Dec. 12, 2004
Recap |
Box Score |
Notes
Jackie Devane - Monmouth Head Coach
General comments
"I wasn't really upset. I think we came out and we played hard. We just went into a scoring drought in the first half and didn't really take care of the ball very well. I think the second half we took care of the ball a little better, and shot a little better. But I wasn't upset with the effort at all."
On Maryland defense
"They were pretty good. I thought we weren't responding to what they were doing. I think that we just got a little overwhelmed when they were cutting down on the wings and denying, we just didn't do what we needed to do. But if we had done what we needed to do, we would have done a lot better."
On their defensive strategy
"In the first half, we wanted to make sure that their post players didn't hurt us and we were successful on that end. Second half, we were really focusing on not letting them get into their game. We knew Shay Doron was going to get hers and we just wanted to make sure that the post players didn't get into the flow. The other people just came out and scored in a way that wasn't expected, especially towards the end when they got a lot of easy baskets and a lot of free throws from the line. The last four-and-a-half minutes it just seemed like "Put `em on the line, put `em on the line," and that's what got me towards the end of the game."
Brenda Frese - Maryland Head Coach
General comments
"Just another nice team win. It's exciting to be able to have everyone on our roster contribute in a game like this. Obviously I was much more pleased with the first half than the second half, but obviously coaches are never satisfied. In the first half, we played as close to as good a defense as we have all season long. Just a tremendous focus and intensity, holding them to 16 points. We had a lot of breakdowns in the second half, giving up 33 points. We just have to be able to rebound and come out a lot more focused than we did."
On the problems in the second half
"I thought it started with our starters when we came out. We were flat-footed and got into a lot of early foul trouble, which tells you that defensively we were standing still, not active, and not in a good defensive position. When we come against the kind of competition that we're going to start seeing here in conference play, we have to be able to go out and bring it for 40 minutes."
On taking only five 3-pointers
"It definitely wasn't a conscious decision. I think you saw in the second half we started to get a lot more easy shots in the paint. Our guards did a great job of distributing the ball inside. Our weapons, from the three point line are obviously Ashleigh [Newman] and Shay {Doron]. But I think we took what the offense gave us and did a lot better job of getting to the free throw line and stepping up and making free throws."
On the team's schedule
"I think you definitely have to have a mixture. I think we've done a nice job in terms of our scheduling, especially with a young team. Obviously Xavier gets you ready and tested, and we got a lot of confidence out of that game, but we continue to get a lot of confidence every time we step out on the floor. We challenge within ourselves and we don't look at the point spread. We're still young and we're focusing on team defense, and I've seen the progression over the past week really come along."
Shay Doron - Maryland Guard
On the home court advantage
"We've made it an issue that anyone that comes in here needs to be ready for a fight. It's a lot easier to play on our terms and with our crowd, and I think that we need to take every advantage that we have."
On the level of competition
"We're showing that definitely we can play with teams at a higher level. I think every game we can take positives and learn from the negatives. It's a learning experience, and when we get to the ACC we'll be ready to play some tougher teams."
On the break
"I think this break is going to be good for all of us. We're together 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and it gets tough. The mental break is going to be key, especially with this long stretch coming up, so this break is going to be good for us."
Ashleigh Newman - Maryland Guard
On her performance off the bench
"Coach has been telling me how I need to step up more and be more a part of the team and not think I'm a role player. I don't really notice all my stats, I just want the team to win and be successful. We're trying to build a championship team here."
