Jan. 11, 2007

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Maryland Head Coach Gary Williams
On tonight's game:
"You have to rely on what you practice during the week in games. Especially in league play, you have to go into the game really flying around and playing aggressively. When you get out-rebounded by 17 in the first half, that's a pretty good indication that you're not playing very aggressively, especially on the defensive end of the court."

On the Maryland's scoring and rebounding:
"We took a lot of shots too quickly without being patient with the offense. We had nine assists, which is a pretty good indication right there. We've had a couple games during the stretch in December when we did the same thing, but we were better than the other team and we could make up for it in some other areas. But to Miami's credit they worked hard. They didn't shoot much better than us, but they went after the glass a lot harder than us. They made some free throws when they had to and it was enough to beat us tonight. We have to do a much better job against Clemson, obviously. It's going to be very important that we play with a little more intensity than we did tonight."

On team's offensive play:
"We had some good looks that we didn't make. You get tighter as the game goes on because you've been missing. And then we couldn't make some shots down the stretch when I thought we had some pretty good looks. A lot of that is just intensity and your ability to concentrate when you get bumped a little. But you still have to make the shot because you're not going to get every call. You have to be tough enough to put the ball in the basket."

On Miami's play:
"Miami is not a bad team. If you look at the effort against Michigan State or Illinois and even against Boston College, the effort was certainly there. You don't have to play great to have great effort. Great effort keeps you in games and that's what Miami did tonight with their effort. They didn't shoot well, but their effort was there to keep them in the game and they won it at the end."

Maryland Forward Ekene Ibekwe
On rebounding:
"They gave a better effort overall on rebounding tonight. They were getting everyone boxing out well and we didn't. That's the bottom line. They won that battle."

On going 0-2 in the ACC:
"It's disappointing, but it's a long season and we just have to keep our heads up. Sometimes things happen like that and there isn't much that we can do about it now. We just have to come in and practice hard and get ready for our next game."

On shooting:
"I guess it was a lack of concentration. We had a lot of shots that we should have made, but sometimes games go like that. We definitely needed to pick up our rebounding. If our shots aren't going in but we're taking care of rebounds and defense we'll be alright."

Maryland Guard Eric Hayes
On Miami:
"Their zone frustrated us and we need to work on that. We need to keep running at them hard and we need to work on that. But if we're not making shots, that zone is tough to score on."

Maryland Forward James Gist
On the game:
"We just have to come out ready to play every game, and we didn't do that tonight. We just got beaten tonight."

On Miami's defense:
"They didn't stop us as much as we didn't make shots. We had every look that we could want to get, but we just couldn't put our shots in. We couldn't get any rebounds either, and that hurt. If you can't put the ball in the basket, you need to get those boards or you're not going to win the game."

Miami Head Coach Frank Haith
Opening statement:
"This was a great win for us. It was a hard-fought win. We had a lot of guys step up. When we lost Jimmy Graham in the first half, I didn't think it could get any worse. We were down people already. We're small but we had guys out there competing. James Dews got five rebounds. Fabio [Nass] went in the game and made a big play. Anthony Harris was great making his free throws. We didn't shoot the ball well, but we found a way to grind the win out."

On Miami's defense:
"I was so proud of how well we played defense. That has to be the identity of this team. We did a good job of it against Wake Forest, and I thought tonight we played outstanding defense."

On the game:
"We found ways to make plays. That was the key. Particularly in the first half, we had good hustle plays that kept us in the game. In the second half, we didn't wilt. They took the lead in the second half, but we kept making big plays. Our guards played with poise. We had a lot of odds against us coming into the game. We were down people, then we lost Jimmy Graham, and we were playing in front of 17,000 people. Plus we were playing against an experienced ball club."

On Anthony Harris:
"He took the game on. He made plays under control, and made his clutch free throws down the stretch. He did what a senior is supposed to do. He led the team."

Miami Guard Jack McClinton
On his performance:
"I have back spasms every now and then but when you are in the middle of an adrenaline pump you don't really think about it. It just is when I stop, that is when you start thinking about it. But we got a win. I am not really worried about my shooting. That will come. All that matters is that we got a win."

On winning:
"It means a lot. I told our team before that game that nobody thinks that we can win. We come out hard and do what we have been doing in practices and we can come out with a victory."

On finishing the game:
"We already knew that we could play with anyone and the time came. We had a bad game against Wake Forest but we were in it the whole game. Today we had to correct our mistake that we made against Wake Forest and that was finishing the game. Today we finished it and came out with a win."

Miami Guard Anthony Harris
On Maryland's defense:
"I think that they were a little dismantled when we came out with four guards and Maryland lost who they were guarding for a second. That gave us an opportunity. I saw that opportunity and I went for it."

On his confidence:
"It does a lot to get a road win after losing a tough one at home. You come into Maryland where it is a hard place to win. To come in and get a win is a big confidence booster. That lets you know that even without a lot of guys and as much tragedy that we have had this year that we are still a good team."