Jan. 3, 2012

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COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Postgame quotes following Maryland's 70-62 win over Cornell Tuesday night at Comcast Center.

Head coach Mark Turgeon

Opening statement:
"We like to make it interesting, there's no question about that. It was so easy for us early. We were hitting shots, we were executing, we were defending at a level we haven't defended at this year, and it just came so easy for us.

"But we did what young teams do when [the game] is going easy. We just thought it was going to be easy the whole game and so we quit guarding, we quit chasing down loose balls, we started shooting quick, we got a little bit selfish, and turned the ball over. I was not going to call timeout in the first four minutes and that was more of just trying to help them grow up. I said even if it costs us the game, I kept telling my coaches `I'm not calling timeout, they've got to get themselves out of it.' We couldn't figure out how to get out of our rut.

"Hopefully we can figure out better ways [in the future] to get to the foul line and get easy buckets when we're not doing what we're supposed to do. That said, when the game was on the line we did it again - we stepped up, we guarded, we executed, and we made plays. We made foul shots down the stretch and got just enough plays to win."

On refraining from calling a timeout to end Cornell's run at the start of the second half:
"I'll be honest even when I wasn't calling timeout [at the beginning of the second half] I never thought we were going to lose the game. I just wanted our guys to grow up and right or wrong, that's what I did. We called plays to post it to Alex [Len] a couple times and couldn't make the pass or make the play. We've just got to get better. We've got to execute better and we've got to practice better. Maybe we're a little caught up in the seven-game winning streak instead of where our team really is and where we need to be, so the good thing is we have a couple days to practice before we hit the road."

On what changed to allow Cornell to come back into the game:
"[Cornell] switched to man [defense] and we didn't execute after that, so you can give them credit. I think they played a lot more loose - it's a lost easier to play when you're down 20. We just didn't do our job. We showed our inexperience and our immaturity and I just keep hoping that we grow out of it."

On his team's struggles getting the ball to the post in the second half:
"I thought [Eitan Chemerinski] did a great job on post defense and we didn't do a great job posting up. They took our first option away and we couldn't get to the second option. And then in the second half we would drive and they just put everybody in the paint because we couldn't make a jump shot."

Sophomore Guard Terrell Stoglin

On the team responding to adversity:
"We grew up. I thought that we responded very well. Coach said that he wasn't going to call any timeouts because he wanted us to work through it as a team. We communicated together and played together and were able to get the win."

On Cornell's run:
"We had a run but coach told us that they were going to get a run. He wanted us to stay strong and play defense."

On Coach Turgeon's advice to him:
"Coach told me to keep my head. My shots weren't falling and things weren't going my way. But I wanted to help out our team win and we did that."

On what the team takes away from the game:
"We can take away a lot of good things. In the first half we played great defense and played together. At the end of the game we stayed together and won the game. We are only taking away positive things, not negative."

On if the close games help them:
"It is going to help us in the long run. Once we learn how to finish games, even though we have been getting the wins, it is going to make us a better team."

On if the team is ready for ACC play:
"I think we are ready. We still need to get better and have a lot of work to do. We need to get ready for the game on Sunday."

On the importance of the N.C. State game:
"It is a very important game. This is our first real road game so we need to get the win. It will help our momentum in ACC play."

Senior Guard Sean Mosley

On the difference between the first and second half:
"We came out in the first half with a lot of energy. In the second half, we wanted to come out with that same intensity. We tried to do it in the first four minutes, but they were hitting shots and we got frustrated down the stretch and tried to score quick and make some fancy plays. It cost us, but we came out with a win and that's the only thing we can ask for."

On Coach Turgeon not calling a timeout in the beginning of the second half:
"I was on the bench at the time, so he kept saying, `I'm not going to call a timeout. They're going to have to figure it out.' He wanted us to mature as young men and to figure out things on our own because sometimes when things are going bad on the road you can't keep burning every timeout because some timeouts you're going to need down the stretch when games are close. We have to figure it out and grow up. As a team, we had too many turnovers and they were hitting shots. We really couldn't get our offense going in the second half."

On the team's preparedness for conference play:
"I am so ready to play our first game against NC State on Sunday. I think we have worked extremely hard up to this point to get where we are right now. I think with everyone playing and having Alex [Len] and Pe'Shon [Howard] back it's a plus for us right now."

On his thoughts when on the bench during the second half:
"We talked at halftime about how Cornell was down to Bucknell by 18 and they came back and took the game into overtime, so we knew they weren't going to give up. When they came out in the second half, they hit a lot of shots that they weren't getting in the first half. We kept them to a low percentage in the first half and in the second half they made that run, but we stuck together as a team and made free throws and got the rebounds at the end of the game."

On Alex Len:
"It's good to have his inside presence. Sometimes it's easier for us to lob the ball up to him and to have him finish it and make great plays. Alex definitely adds a big piece to our offense and defense."

Cornell Coach Bill Courtney

On the game:
"We've seen a lot of good things in this game tonight. Obviously we would have liked to come out with the win, but we had a lot of opportunities. We had 3-point shooting and we had some looks, and we just didn't knock them down at certain times. We didn't come up with some loose balls, but we've got to give them credit. They've got [Alex Len] who's seven feet tall. We're trying to get the ball and he's just grabbing it. I was proud of our guys' effort tonight."

On freshman guard Devin Cherry:
"Devin's a guy who's been coming around. He's battled injuries so we've been trying to figure out what we're doing and how we need do it. How he can be effective has been a process for him, and he was able to do that in the last few weeks of practice so he's been getting more playing time. As we got down early, the one thing I thought was, `We're not being aggressive enough,' and that's one thing about Devin for sure that he brings to play."

On senior guard Chris Wroblewski:
"He's playing more aggressively, and I think that's a big part of what we talked about early on. We needed him to score early on, and he was huge. We didn't need him as much later on as [we did] in the beginning, so he might not have been as aggressive while looking for opportunities. The more opportunities you go for, the more chances you have for good opportunities to go in."

On upcoming league play:
"No question, we've had three games where we've been David vs. Goliath, and you can see that. For us, it's not about all of that; it's not about any point right now, it's about continuing and doing things we want to do and taking things from games so when we get to the Ivy [League], that's what we can achieve."