Nov. 1, 2006

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Maryland Head Coach Gary Williams
Opening Statement:
"We did a good job at the free throw line. We probably won the game because we hit our free throws. As a basketball fan, it's nice to see the way that California executed. That's a good team. Their coach, Bill Brown, is a friend of mine and he's been through a lot in the last year, so it's good to see them play as well as they did."

On the newcomers in general:
"For their first game, I thought that all three of the new guys did a great job. I'm anxious to get Greivis Vasquez in there next time, too. There's got to be some nervousness for these new guys, but sometimes that makes you play great. You have to come ready to play, and you have to respect everyone that you play against. Once you get that as a player, you will be fine."

On Eric Hayes:
"Eric did a good job of running the team out there. He's great at playing out there, and you saw him play the way that he can. He's only going to continue to get better."

On Bambale Osby:
"Bambale stepped in and really helped us when we were down. He came in and gave us what we needed when he was in there. He played with as much enthusiasm and energy as any of our players."

On Will Bowers:
"It was nice to see Will hit some big shots. His improvement is continuing. He's gotten himself into good shape, and we'll go from there."

On Landon Milbourne:
"It was good to see Landon Milbourne come in and hit a three-pointer. He really did a good job for us down the stretch. His effort was really good to see."

On early goals for the season:
"Our early goal is to play good defense. We don't ever talk about how many wins we should get this year, because I believe that as the year goes along, you grow as a team or you don't grow as a team. My goal in general every year is just to get better every step of the way. It's November 1. By the end of November, we'll have played enough good teams that we'll have a good idea of where we are as a team."

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Maryland Center Will Bowers
On his improved performance:
"I think a lot of it has to do with conditioning. I'm in a lot better shape right now, and I think that carries over to the court."

On Coach Williams' postgame pointers:
"We have to work out some things on the defense, iron some things out for the rest of the season. We have a lot of things to work on, but we are going to work hard."

On the new player's pregame nerves:
"If they were [nervous] I don't think they really played like it. I think Eric came in and he was solid and poised, and he had two big free throws there at the end. I think Landon came in and played with a lot of energy."

Maryland Forward Bambale Osby
On the win:
"We're not satisfied with this win. The other team played hard. We have to pick it up. We definitely have to pick our defense up."

On the newcomers:
"We came out with a lot of energy. Landon played well tonight. Eric played well too."

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California (Pa.) Head Coach Bill Brown

Opening Statement:
"We thought this was a great opportunity to come in and compete with a quality team. I thought we had our opportunities, and probably surprised Maryland a little bit. We wanted to use this game as a teaching tool. We walk out of here disappointed, but with confidence."

On his team:
"I had some guys on the floor tonight for the first time with California. Kelvin Green did a tremendous job for us as one of our seniors. I also thought John Owens played well. Two of the newer players, James Hairston and Theron Colao, really contributed and gave us some positive minutes."

On the Vulcans' play:
"We turned the ball over too much. We had 23 turnovers. That's something that we have to work on. I thought we shot the ball decently, at 50%. From three-point range we shot at 43% and 87% from the line. We just didn't get to the line enough. I was surprised that we were able to do a decent job on the boards, and we out-rebounded Maryland tonight. This game doesn't technically count, but it counts in our favor because we walk away from here with confidence, and we will continue to improve."

On Maryland:
"Maryland is a very athletic team. I don't know what they expected from us. They are a veteran team, and I think they are going to have a quality year. I would expect Gary Williams will be on them in the next week or so, and next time they take the floor we will see a different look."