Dec. 5, 2007
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COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
Maryland assistant coach Daron Park
On the win over Middle Tennessee:
"No one said this game is easy. Middle Tennessee is an excellent basketball team. Coach [Rick] Insell does a great job. We tried to defend them the best we could. Again, credit our seniors and credit our upperclassmen for understanding how much effort it takes sometimes to win college basketball games in less than ideal conditions. When facing adversity and things don't seem to be going your way, you just need to dig deeper. Tonight our effort down the stretch was sensational and is the reason we were able to come away with a victory tonight."
On the team's recent struggles with rebounding:
"We need practice time. We have a list of things we need to address, but we need time to do that. Middle Tennessee got a lot of offensive rebounds, but that means they were missing shots and we were doing well on defense."
Maryland point guard Kristi Toliver
On her surge in the second half:
"Coach Park talked about our lack of effort at the half and I felt like he was speaking directly to me about not going 100 percent and not leaving everything out there. So I wanted to turn it up a notch for my teammates and my coaches and play as hard as I could.
Maryland forward Laura Harper
On the challenge of guarding the Middle Tennessee forwards as they spread the floor:
"I'm confident guarding players all over the floor. We emphasized defense from the beginning of the year and guarding all over the floor. It's just a different team, a different day, with a different look."
Middle Tennessee head coach Rick Insell
On Wednesday night's game:
"I know they were a little tired, but we played Sunday and we were a little tired, too. It was a great game. They've got some great players and they're well coached. We appreciate coming to sites like this and playing teams like this."
On team's match up against Maryland:
"We felt like, believe it or not, that we match up pretty well. All of our kids from the one to the five shoot the three, so it kind of spreads them out on the floor. And we're also able to slash. We've got a player like Amber Holt, who I think is one of the best players in the country. Anytime she's got the ball in her hands, she's a threat. When they close out on her, it's going to leave someone open. My kids know they can pull the trigger any time. As a matter of fact, I'll take them out for not pulling the trigger."
On Maryland point guard Kristi Toliver:
"She's the best point guard in the country. How many people can do what she did when she put them in the national championship game? She came back last year and had a great year and she'll do the same this year. She's going to be on the Olympic team [someday]. She's a pure shooter, she handles the basketball, she's aggressive. But she's got an ingredient that you're born with: she's a winner." 