Maryland Head Coach Mark Turgeon

 Opening Statement:

"I'll state the obvious, this is the best we've played this year. This was a really good offensive team that we guarded extremely well. I thought we played [their] shot well. I thought once we went small, we were able to guard them a little bit better. We did a really good job on Burks and Elmore, terrific players and I thought Stix and Bruno were both terrific around the rim, making them alter shots. It's the best Stix has been around the rim and then Bruno just trying to get every rebound out there defensively. It's good we shared the ball, Anthony took it to another level. I've been bragging about Anthony, but he took it to another level there from the six-minute mark of the first half to about the 12 [minute] mark of the second half he was terrific. When you make shots everything looks better, but I was proud of our defense and our rebounding and to stay focus while up 30 or 35 is a good sign for me."

On junior guard Anthony Cowan Jr. controlling the game:

"Well, because of where we are with our team, Anthony is always going to have to guard a really good player every night he takes on a challenge. You worry about whether it's going to affect his offense and tonight it didn't. He's in great shape but he dictated, and I thought he did a good job on Elmore who is a terrific player and then offensively he was terrific…I thought we were much better in the second half recognizing their defense and then attacking it the right way, but Anthony was terrific. I've been bragging about him, might have been bragging about him too much to start the year but you can see he's just a whole different player than he was last year and he's making everybody around him better too."

On freshman guard Eric Ayala on what he said to Turgeon and his performance:

"Eric asked me if I trusted him to make plays. I said, 'well you're in the game, right?' So, I think that means he wanted to be a little bit more aggressive with his decision making. When Aaron is aggressive and he's aggressive and Serrel's aggressive, guys are more aggressive and were a better team. He's been working really hard on his shot, he's been doing it for about two years. Guys have been working really hard this week with Thanksgiving, not as much school, extra days off and they get some extra shooting in yesterday, and it showed. I trust Eric obviously, I mean, I moved Anthony off the ball, I trust Eric. I want Anthony to have the ball sometimes, especially on the break, but it was terrific. It was good to see him make shots and do well. The only thing I'm disappointed in is our turnovers again. We can look like a really good team one minute and we can look like five freshmen in our top eight the next minute."

On the outside shooting tonight:

"We wanted to play inside out, that was kind of our philosophy with these guys whether it was with the pass or the drive, but they did a nice job doubling Bruno. Double a different way than we've seen, we didn't really try to adjust to it. We've got good shooters, guys are just getting a little more comfortable. 9-16 from three-point range so we didn't take a lot of them, but we took good ones and it's nice to make them. We work at it and they have good shooters so it's good to see, I like that we played defense for about 35 minutes tonight."

On freshman guard Serrel Smith and his growth and sophomore forward Bruno Fernando waving to him after the jumper:

"I told him to shoot it, but first of all Serrel – Serrel gets more and more comfortable and Serrel would have played more if he didn't get in foul trouble. He picked up two then I took him out, then he was playing well, then he picked up his third, then in the second half and I don't know what he ended up with minute-wise, but he is getting more comfortable. We had him on Elmore too. That's a lot of confidence saying you can guard this kid. Bruno wants to shoot all jump shots, that's just the way it is, big guys want to shoot jump shots, little guys want to post up, but he's been so efficient. He was open, and they weren't guarding him, and they didn't respect him. He's working hard at that shot, I'm glad he made it it's good to see."

On the potential of this team and how close they are to a complete 40 minutes:

"Were getting better. We have to be realistic here, we're playing five young guys in our top eight. It was good to play well, it's great for us because it gives us confidence, but were getting better, that's what really matters. I don't know how good we are were going to find out next week and the next two weeks well find out how good we really are, but were getting better and that's what I really can see and I'm pleased with that."

On what to take from today's game into playing Virginia on Wednesday:

"We'll be more confident. I want to enjoy tonight. We'll have plenty of time to talk about them. This game will get a lot of hoopla – of course they're a top five team and Tony is one of the best coaches in the county. They have four starters back off the number one seed in the overall tournament so how we got Virginia in this challenge, I don't really know, because we were probably picked tenth or whatever we were, but we got them so we'll see where we are. It should give us confidence because we've gotten better every game."

On this week's practice schedule and the team coming out to take Marshall seriously:

"There were probably some rumors going around that we were going to lose tonight and so our guys didn't like that. Marshall won a game last year in the tournament and we weren't in it but were a whole new team. I was really proud of them in the last game and I know the score didn't end up the way we wanted it, but we really came out with energy. We brought our own energy that night and played well. They showed me something that night and tonight I could tell they were focused because Marshall is a good team and they're a great program and they're averaging 94 a game and we held them to 67 and played everybody. I keep telling you they're a fun group to coach and they listen and try to get better and we are getting better. I think there's tremendous growth still in his team."

On the +22 rebound margin tonight:

"They've been outrebounded in their games so far we have played pretty much the same teams and we were +12 or +13 in those games. It was a big emphasis for us especially on the offensive end trying to get offensive rebounds and it showed. Bruno just gets every defensive rebound, so it was a big part of what we did. I didn't see it, but +22, that's great."

Freshman Guard Eric Ayala
On Coach Turgeon's trust for him:
"I know my coach and my teammates trust me, but hearing it sometimes is a different feeling. It wasn't that I did not have confidence in myself, it was more I know my coach has my back at the end of the day. I love coach Turgeon; I love him to death."

On his back-to-back 3's sparking the run that sent the team into halftime with a big lead
"Going into every game we just want to focus on what we have to focus on. I think on that run we were just executing. I think when we first started we were a little stagnant trying to get a feel for the game. I think the back to back 3's opened up a little run I guess."

On having a great performance beyond the arc:
"It just shows the work I put in on my shot. I am working on it every day. I knew at this level you have to make 3-point shots. For me to reach my potential and be able to shoot that consistently makes me definitely want to keep working on my shots."

Sophomore Forward Bruno Fernando
On what is more satisfying - a mid-range shot or a post rising dunk
"I am used to dunks, I do it every time. It helps me feel good when I hit a jump shot, but I am not really worried about that. I am worried about doing anything I can to help my team win and I know that my team needs me to play down low. That's really all that matters."

On working on his blocks:
"Honestly we do not practice blocks. Obviously I have to be a presence defensively for my team and help them, especially our guards. Just staying in front of the ball, doing a good job staying out there, creating a wall and blocking the shots. That is something that I try to emphasize and keep doing as the year goes on."
 
 On if it's reassuring having at least five players in the double digits for the third time this season:
"It shows how committed we are and how much we love playing with each other. Like I said, it's not a me win, it's not an anybody's win, it's a team win. We just have to be happy for whoever is having success because at the end of the day if each and every one of us is successful on the court we are going to be successful as a team."

On how Stix (Jalen Smith) is doing so far:
"He has come a long way; He is getting better each game. We talk to him every time, like I said I try to take on a little bit of coaching and help him do things right. He listens and he tries to do the things right. He is just going to get better from here."

Junior guard Anthony Cowan
On if him and freshman guard Eric Ayala being aggressive the kind of philosophy they're trying to take into the games:
"Yeah, I think everyone has to be aggressive. I think the guards had a good game today, but our big's have been killing it. Bruno has been having really good games, Stix (Jalen Smith) has been really good, so I think everyone has to be really aggressive in order for us to be successful on offense."

On if he knew that he was one point away from his career high:
"I did know that. I think I was subbed out at the eight minute mark, but I don't know. My main focus is winning at this point. We've been doing too much losing, especially from last year, to be worried about scoring."

On if he thinks this game shows what this team can be and their potential:
"I think definitely it does, but obviously the season is still early. We have a huge test coming up next week."

On the defense tonight:
"That's our main focus. We know that we can be a pretty good offensive team, but defense comes first. Coach has been really on us about defending, especially in practice, so I think we've been taking a lot of pride in it."
 

-Terps-