March 16, 2005

Recap |  Box Score |  Notes

Maryland Head Coach Gary Williams
On the win:
"I was really proud of the team and the effort they made. I think Travis [Garrison] set the tone for how hard we had to play those last 10 minutes of the first half after we got behind. We came back and played really hard. Sterling [Ledbetter] was a little nervous early, but he played great. He had nine rebounds tonight. Will Bowers, we don't say a whole lot about him, but he is working hard. His game is really coming around compared to where he was in November ... I was really pleased in terms of our effort because obviously you're concerned this time of year in terms of disappointment. We showed a little toughness out there in terms of competing, especially after we went down 13."

On the Comcast Center crowd:
"There were a lot of people here compared to the other NIT games. We might have had the biggest crowd so far in the NIT, so it was great. Everybody was loud and I thought it was terrific."

On Maryland's defense:
"I thought the last 10 minutes of the first half on defense really keyed us. Then there was a period in the second half where they were able to drive the ball and drop it inside to [Caleb] Green when we went to help ... I thought we played pretty good defense overall."

On Sterling Ledbetter:
"If you're not nervous before a game, then you're not ready to play. I used to get nervous before every game. It's OK. That's a pretty big stage out there and he really handled it well and did a good job for us. Nine rebounds are pretty good for a little guy like that."

On Mike Grinnon:
"He's great. He's an old man now but he's still out there working. He was terrific. I'm happy for him. You don't go into the game saying, `Well, we need to get Mike in there because he's a senior and this could be his last game.' You get him in there because he can help you. Mike runs the offense and can play the `three' or the `four' position. He can bring the ball inbounds under pressure at the end of the game. He plays good defense. He's not afraid to bang."

Maryland Forward Travis Garrison
On the highest team rebound total since December:
"That was one of our main focuses. We're a good rebounding team when we attack the glass. I tried to get a lot of rebounds and ended up with 11."

On finishing the rest of the season strong:
"It was hard to not make the NCAA Tournament. I think our hunger is back. We've got to play with more energy and play harder. I think we did that tonight. We have to keep our heads up and stay focused so we can win the NIT."

On his double-double:
"I just tried to do what I had to do to get this win. I wanted to come in with a lot of energy and have fun."

Maryland Guard Mike Jones
On advancing in the NIT:
"We approached this like it's a regular game. It doesn't matter if it is the NIT or the NCAA Tournament. We went out and played really hard. A lot of guys stepped up tonight. That's what Coach Williams was looking for. We also played pretty good defense on their best players."

On the team's development:
"Everybody on this team knows what we have to do. We know what this team is about and what our league is about. We know we're going to work hard for next year to make sure we get into the NCAA Tournament."

On how it felt to win tonight's game:
"It feels great. It always feels good to win. I'm pretty sure nobody likes to lose. We had a losing streak and now we started a winning streak tonight. We proved that we were the better team tonight. Now we have to carry it over to our next game."

Maryland Center Will Bowers
On playing team basketball:
"I try to be unselfish. When I don't have a good shot, I'm not going to try to force it. Even when I'm shooting pretty well, forcing tough shots will get you out of a good shooting rhythm. When they double-down and I see someone open on the perimeter, I have confidence that they're going to get the shot down."

On the strong play of his teammates:
"It's encouraging. We're trying to build for next year. That's how to use this tournament. We're going to use the NIT to build and to get confidence to get momentum that carries through to the off-season and next year."

Oral Roberts Head Coach Scott Sutton
On the game:
"At times we played awfully well, and at times we lost our composure. The first half we were up 13 and I thought things were going really well. Then [Maryland ] Coach [Gary] Williams gets a technical and they go on a run and the crowd gets into it. Their guys decided they were going to wake up and start playing with a lot more energy, a lot more enthusiasm, and the next thing you know they go on a 17-0 run, and we go into halftime with a deficit. Second half I thought we came back out and got the game where we wanted it. It was a one-possession game under 10 minutes. Then we lost our composure a little bit, gave up way too many offensive rebounds."

On Maryland's athleticism:
"There's some amazing things on this stat sheet. Forty-eight offensive rebounds between us, 15 blocks by Maryland. I think that's probably the biggest difference in the game is their athleticism. We just don't see that very often. We had shot after shot that against most teams we play all year are going to be a lay-up or a dunk, but with [Maryland's] athleticism were blocked. I don't know how many lay-ups we had blocked. I think that was probably the biggest difference in the game, their overall athleticism."

Oral Roberts Guard Ken Tutt
On tonight's game:
"Maryland has a great team this year and this was definitely a great opportunity for us. If we keep playing bigger teams, it will only make us better. I just take this as a great experience for us, and we'll just learn from it for next year."

On Maryland's size:
"As the game progressed, [their size] started wearing down on us. They were bigger guys, better athletes, and better jumpers, and they just played well."

Oral Roberts Forward Caleb Green
On playing an ACC team:
"As a team, we had a lot of miscues tonight. We're not used to playing against this type of competition, or in this type of atmosphere. All we can do is learn from this, and work hard during the offseason."