record 11-game winning streak earlier this season. Though they didn't play well in the first half against the Huskies, he said he was pleased with the effort in Saturday's double-overtime loss to the Blue Hens.
"At some point you have to give the offense credit," he said. "Those [shots] were all contested."
For the season, Panthers' opponents are hitting 37.5 percent of their shots, including 32.9 percent of their 3-pointers. The Huskies and Blue Hens combined to hit 47 percent (23 of 49) of their 3-point attempts against the Panthers' various zone defenses. James Madison is one of the CAA's better 3-point shooting teams, hitting 35 percent of their attempts.
As for the free-throw shooting, he said he has gone so far as to consult a psychologist to help his team.
The good doctor's answer?
"Get better free-throw shooters," Hunter joked.
The Panthers had a chance to beat the Blue Hens on Saturday, but Eric Buckner could only hit one of two free throws at the end of the regulation. Because of the miss, the game went into overtime. Georgia State missed eight of its 15 free throws including two more in the second overtime and is hitting just 65.4 percent this season, a slight improvement over their 59.4 rate last year.
Hunter has tried to improve their shooting with competitions and lots of practice, but his efforts haven't produced significant results.
"Some things you inherit and there's nothing you can do to change it," he said. "The problem is, who is shooting. Buck is having a great year, but he's not a great free throw shooter."
Perimeter defense and free-throw shooting aren't Hunter's team's only issues -- his bench isn't providing many points -- but he doesn't have a lot of time to spend. After hosting the Dukes (9-10, 2-6) on Monday the Panthers will head to Philadelphia to take on Drexel on Wednesday. Georgia State defeated the Dragons 58-44 earlier this season.
"We've got to keep grinding, keep grinding," Hunter said.
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