Dec. 3, 2003

Recap| Box Score

Penn State head coach Rene Portland

On Penn State's 82-65 victory:
"We're really pleased because anytime you can win on the road it's really real exciting. I think our schedule has paid off for us. The first five minutes of the second half is really where we showed a lot of energy and came out and had some great defensive stops and great shots."

On what she told her team when it was up 35-33 at halftime:
"To remember who we were. We're a team that has already played three Top 25 teams in our schedule. We've beaten all three of them and we didn't want to run into a bump on the road. We knew that playing on the road anywhere was going to be difficult, so we just held onto our strengths. Our strength at that time was rebounding...we just did a better job executing in the second half and attacking."

Penn State's senior guard Kelly Mazzante

On her five three-pointers:
"I haven't been shooting from the three-point range very well this season. I just knew how important it was for our team to get a win on the road. Everyone was contributing and it's just a big win for us."

Maryland head coach Brenda Frese

On Maryland's second half play:
"Coming out at halftime we had a couple possessions where we turned the ball over. We had done a really nice job of handling the ball in the first half and defensively we had a lot of breakdowns...whether that was fatigue or loss of focus."

On Penn State and senior guard Kelly Mazzante:
"You have to give your credit to Penn State, they're a great team. You tell me a better player out there than Kelly Mazzante. She's a two-time Kodak All-American and played like it. She put her team on her back and I'm ready for her to graduate! She's just a terrific player. I've watched her for three years and she does a heck of a job leading her team."

"She's a lot more involved with her teammates. All five players are a threat to score. They're a very tough team to beat because they have so many options, you can't just key on Kelly. You have to be able to stop all five. She does a tremendous job leadership-wise and teamwork-wise."

On Maryland's learning experience:
"Our young players are going through this for the first time and it's a great lesson for us. We took a lot of positive things out of it. For a major chunk of the game, we played with a nationally ranked opponent, which is great stuff for us here at Maryland and where we're at in the beginning stages of our program."

Maryland's junior guard Alli Spence

On scoring a career-high 22 points:
"I come in to win. I'm trying to do whatever I have to do to help my team win. If I have to score, I'll score. Obviously I'm a point guard, and a true one at that. I love to distribute the ball and feed my teammates."

Freshman guard Shay Doron:

On Maryland's learning experience:
"We built confidence but it would've been nicer to win. I'll take an early loss and gain experience, then when it really counts down the stretch I'll take that win."