In what has been a tough week for the University of West Georgia men’s basketball team, the Wolves (3-9) will look to move past a pair of down-to-the-wire losses in the Winter Park Rotary Tangerine Tournament when they visit Christian Brothers for today’s 3 p.m. contest.

UWG lost 60-59 to Flagler on Monday when the Saints hit three free throws with less than a second remaining, a day before falling 60-56 against Concordia on Tuesday. West Georgia coach Michael Cooney said the team likely was still affected by the loss the previous day in its defeat on Tuesday.

“We had our hearts ripped out the night before,” Cooney said.

The Wolves made only 8-of-19 free throws in Tuesday’s four-point loss.

“You just can’t do that,” Cooney said.

Overall, though, he said his team is playing much better than it was a month ago. The defense and rebounding by West Georgia is considerably improved. It’s all about putting things together for a full 40 minutes, the coach said.

“We have to finish  a game and seal it. That’s what’s missing,” Cooney said. “Once we do that, I wouldn’t want to play us.”

The Wolves could be shorthanded in today’s game, with junior forward Jeremy Smith likely to be out with a wrist injury and sophomore guard Chris Colvin probable for the game with chipped teeth. Freshman guard Gavin Field will get the start in Smith’s absence. Field had eight points and eight rebounds against Concordia, and he scored 17 points in a 99-55 Dec. 17 home win against Tennessee Temple.

Though his team hasn’t had the results it wanted this week, Cooney said his guys are remaining focused on the task at hand as they look to get things headed in the right direction before Thursday’s first game at The Coliseum, when the Wolves face Montevallo.

“Our guys are very mature about it,” Cooney said. “They know what we have to do.”

While West Georgia has some young guys who have seen playing time, Cooney said youth can’t be an excuse because the Wolves have faced a top-notch slate of opponents.

“We’re not inexperienced anymore,” Cooney said. “We’ve seen it all, and we’re getting salty, which we needed to become.”

Cooney remains optimistic his team can come through its early-season struggles and demanding schedule and be better for the experience.

“My hope is that the battle we fought and the adversity we’ve experienced is going to make us a better team,” Cooney said.

He said his guys are “right there” on the verge of becoming a dangerous opponent.

“We certainly don’t feel like we’re a bad team,” Cooney said. “We feel like we just need to get a little better.”

But more than anything, the coach knows victories are what will mean the most for his team.

“We need a win,” Cooney said.