Nov. 21, 2008

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Maryland head coach Gary Williams

On Adrian Bowie:
"For all of you that were wondering who we were going to play at the five spot... I think we found our guy - Adrian Bowie. He was unbelievable in the offense down the stretch."

On the overtime win:
"In any good season there is a win like that somewhere down the line where it seems like there is no chance, and at the end of the day it is a good feeling. It cements the idea that if you work hard enough, good things happen. We had to work really hard because things weren't going real well for us. We got into some foul trouble and we weren't shooting the ball very well as a team, and we were able to make some plays and get that thing tied."

On the game-tying three by Greivis Vasquez:
"Greivis made a great shot but we executed that play pretty well too. In that situation, Vermont knows we are going to shoot the three and it is not easy when the other team knows that you have to take a three in that situation. We were very fortunate."

On Vermont:
"Vermont is a very good team... a veteran team. A lot of guys have played before. They were picked to win their league and picked to go to the NCAA Tournament by Sports Illustrated's preview magazine this week. We are working harder to get better. Today we saw a lot of things that we can better at. But we know we can win and that is a good thing to get at this time of the year."

Vermont head coach Mike Lonergan

On the momentum shift at the end of regulation:
"You could feel it. They got the crowd behind them and all the momentum. I would have liked to see our guys get some more touches in overtime, but we kind of panicked."

On the Terrapins' rebounding advantage:
"Their offensive rebounds in overtime were big. There were a lot of loose-ball rebounds, and they got to all of them. I give Maryland credit. They hung in there, and they put the right guys at the foul line. They deserved to win."

On returning to College Park to play the Terrapins:
"It's always nice to come back. My dad was here and my nephew goes to the university. I'm a big Maryland fan, and I love Coach Williams. I was happy to see him get his 400th win at Maryland. Obviously, I would have liked to keep him at 399, but it was great coming back."

Junior Guard Eric Hayes

On his driving to the basket more in this game:
"I'm frustrated I wasn't making those shots. I was trying to stay patient on offense. I finally got a good look for three at the end and I was able to knock it down for us."

On Vasquez's game-tying 3-pointer:
"That was a crazy shot. I think he was falling out of bounds, and I didn't even see him look at the rim. I was running under the basket to wait for a rebound and I saw it go through."

Senior Forward Dave Neal

On bouncing back from early misses to hit big threes:
"That's the game of basketball. Your shots don't fall all the time, but you can't stop shooting. I know I'm a great shooter, and I have confidence in my jump shot. I got two big open shots at the end of the game. I shot with confidence and they both went in."

On the difference in the team when he is on the floor:
"I think when I'm out there the guys play a little more calmly. I've been here for four years; I've played in a lot of big games, so they know I have experience out there. Greivis [Vasquez] even says when I'm out there the team is more calm. We don't really rush things. When the ball is in my hand I know I'll find the open man."

Sophomore Guard Adrian Bowie

On his aggressive play:
"After I got the first offensive rebound, I figured my man was too short or too slow to guard me, especially on the offensive boards, so I just kept attacking them."

On the team's dominance in overtime:
"We had a lot more energy. We had a second chance to win the game, so we took advantage of it. We were down almost the whole second half so [Vasquez's game-tying shot] gave us the extra energy we needed."