Head Coach Mark Turgeon

Opening Statement:

"It was a great win. One of the best wins and I've been doing this a long time. To not start the game well again, we have to fix it, we have to do better. We were flat…weren't good. Indiana was terrific. I think we fed off of our fans the second half. I thought our crowd was incredible for students being gone. It was loud in there and it gave us a lot of energy. We started to play with a lot more energy about the last seven minutes of the first half and then I thought the second half we were really good again. Anthony had his spurts when he was really good, Bruno had his spurts when he was really good. Ricky Lindo really gave us big minutes tonight and we were much better defensively. We had one turnover in the second half. We're getting much more poised. I think our offense -- Indiana has guarded it as well as anybody that's guarded it…Eventually, we were able to break it down a little bit and keep playing through Bruno and Anthony getting to the rim. I think we had 51 points in the second half. Just an incredible win because we were not very good to start but give Indiana a ton of credit."

On if this is an example of how Bruno Fernando and Anthony Cowan have grown, especially looking at how Anthony played at Indiana last season:

"Well they've both improved so much. We have really good players, everybody that plays is a really good player. We're able to space the floor and Eric Ayala made some big time plays. But no, we have a lot of confidence in Anthony and we know we need him to do great things. We also have a ton of confidence in Bruno. I love the poise we played with. Anthony or Bruno had the ball in their hands almost every possession late in the game, and that's just guys growing up and understanding, younger guys understanding, how we need to play and that takes a while to get where we're going. We're getting better. We've really improved since Christmas and we wouldn't have won that game before Christmas, we wouldn't have figured it out, but we've gotten a lot better."

On what about this team gives them the ability to respond when they're down at halftime like they were and how encouraging is that going forward:

"Well I'd like to be up a little bit more at halftime and hopefully we can become a better first half team. But ever since I've had this team in Italy this summer, there's something about them I can't explain. And I think it's about how much they care about each other and love each other and how they play hard for each other. I think that's really what it is, but it's just something in them. It took us a while to get more comfortable in the regular season, but I think you can see us getting more comfortable and winning some big games."

On if it is a case where your stars have to be stars sometimes like with Bruno and Anthony and how much of an insurance policy does he see that as, knowing that he has them:

"Well I love how they play, and they've been pretty consistent. Anthony was really playing well and now he's taken it to a whole other level. We knew he would. He wasn't making shots the way Anthony can make shots and now he's starting to make shots -- makes him really hard to guard. But we'd love to be a little bit more consistent with the rest of the guys moving forward. Obviously, it wasn't Stix's night, but Ricky stepped up and Aaron Wiggins made some shots. Serrel helps us so much defensively. So, I think we have a lot of confidence in everybody that plays, but it's nice when you have two guys that can figure how to get some points to help you win the game."

On what he can see a month from now with this team:

"We have a huge upside. We talk about it in the locker room all of the time. We're in the middle of a serious grind right now — not that there's ever an easy game in our league. But, we're going every three days so we're not able to practice as much but we are getting better in games. So that's good for us. I'd like to think how far we've come since December 27^th, where can we be on February 1^st and where can we be on February 15^th. We'll see, because it's a willing team. I told them not to come to the gym tomorrow, take the day off, but they'll be ten guys in here shooting tomorrow working on their game I can promise you that."

On if he would have felt great about his team's chances knowing Juwan Morgan and Romeo Langford were going to have the game that they had and what does it say about the team that they can beat a team with Indiana's heavy hitters tonight:

"Morgan, that kid is pretty special what he's done, and Langford is as advertised being one of the top five kids coming out of high school in the country last year. Langford really heated up late, we couldn't guard him. We fouled him and kind of got him going. He hasn't been a great foul shooter for them, but I think he made every one of them. So I've got to give him credit — big time environment, the kid stepped up…But Morgan is the guy that's amazing at 6'7 doing what he does. Luckily for us, he didn't get the jump shot going tonight. I thought that was big for us."

On what the key was to the 16-2 run after Morgan's shot:

"Well I was frustrated because we walked through that play and we knew that he was diving for a layup or slipping the ball screen for a layup and we didn't guard it right. But then we executed at the other end then we got a few stops, then they missed a few open ones for us which is always helpful, then we just were great offensively. We got outrun. Anthony could go all 80 minutes, he's in great shape. He helped us push the ball. We just played with great poise, we got a shot every time, that's important. We weren't doing that a month ago. We were turning it over 16 or 17 times. I know we only had one in the second half so that's another big step for us."

On how important it is for people to know that Maryland is not just going to play man to man:

"Well we played man the whole game, but there was a couple of guys that we could zone up against and maybe that's what you saw, which means that we played smarter defensively. We didn't all the time, but one thing I'm on these guys about is playing smarter defensively. Like on the scouting report, we're not supposed to let Langford drive baseline, he got baseline a couple of times, tonight right? He's terrific on baseline. So, we're getting there, but as far as zoning up and guarding the right way, there was a stretch where we were really good."

On how important it is for Jalen Smith to see that he can have a game like this tonight and his teammates will pick him up:

"Yeah it's huge. It's huge. It should take the pressure off of him and he just needs to relax. Obviously, I've seen Stix play a lot of games, but it was just one of those games. He was tripping over his feet, fumbling balls and I felt bad for him because he's such a terrific player coming off his best game of the year. It's humbling for him but love the kid I know he's going to bounce back and play great on Monday night — hell he might have 20. He's capable of doing some things like that."

On does it give him confidence that he can have a major offensive player like Sticks not really produce anything and you can still win:

"Everybody is going to talk about his offense because he was 0-9, but defensively he wasn't locked in either. He has become a really good team defender for us. So, it was at both ends tonight, so it says a lot. Ricky Lindo to come in and do what he did — I tell you what, I had the four freshmen out there with Anthony and I almost subbed Eric in because Anthony was looking like he was getting a little tired and almost had the five freshmen out there. Those guys confidence, we got confidence in them."
 

Jr. Guard Anthony Cowan Jr.

On being 6-6 from the line the final minutes of the game:

"I know we needed them. The only thing I could've done better is hit the other two in the first half. I just have to keep working on them." 

On the start of the game versus the start of the second half:

"I think we really keyed in on defense. We were able to get some easy ones on transition. I think everyone played more free in the second half. I felt like we just played really good basketball in the second half."

On the last five games being phenomenal:

"I wouldn't say they were phenomenal, but we are definitely figuring out ways to win which is always a good thing. Now we just have to put this one behind us like the game against Minnesota and just get ready for Wisconsin."

On seeing growth from game in Indiana last year:

"Definitely, that's what Coach Turgeon has been getting on me about. When we talked in the beginning of the year he always said he didn't know if my numbers were going to up but he can definitely see my growth as an overall basketball player. "

On feeling comfortable playing with Bruno Fernando:

"I think I have been comfortable playing with Bruno [Fernando] since last year. He has definitely been making a lot of better decisions. He is going to get double teamed every game and he is just such a mismatch for a lot of people. So when they double I am just trying to work off of him just like with all of my other teammates."    

So. Forward Bruno Fernando

On having 17 of 25 points in the second half:

"I think I was just planting myself open, a lot of times setting both screens or just driving to the rim every time I can. The guards did a really good job on finding me at the rim and I just tried to plant some rebounds as well. I think we did a great job on the boards tonight and that really helped me." 

On difference between start of the game and start of the second half:

"I think it was the energy and picking it up on defense. Just staying locked in defensively and trying to get as many stops as we could. First half, it was a slow start which is one of the things that we are trying to work on. We are trying to get rid of it and just try to make sure we do things right and we did that in the second half."

On last five games and what's next:

"I think it's the commitment that everybody has. Everyone is sacrificing individual goals for the good of the team and that's really showing by how we are playing. We are just making sure that everybody helps each other be successful on the court. We are doing well with that and we are getting the wins and moving in the direction that we want our game to go."

On Indiana doing a good job of keeping him from the rim or him not being as aggressive in the first half:

"I think it goes both ways. Part of it was me not being as aggressive as usual. Also, I was just trying to be careful, a couple of times I was double teamed and then a couple of times they were digging from whoever the passer was and the passers defender. So, I just tried to be careful and not try to pick up a foul. I was just trying to make good decisions with the ball and get my teammates the ball."

On how they handled being down early:

"I think it's just the fight in this team and the commitment. Also, how everyone is willing to sacrifice and just put individual goals aside and try to do everything we can to help the team win and I think it showed. We came back in the second half and everyone was just locked in defensively and talking to each other on screens and pin downs." 
 

Fr. G Eric Ayala

On coming back from the halftime deficit:

"It think we guard as a team and individually. It's fun to go out there and I feel like teams are starting to realize how good we are so we get a lot of teams' best punch and at first, you miss it in a game and I think we have to do a better job of coming out stronger and ourselves early in the game instead of being that comeback team. It's fun though giving a little fight. It brings us together as a team."

On their own success as a team and acknowledging it:

"I mean we knew we had a lot of talent coming in looking around the locker room but now it's starting to gel and we bond are we are that team we knew we needed to be. We're not finished though, we have a lot of room for improvements and stuff like that."

On their biggest change in offense in the second half:

"Going into the second half we tried to focus on being efficient and effective, executing in the last seven minutes of the game. We feel like in the second half during that stretch, previously we weren't so good in those stretches and at practices, we've been focusing a lot on the last seven minutes of the game. We watch a lot of film in the last few minutes of the game and we are getting better at that. We had one turnover so we are getting better and its showing."

 

-Terps-