Feb. 20, 2011
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Maryland Quotes
Opening statement:
"Our defense in the second half gradually got tougher, where our man-to-man defense is what got us the stops. I felt that in the second half whoever could stop the other team, because both teams were scoring, was going to win that game. We did a very good job in that one stretch there where we took it out to six or eight [points] and we were able to maintain that with good foul shooting after that.
"It was a good team win for us. Jordan [Williams] had a big game for us but Dino [Gregory] was really solid for us, another double-double for him. He deserves a lot of credit because he's really worked on his game. Even after his sophomore year he couldn't shoot the ball like he can now. That takes a lot of work, a lot of time in the gym to get to where you can do that.
"Terrell Stoglin was once again tough. He's going to make some mistakes once in a while in terms of shot selection, but what he gives you is someone who wants to be out there and really likes the competition. He really enjoys playing. He's a tough little guy and it's great to see him advance during his freshman year.
"Sean Mosley came off the bench and was great. He could have pouted but he didn't. He just came out to play, and we needed him. I thought he did a great job.
"It was a good team win because NC State is playing better coming off their win against Clemson. Both [Tracy] Smith and [C.J.] Leslie are tough to deal with because Leslie can go outside if he has to and Smith is so strong inside. They have some quickness and some size in the backcourt which bothered us at times today. But we were able, as a team, to win the game."
On close games:
"Well you have to have short memories. You can't be worried about losing, trying to play that game out there, there's too much going on. So I always talk to the team about how you can't do anything about a great win or a great loss for the next game. We did a good job today just focusing on our execution down the stretch. I think we had one turnover the last 18 minutes or something like that. So it's everyone. The point guard has the ball a lot. Everybody's got to catch a pass. Just that team effort was what won the game for us."
On gaining momentum from this game:
"That's what we needed. I thought we played well at times against Virginia Tech. Our defense wasn't as good as it was today, so we lost the game. We got over 80 points so our offense has been playing pretty well. Today we were able to combine the other two in the second half and hopefully that does give us confidence. You have to earn that. You can't say everything's ok. You have to win games this time of year and get that win today to get us to .500 in the league. It's important going into Florida State. That's a game I'm worried about. This was the only game I'm worried about today. Here comes Florida State, they're a very good team and they've had some impressive wins this year."
On Terrell Stoglin and Pe'Shon Howard getting more confident as the season goes on:
"Terrell thinks the green light is always green. He's never seen a red light. Pe'Shon was good today. We finally started to play with a lot of enthusiasm. He was good in the second half. He didn't really get a lot of looks, but he's tough out there. He doesn't quit or anything like that. He's just got to come in everyday, it's just a little different level than he played at last year and he's got to understand that there's no bad players, you play against somebody good all the time and it requires you to compete every time. He did a good job down the stretch for us."
On getting the win in a close game:
"It seems like every game when we're down or when we're fighting a team we can't get that win and tonight when I looked up and we were about to win the game I was like it's about time we finally got over that hump. I'm really proud of my guys, especially the younger guys and especially Dino [Gregory] who really stepped up tonight and I couldn't be more proud of him.
On the pressure of making the NCAA tournament:
"We've just got to take it game by game. Every opportunity to play we've got to go out there with the mindset that we're going to win the game and that's what we did today. At the end of the first half we made some sloppy mistakes and let them [NC State] come back a little bit, but what counts is what the score is at the end of the game and I think we did that tonight."
On the importance of the win:
"It's very important because we have momentum and more confidence than we had last game and we're ready. It just proves that we can bounce back from a tough loss and that's what we did."
On his development as a point guard:
"I'm just turning into a point guard like Coach [Gary Williams] wants me to be. I feel like I'm just learning how to be more of a point guard and I'm fitting in that role now."
On starting the game alongside freshman Pe'Shon Howard:
"Honestly, it was fun. Pe'Shon [Howard] and I are real close, so we got to start together so it felt real good. Instead of battling each other for that position, we got to play and share it together."
On his play tonight:
"At one point I felt like I couldn't miss a shot. The goal looked really big to me and my teammates kept finding me and I kept making shots."
On the play of freshman guard Terrell Stoglin:
"He played extremely well. He played out of his mind today. He was playing good on the defensive end, he was playing good on the offensive end, and I was really proud of him tonight."
On the importance of the win:
"This is just momentum. We had two losses in a row before this and we won this game and we'll move on to Florida State."
NC State Quotes
Head Coach Sidney Lowe
On NC State's reaction to Maryland's late run:
"We stopped doing the things offensively that were working for us. We took some bad shots and up until that point we had been moving the ball pretty well. Then we started to hold the ball and just made some bad decisions. When you play against a team like Maryland they're going to make you pay for those bad decisions."
On Jordan Williams and Dino Gregory:
"Those guys play great. [Jordan] Williams is as strong as it comes and he can really play the angle and move guys up the lane. [Dino] Gregory hit just about every shot and he even made a couple where C.J. Leslie had his hand right on him, and you just have to live with those. He hit some timely shots, and we know that's what he does, he can shoot the ball. Those two guys were tough inside."
On having a 17-2 run, and then losing the lead during the last seven minutes:
"Some of it is a lack of experience, but then some of it is us just not playing together. Something I've been talking about the last few weeks is how we've been playing so well together. During those last seven minutes, though, some of our guys were just trying to play one-on-one, whether it was outside or in the post. If you're just missing open shots you can live with that loss, but it's hard when you don't give yourself the opportunity for an open shot, because you end up just hurting yourself."
On the turnovers at the end of the game:
"We had two chances to get some lose balls that Maryland gave up, but we just couldn't get our hands on it so Maryland took it back, and even made a basket off one of them. I think the first five minutes we were good, but at the end we just didn't play like we did early on."
Senior Forward Tracy Smith
On what fell apart with the offense during the last 6-7 minutes:
"I think we may have taken a couple bad shots, but Maryland was able to keep getting the rebounds and were scoring, so that's how they got the lead."
On losing eight straight games to Maryland:
"I mean [Maryland] is a great team, but like I said, in the second half we took a few bad shots, had a couple bad turnovers and that's what cost us the game."
On the play of Maryland forward Dino Gregory:
"He hit a lot of big shots. He seemed to have it in the back of his head that he was hitting that 17 foot jump shot, he was knocking it down today."
Sophomore Forward Scott Wood
On trading three point shots for two point baskets with Maryland during a stretch of the game:
"It seemed like neither team could really stop each other, it just came down to who was going to execute at the end. I think the game showed who executed better and who didn't turn it over."
On what went wrong in the final 6-7 minutes of the game on offense:
"I think it was about the seven minute mark where we took four bad shots and had a couple turnovers there that just killed us. During the Wake Forest and Clemson game we played together, took the good shots and then it came down to a little adversity and we folded."
On being able to go on a 17-2 run, but then having difficulty scoring later in the game:
"I mean it just comes down to executing, you know who's got the hot hand and sometimes you have to play off them even though you may not want to. At the same time, I think Tracy [Smith] and I opened some stuff up inside, so the guards got in there and got some halfway decent looks. Every once in a while when we'd hit the post and we'd have to kick it out, or when we'd get in the paint we may not have had anything and we'd have to dish it off. It was just those little things that killed us."
