Dec. 31, 2011

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COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Postgame quotes following Maryland's 75-63 win over Samford Saturday afternoon at Comcast Center.

Head Coach Mark Turgeon

Opening statement:
"I was pleased with the way we played. I thought at times we looked pretty good. We had a lot of depth today. When one group wasn't playing well we could put in another group and they did well. I thought from the 10-minute mark in the first half until the six minute mark in the second half we guarded well. We got used to their offense and did a nice job of guarding their stuff. I was very proud of our group. We really don't know how to play with a lead. We have 10-point leads but for us they feel like two points. Today we had two 20-point leads and we didn't know how to act. Hopefully we will have a few more leads like that this season. Best part of today is we got all of our walk-ons in. They have been incredible in practice. They bring it every day, they are the scout team, practice hard. It meant a lot to everyone in our locker room that they got in today."

On Nick Faust:
"When you bank your first shot in it is probably going to be your day. To be honest I didn't like any of his 3-pointers except for the last one he made right in front of the bench. The other ones off the dribble I didn't love. The guys on the bench heard me say bad shot when he shot the other ones. I am happy for Nick; he needed that. He has been coming early and staying late to shoot. He continues to guard. My whole thing is if guys guard, rebound and do what they are supposed to than I will let them shoot one that they aren't supposed to."

On the team playing more up tempo:
"We have run a lot better the last two games. I didn't think that we ran very well in the second half today. We are a deeper team. We have been practicing running in practice for the last month but had to play differently with only seven scholarship guys. I screwed us up in the second half because we were walking it up because of me. I lost our rhythm. We should never stop running. We are trying to run more. We have to get the easy ones."

On the second larger win:
"This wasn't overly big. If people look at the score people might think we are still struggling but I'm okay with that. It was nice to get the walk-ons in. I talked to the team about playing with a lead and we haven't done a good job of that this year. We have to practice better so we can get better in those situations. Give Samford credit, they hit a lot of shots down the stretch to make it close. I will take this win."

On the team's physicality:
"We were not very strong or tough and it was frustrating. We had a run and James [Padgett] couldn't finish, Alex [Len] finally finished one, Berend [Weijs] couldn't finish and Ashton [Pankey] finished on a play. It got a little frustrating as Sean [Mosley] fumbled a pass out of bounds as well. We are going to have phases like that. Give them credit, they are a physical team. We have to get ready for the league so that was good for us. That wasn't good for our defense because it affected us. That was the most disappointing part."

On the improvement of the team:
"I was disappointed in the Radford game. I thought when we added Pe'Shon [Howard] we would be better, I didn't think there was any way that game would be close. I thought we really played well against Albany, I wasn't certain that we would beat them to be honest but we really played well at times. Today we took a big step. If we learn how to practice better we can keep taking these steps. I threw them out yesterday in the morning and brought them back last night. Hopefully they will know that we won't take bad practices. I have high expectations for this team."

Sophomore Guard Terrell Stoglin

On Nick Faust's play:
"Tonight he seemed more comfortable. He hit open jumpers, his shot looked way better than it has been. He just seemed confident."

On winning by a large margin:
"It was fun. I felt like no one forced anything, everybody just had fun playing with each other and we look more like a team."

On Alex Len's impact:
"It gives us more options when you can play inside out. It opens up the floor for everybody; open jumpers are easy to shoot. We had cutters flashing to the rim and everything is easier."

On his defense:
"When [Coach Turgeon] told me I wasn't going to start, it just showed me that I'm not too good or anything. You've got to always play hard, so I decided I'm going to play defense from now on. It's a challenge. If that's what it takes to win, I want to do it."

Sophomore Guard Pe'Shon Howard

On his rebounding:
"I made a more assertive effort in practice and today in the game to try and get as many rebounds as I could and just see how it worked out. It was really a lot of work from the big guys, they just held their box outs, and I would just come in and get the rebounds."

On Nick Faust:
"Ever since he came in, Sean [Mosley] and I have really been there for him. He's playing a lot better. Not having the ball as much has really helped his game. It also allows him to rebound without guards getting back. With him being 6-foot-6 he can really rebound well. There are a lot of things that can help him, moving off the ball to his natural position."

On the team's improvement:
"It's very good for us to get these types of wins. With Alex and I coming back it helped us a lot, it changed our team. Each game you see us growing. The first game that I played the offense played a little bit better but still close, with Alex, the offense played a lot better, but still close. Every game is us growing."

Freshman Guard Nick Faust

On the game:
"It was definitely a great thing - a confidence booster. I get on myself a little bit about shooting, but I just have to push through it and keep mentally tough and mentally strong."

On Alex Len:
"Alex [Len] is a big presence inside. He helps with backdoor cutting and things like that. He attracts defender's attention, so I can get open shots."

On his confidence after his performance:
"It definitely boosts my confidence, but you still have to keep working at the gym and working hard. You just have to push through it."

On the win:
"It helped our team. We have been pressing defense and trying to work hard and play together. So, it was definitely a win that I think we all put in and played strong."

On the team's confidence:
"Because everyone is back we are able to play together as a team and I think we are starting to get chemistry from each other. It is definitely starting to work."

On coming off the bench:
"I think we all just want to come in and be the spark. On the bench, we talk about what things we can do to help to help the team get better. We definitely came out, played hard and just tried to bring it, which we did."

Samford Coach Jimmy Tillette

On the game:
"I thought we [competed]. Otherwise how do you explain the small differential that we had in Texas the other day? And we had a chance when it was a 10-point game in the second half. There were like four possessions and we kind of squandered some opportunities. I thought we got some good looks, and Devin [McNeil] stole the ball and tried to make a factor of the bigger guys. We had a couple missed shots, but overall, I thought we improved as a team. The team that made a run, we had four freshmen and a sophomore. They had a defensive end with some steals, so I feel good. I think the Maryland team - obviously [Mark] Turgeon is a friend of mine, I think he's a great coach - but I think with the addition of [Pe'Shon Howard and Alex Len] and the way that [Terrell] Stoglin played - part of the problem is we weren't high-hedging quickly, so we had to move to keep the ball in front and freeze him from shooting 3s. He's the lead-scorer in the ACC, so they've got some nice players."

On his team's play:
"I thought Drew [Windler] played well, I thought that Tyler [Hood] played well. I thought with the fact we had Devin [McNeil] and Raijon [Kelly] on the floor at the same time, I thought they did a number of good things. So it was a game where we're disappointed because we're competitors, but it's encouraging from what I saw. We'll go back and look at the video and make some technical changes and things of that nature. And I thought we had some execution, where some plays were called out and we were able to execute them well. We had 11 turnovers, which I think is a good sign, 14 assists, so that part of it is good."

On upcoming play:
"Turgeon was very complimentary toward our team after the game, I appreciate that. It'll be good for us to get home and take tomorrow off and spend the week preparing for Appalachian State. There's nothing for us to hang our hats on. There's obviously no certainty, but I do see improvement in our game. We had a setback the other night, but basically it's been one step back, but two steps forward."