Dec. 4, 1999

Recap| Box Score| Notes

Maryland Head Coach Gary Williams:

"In the first half, I felt that we were really struggling. I didn't think that we were as quick as we normally were and that's because sometimes the other team is really good. They are a very good, really deep basketball team and have some good young players just like we do. It wasn't a real consistent game out there, but both team made a great effort. That was an incredible game in terms of the intensity."

On Maryland's second half performance:

"We came out in a press early in the second half and they tore it up. They did a great job against our press, which happens sometimes, so we went to zone and it worked so we stayed with it and it continued to work in terms of us doing a better job and them working harder for their shots."

"I think to come eight down against a team like Illinois, I think you need to have fortitude and really have to care about each other and I thought that we were that team out on the court today."

On Juan Dixon:

"Juan is one of the players on the court that wants to shoot the ball in pressure situations. What we wanted to do was get the ball into Terence and have Terence kick the ball out to Juan for the open shot. Juan, he made a nice fake, took one dribble and pulled up."

On Terence Morris:

"When you have Terence on the court, regardless whether he scores or not, the other team has to respect him because he's a great player. When he gets double teamed, he's a good enough passer and is unselfish enough to make the play."

Illinois Coach Lon Kruger

This was really hard basketball game, but that's how these early season battles go. Maryland's ability to get their second shots, loose balls and their quickness came out in this game... and they had good play by Juan Dixon and Terrence Morris.

On back to back loses:

Obviously we've got to beat some of the bigger teams. Those losses sting, but that's how we learn... our schedule is tough bur it will help us to grow up.

The key is to keep making progress each time we go out there, and we have to come back and do that tomorrow.