Feb. 18, 2006

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Maryland Head Coach Gary Williams
Opening Statement:
"Both teams played hard tonight. I thought both teams really tried to win the game. I respect Georgia Tech's program and the way they play. They play you every play and they make you earn it. That's why I'm proud of my team, because we earned it tonight. Nobody gave us anything. We made some mistakes, but we were tough enough to hang in there. We got a big win tonight to bring us back to 6-6 in the ACC. Again, I'm really proud of my team. We didn't quit and we just kept playing hard."

On play of forward Ekene Ibekwe:
"I thought Ekene Ibekwe played really hard down the stretch. Ekene has worked hard at his free-throws and he's so much better this year than he was last year. There are a lot of good players who have had to work hard on their shot and have become a very good offensive player. Ekene is a junior and any confidence he can get this year will certainly help him for next year."

On play of guard Mike Jones:
"Mike made some big shots, and that's his job on our team right now. We need his points and he really came through for us. He's been working really hard to be more than just a shooter. He's starting to become a better defender and this is a great opportunity for Mike to get some valuable time."

On Mike Jones' block at end of regulation:
"I guarantee he couldn't have made that play three weeks ago. That's what playing a lot of minutes does for you. Mike is a great athlete and that was a great athletic play. He saw the situation and made a great play."

On end of ACC season:
"Winning is what you have to do this time of year. It doesn't matter how you do it or how it looks, but you just have to win. If we can have the same effort next week against Florida State, then we'll be in pretty good shape."

On Maryland's perimeter defense:
"We did great tonight. We were able to get help inside and still play pretty good perimeter defense."

On being .500 in the ACC:
"In our situation right now, you're fighting in every game. That was a great win for us today, and as a home game, it was probably a necessary win. We got it and it's a great feeling. The NCAA is probably going to take six teams from the ACC, so we just have to stay in the mix."

On team's balance:
"You always preach about team play and you never know whose night it's going to be. I thought our guards stepped up and did a really good job."

On the defensive play of guard D.J. Strawberry:
"He was a very tough defensive player tonight. He really did a good job."

Maryland Forward Ekene Ibekwe
On the win:
"I have to give credit to my team. We're all about wins now; we have to get wins. It's time to pick it up. It was a good game, a good win for us. It starts from here. I'm happy that we won."

On his timely drive and dunk in overtime:
"I knew that I could use my quickness as an advantage and take it to the rack. I had seen lanes a couple of times through the game and I thought it would be a good time to take advantage, so I did, and I got the 3-point play."

On the team's spirit:
"The locker room is very enthusiastic and confident. Everybody is proud of each other. We're happy, but at the same time, we realize that we can't be satisfied. It's gut-check time right now. We have Florida State in a couple of days and we need to go down there, get a win and get this thing rolling."

Maryland Guard Mike Jones
On his block at the end of regulation on Zam Fredrick:
"I saw him wide open and I knew D.J. [Strawberry] was there, but couldn't run out too much because there was an open guy down low. I tried to get back as fast as I could. I did everything I could to distract him and it just so happens that I blocked the shot. It was a good defensive play and it got us going and ready for overtime. It feels real good because I'm known for offense, but tonight my defense played a big role."

On shooting 14-for-20 from the field over the last two games:
"It's little things that we work on at practice and after practice. We try to work on little moves and ways to get open, especially if you have a big guy on you. Coach [Williams] always stresses that if we have a big guy on us to take advantage of it. They thought I was going to drive it, so I made an extra move to free myself to get open shots."

Maryland Center James Gist
On his career-high 12 rebounds:
"In practice, coaches have been telling me that we need guys to go to the glass, we need guys to go after the ball. Every possession, I go after the ball when it's available and I come away with rebounds. I'm not as big as some of the guys I'm guarding, but I know that I'm quicker than them and I use that to my advantage."

On his recent offensive performance:
"I think my quickness helps offensively, too. There are a lot of moves that I'm working on in practice with Coach Adams and Coach Booth. They give me ideas that help me. It's all a reaction game. I have to take what the defense is giving me. They tell me if the defense is on my left, go right. When guys are bigger than me, my reaction time is a little faster than theirs. If I see an opening, I take it, and most likely I'll get to it before they do."

Georgia Tech Head Coach Paul Hewitt
On Georgia Tech's ability to break Maryland's press:
"The problem wasn't so much the execution as the finishing of the execution. There were three times that [Anthony] Morrow was open in the corner and we didn't see him. We got it in the middle and started bringing it up instead of looking opposite as we always do. Bottom line, it was a great effort and our guys played very hard."

On Georgia Tech's offense:
"Maryland is a very impressive defensive club. I thought when we executed well, we got some great first attempts. From out-of-bounds, we ran some pretty good plays and we got the ball inside for the shot when we wanted to. There were a couple of breakdowns. In a game like this, you can't have the breakdowns; you have to try to win every possession."

On Anthony Morrow's 3-point attempt at the end of the game:
"We were just totally disjointed. Morrow was off-balance trying to take the three."

Georgia Tech Center Ra'Sean Dickey
On playing in overtime:
"We didn't have any timeouts or any TV timeouts as the game was going on in overtime. ... We just had to run by the coach and everyone had to try and listen to what he said and execute."

On playing in ComcastCenter:
"I have played here before, so I knew what to expect. It was pretty loud and hectic at times, but with the schedule we play we are used to big crowds and everybody calling your name."

On expectations coming into the game:
"We came to win as we do every game, but we just fell short. We have been practicing hard and we try and take what we do in practice over to the game. Sometimes we execute and sometimes we don't, and that's just how it goes."

Georgia Tech Guard Anthony Morrow
On his last shot:
"They pushed the screen really well, so the man was right up on me. I saw that there was just one second left, so I had to get it off and I didn't even have time to get my feet set."

On his play:
"I think I should have played a lot better. I didn't shoot the ball well. There were also some breakdowns on the court that I should have taken advantage of. But that's just me. I feel I should have done a little more and we could have won this game. I think we just have to stick together."

On Maryland:
"They are all great players. Mike Jones had a couple of shots on me early. It's tough to guard with the players they have. Nik Caner-Medley and Ekene Ibekwe are very versatile. We did a good job defensively, but they just shot the ball pretty well and it was a good job."