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Nov. 27, 2005

Maryland Head Coach Gary Williams

Opening Comment:
"You have to give Nicholls State a lot of credit. They came out and ran their stuff and they played their game. They were going to just put it out there for us and see what we could do about it."

On the play of point guard D.J. Strawberry:
"D.J. Strawberry had 12 assists. He's really worked hard to become more of a guard. When D.J. was in high school he was more of a forward, and now he's working hard to become more of a guard. He's doing a good job for us."

On junior center Ekene Ibekwe:
"I think he's really coming along. He's really worked hard on his shot, to get it to be a better shot, which it is. He's seeing a lot more opportunities to score, and he's very quick out there for a guy his size. I think he's playing with a great deal of quickness for 6-foot-9 forward."

On the balanced scoring attack:
"If we get the ball inside, I think our guys are good enough to score. We've been working hard on that, to try to get moving once the ball goes inside, to clear out areas where our inside guys can operate. I think we did a pretty good job of that as the game went on today."

On facing Minnesota in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge:
"They are going to come and play hard. We have to play with the intensity we had in the first 8:00 of the second half. We will need to play like that the entire game."

Nicholls State Head Coach J.P. Piper

On tonight's game:
"We were delighted to find ourselves in the game at halftime, but their superior talent and athleticism took over in the second half. They were able to separate themselves from us, which is a credit to them. They are a great team. We knew that when we scheduled them, but I thought our kids responded well. Our goal tonight was to compete for 40 minutes and never back down. I thought my kids did that. We're pleased with the experience we got out of tonight's game."

On fatigue due to team's fourth game in seven days:
"We took yesterday off and went down to D.C.. We tried to make this trip a little bit educational and entertaining. Our kids competed really well for us Friday night against Maryland Eastern Shore, and we got our first road win in three years. Even though some of our shots didn't fall tonight and maybe we weren't as sharp and as crisp as we might have been, the effort was there. I think our team grew up during this trip and gained some toughness."

On defending the Terps:
"In respect to their athleticism and ability, our defensive philosophy was to protect the basket and make them beat us from the perimeter. We weren't really up in the passing lanes trying to force them to turn it over. We wanted to make it tough for them to get the ball inside and score, and I think we did a good job of that in the first half. Early in the second half, they willed the ball in, and there wasn't much we could do. They are just a bigger and stronger team then we are."

Maryland Guard Chris McCray

On the return from Maui:
"We had a tough practice yesterday to get acclimated to this time zone again. It was rough coming back from Maui and losing five hours, but we just have to get back to our regular lifestyles here in College Park."

On his outside shooting:
"The shots weren't falling for me in Maui like I would have wanted them to. I just came out here yesterday and shot 3-pointers for hours, and they were falling for me today."

On the upcoming Big Ten/ACC Challenge:
"This is the only time we can root for our fellow ACC competitors. We just have to go out and get our win. This is a big week for us, so we have to be strong enough for it."

Maryland Forward Ekene Ibekwe

On the game:
"It was definitely a great game for me coming off our trip to Maui. It gave me and my teammates a lot of confidence to see how we can carry out the rest of our season."

On improved free-throw shooting:
"I just kept telling myself that there wasn't any pressure on me. I spent a lot of time over the summer working on my form and just shooting the shots. Now that's starting to pay off."

Maryland Guard D.J. Strawberry

On the game:
"We have to be ready to play no matter what's going on around us. Every game counts. Every game is a big game for us. Last year, we probably missed the NCAA Tournament by one game, so we know that every game is a big game."

On maintaining a high level of play throughout the game:
"We definitely have to start doing that. The Maui trip was great for us. We know that it's early in the season, but it's about time that we start putting together a strong 40 minutes."