Jan. 7, 2009

Recap |  Final Stats |  Notes |  Photo Gallery 

Maryland Head Coach Gary Williams

On tonight's game:
"I'm disappointed, obviously, but at the same time, give Morgan State credit for working hard and making big shots. They deserve a lot of credit. We didn't run our offense properly once we had the lead there in the second half. We settled for jump shots. When you shoot 1-for-14 from the 3-point line, that's a pretty good indication of maybe you should be doing something else with the basketball.

"We shoot 12-for-15 again from the line, but you only get there 15 times, so you don't take advantage of what you're really good at, which is shooting free throws. You don't get fouled in 3-point shot opportunities, so we were trying to get the ball to the basket, but we didn't do it. When you have 21 turnovers, that's a lot of times you're not getting a shot off and we paid the price for that.

"It's a shame, but at the same time, you can't dwell on it. With 16 league games coming up, we have to come in tomorrow and practice. The big thing now is to have a good practice tomorrow and this won't be talked about. It will all be about Georgia Tech at practice tomorrow."

On whether he felt comfortable with the Terps' 14-point lead in the second half:
"I never felt really comfortable because we weren't playing. During that stretch when we took it out to 14, we played at a good level, like we've been playing, but that was five minutes. That was probably the five minutes that we played as well as we can and should play."

On the team losing intensity in the game:
"Until you get to where you're playing at a very high level for all 40 minutes, or at least close to 40 minutes, that's a possibility. We got caught tonight with a team that made some big shots. They played with a lot of poise. When we had to run some really good plays, we settled for the first open shot. That really hurt us. We can't get away from the fact that we have to pass the ball very well. We missed some shots inside that we should make, but we've done that all year. This our 14th game, so we have to accept the fact that that can happen, but if you run good enough offense and good enough defense, we've proven that we can win and that's what we have to do."

Junior Guard Eric Hayes

On Morgan State's comeback against Maryland:
"We came in and played well to get a 15-point lead. Then we lost concentration and turned the ball over. Then they made a couple shots and had their confidence back, and we couldn't get back from there."

Senior Forward Dave Neal

On Maryland's performance near the end of the game:
"We got careless with the ball. Also, they switched defenses. We've just got to execute better - it's plain and simple. We struggled, for the most part, in the second half and when we're up by 15, that comes back to kill us. We just have to put them away."

On the need for Maryland to learn from this loss:
"You always need to get past [losses]. I think Morgan State, for a lot of the game, outworked us, and that just can't happen. I think we had a little bit of a lapse, especially at the end of the game, when we didn't come out and play as hard as we should have. I guess we have to learn from this and come out for ACC games and play a full 40 minutes."

Morgan State Coach Todd Bozeman

On Morgan State's defense:
"Guys did a good job. I would like to have taken more charges, but the guys did a good job. They locked down late in the game and made sure they stayed in front of the guys, and didn't give them open lanes for the basket."

On calling this the biggest win in Morgan State history:
"People were saying they were really excited about this game, but I told the guys before this game that I am excited about every game. The guys will tell you that I am the same way in practice. I am the same way in games. It's the same for me. I told them great win, but I will be the same way in practice in the morning. We are going to work at it, we are going to get after it. I would say that. They have pulled off the first win against a major conference school (in DePaul), and somehow we got another one against an ACC school, and it is in-state. I think that that is significant."

On Maryland's home crowd:
"Our motto is we don't really care where we play - just give us two baskets and a ball, and that's it. The crowd never affects us, because we don't focus on whether we are home or the road. We just play the game, follow the scouting report and do what we're suppose to do. I haven't seen a person in the crowd make a bucket, so all they can do is yell and scream."