Jan. 25, 2012

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COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Postgame quotes following Maryland's 74-61 loss to Duke Wednesday night at Comcast Center.

Maryland Coach Mark Turgeon

Opening statement:
"That was a great college basketball game until about the three-minute mark. The crowd was off the charts, it was fantastic to see, it was the first time I've seen it. I thought our team battled well and think we had a game plan and we stuck to it and it kept us around. We knew Mason [Plumlee] is a good player and he was the difference. There were a lot of hustle plays in the second half, 50-50 balls and free throw shooting was pretty much the whole game when it comes right down to it. We made some mistakes down in the stretch, we couldn't get stops, and hopefully we'll learn from it. To give them credit, they played a great game."

On scoreless stretches in the game:
"We're getting better. If you could have been in Puerto Rico, you would have never thought that we could play like we're playing right now. So, we're getting there. We have to give them credit. They are physical and I think they got a lot of breaks tonight and they create their own breaks too. There are still four-minute stretches were we aren't making a field goal, and that is not going to beat good teams. That happens, when we're good offensively, we're good. But we have stretches where we don't make free throws too. It wears you out and you can't keep up. In the end, our defense wasn't quite good enough and rebounding wasn't quite good enough, neither was our free throw shooting. But, our effort was tremendous and I'm really proud of the guys."

On the crowd and atmosphere in the Comcast Center:
"It was great. I'd like to see it more often. I know we're in a 3-game losing streak and we're 12-7, 2-3 in the league so that has something to do with it. But, it was fun. I thought our guys used it the right way. In the first half we went a little crazy, we had gone for seven three's and I think we had six before the first timeout. After we made a couple, the guys were feeling good about themselves. I didn't like our shot selection early but we used the crowd on defense. That was great; it made a huge difference in the game for us. That was fun. I can't wait until we get to the point where we get our program where I know we are going to get it; where we are selling every game out, not just Duke and North Carolina. That is when it is going to be a lot of fun, when we sell out every game."

On whether the loss was a defensive or offensive problem:
"I think it is more of who we are. We are a young team, we are inexperienced, we make mental errors, and we don't make free throws. You may ask if it is an offensive problem or defensive problem, I think it is an everything problem. I think we are getting closer in everything we do. But, I do think offensively we are still trying to figure it out."

Senior Guard Sean Mosley

On the defense:
"We wanted to try and make them score inside and take away their 3-point shot. [Mason] Plumlee, he played awesome. He had a double-double. Our bigs were fighting hard the entire game. It seemed like he wanted it more for them. Our guards kept their guards to a low-scoring game. Our game-plan was to take away the outside shot and make them score inside. I think we did that."

On the atmosphere:
"It was great. I wish we had gotten the win, but it didn't go that way today. We have to come back tomorrow and regroup and get ready for Virginia Tech."

On the emotions with the Gary Williams ceremony:
"The emotion was there in the first half. The atmosphere was unbelievable for us. The guys could really see what college basketball is all about tonight. It didn't go our way today but I thought we fought hard the entire game. We had some minor mistakes and it cost us the game."

On losing the rivalry game:
"Every loss is disappointing, not just because it's Duke. We don't take losses in a positive way. We come back the next day, practice hard and try to learn from our mistakes. The season is winding down so we need to win some games and get back on a winning streak."

On how the team played:
"If we continue to play hard for 40 minutes I think we can compete with any competition out there. We just have to play for 40 minutes, not 32 or 20 because the game is 40 minutes long. Other teams have the mindset that they want to come in here and win. It all depends on what team shows up for us. Are we going to play hard for 40 minutes or not? At this level if you want to win you have to. I think we did a great job on defense, but in the second half we didn't guard and the shots we usually make didn't fall for us. We struggled in the second half and that was the turning point."

On Gary Williams Court:
"It is a great honor. I played for Coach Williams for three years and he is one of the biggest coaches I have played for throughout my entire life. If we got the win it could have been a day to never forget, but we lost so it was hard to honor Coach the way he deserved. It didn't go that way for us and we need to find a way to pull these games out in the stretch."

Sophomore Guard Pe'Shon Howard

On the atmosphere:
"Whenever you play Duke the crowd always comes out. It was the first day of classes so all the students were back and in attendance. It was great having Coach Williams come back and having a lot of people from the community come out. It is always great to have the support."

On the team's improvement:
"At the end of the day the more wins help to get you in the tournament. That is our goal. We want to get better but we want to make sure we get the wins at the same time. We just have to make sure that we put ourselves in the right position to keep improving from where we are now."

On keeping the game close:
"It has been our trademark the past few years. Maybe it would have meant something last year but not anymore. It means something when you turn around and win. Staying close to three or four doesn't get you into the tournament. That's all that matters."

Freshman Forward Ashton Pankey

On the game:
"We definitely feed off the crowd. It really helps our game. We used our heads early in the game and I was feeding off their energy. I thought I was playing good in the beginning. I thought collectively we played good in the beginning, we've just got to learn how to finish games."

On learning from the game:
"We've just got to come out in the second half with the same amount of energy we come out with at the beginning of the game. We've just got to transition. It's a young team. Everybody's still learning. I didn't play at all last year, so there's learning problems for everyone. I think we can play with any team. We showed it tonight, tooth and nail. We've just got to learn to finish games."

On Gary Williams:
"I think it was great for him. I'm upset that I didn't get the opportunity to play for Coach Williams - he recruited me here, he gave me a scholarship. It's an honor just playing on his court, Gary Williams Court now, and I think it was good for him, but especially for us. We definitely fed off of that, played with a lot of energy, and I think it was a good tribute for him."

On the team's potential:
"We have the potential of being a very good team. Like I said, we're a young team, everybody's still learning: me, Alex [Len], Nick [Faust]. Sean [Mosley] is basically our only leader. He's experienced NCAA tournaments; he's experienced just getting that far. We feed off of him and him being our leader. We've got to come together as a collective effort and find a way to win these close games."

Duke Coach Mike Krzyewski

Opening statement:
"I'm proud of our team. I thought we beat a very energized, well-prepared team tonight. Maryland played with all their hearts, you could tell. They were quick, their game-plan was well conceived, and they knocked us back 18-10. We started playing better defense the last 10 minutes of the first half, and to start the second half they knocked us back again. The crowd was really into it, and in the last 16 minutes of the game we played really well. In the last 10, we got a lot of those scrum balls, just those tough balls to get. In the last four minutes, the play Mason [Plumlee] made was spectacular tonight. I thought his best play was when he got that loose ball, he dove for it with a real sense of urgency. Down the stretch, we really executed well, hit our free throws, and it was a big win for us. Any win on the road is big, they have a great crowd, it was a big night for Maryland basketball, and for our guys to come out on top was really good for our team."

On the improvement on his team's defense:
"They came out really fast, they were really sharp executing. We're bigger than they are, but they're more athletic. They were really moving fast, you could tell they were very ready for the game and it showed up. They had good looks on their faces and we changed the way we were doing the ball screens after eight minutes, because we couldn't do what we wanted to do with their athleticism. So, we went to a little bit of a different way of defending the ball screen. That helped us, and we didn't get as strung out as much.

On what it meant to him to be here for the Gary Williams Court Ceremony:
"I did something privately for him where I made a tape for him, gave him a toast. They didn't have anything in the glass so I guess he owes me a drink. But, I love what Gary did for our league, not just for Maryland. He's a fierce competitor, really one of the outstanding coaches in the history of college basketball, not just in the conference. I think you have to reward his commitment.

"When he did come [to Maryland] he came here from a great job. His love for the university being a graduate showed every time he coached; he was like a player. He and I are really close friends, and I think we became that because he knows that I'm a competitor and we respect one another. So that's why I did the video, pumped him up in front of his fans hoping that would help him. Something like that is forever, and I appreciate it dearly at Duke. I would hope that everyone who has played basketball here at Maryland understands that the court is for everybody. It's not just the guys who played for Gary. I mean Lefty [Driesell] started something here on a national level that was unbelievable. Some of the greatest players to ever play college basketball played here at Maryland for Lefty. Hopefully no one has forgotten, it's a rich history of basketball here at Maryland. Beautiful basketball at Cole [Field House] and now here, so it's an honor to be here for this game. I'm very happy for him."

Duke Junior Forward Mason Plumlee

On his play:
"The openings were there and [my teammates] got me the ball. I kind of struggled the last two games, so I was in need of a game like this individually. But more importantly, collectively everybody came to play. We didn't have any weak links and everybody contributed."

On how his team took hold of the game in the final minutes:
"Honestly it was on the boards. I remember possessions where we would get two or three offensive rebounds and then score and that's devastating. I'd say the rebounding was the biggest thing and then getting loose balls."

On his team's execution:
"I thought we did a great job of that today. If you noticed we not only got great shots, we got layups. Austin [Rivers] got layups, Ryan [Kelly] got a dunk, and we got easy stuff down the stretch."

Duke Junior Forward Ryan Kelly

On preparing to play at Maryland:
"After a tough loss it can be emotionally draining, but we had two really good days of practice leading up to this and prepared for [Maryland]. You're not going to play against a team that has a greater crowd at their home court and you have to be amped up for it. For us to respond the way we did was a good sign for our team."

On his team's play:
"The first ten minutes of the game was not very good defensively and that still shows where we need to get better. From then on we did a heck of a job. Our guards did a great job on [Terrell] Stoglin. They made him take tough shots and he made some, but overall they did a great job. We need guys that continue to step up on the defensive end individually and then we're going to become a better defensive team."

Duke Junior Guard Seth Curry

On the importance of his team's offensive rebounds:
"They were big. It was just showing that we were going to the offensive boards real hard and that kinds of demoralizes the [other] team when you keep getting offensive rebounds and you're getting good shots, just not making them."

On his night shooting from the field:
"It was a rough game for me shooting-wise, but I can't let that get me down. I've just got to keep working and keep taking my shots when they're open. When I got that [late shot] I kind of got more into the game and it let me get some rebounds and get some stops."