March 22, 2011
Recap |
Box Score |
Notes |
Photo Gallery 
Maryland Head Coach Brenda Frese
Opening Statement:
"Obviously it was a tough night for us, and it was very difficult to try and get into any rhythm. Credit obviously goes to Georgetown; they had a sensational night shooting the basketball. The shots they were taking, the shots that they made I thought really hurt us, especially early, with our defense breaking down into our offense. Credit Georgetown though, they made tremendous plays, but I'm disappointed for our team in terms of being prepared and the mindset we had coming into this game. We just didn't get it done, but obviously the credit goes to Georgetown with their level of play, their experience, having been here a year ago compared to where we've been. But, I am proud of this team how they committed themselves this season. To have this entire team back next year, to get 24 wins, wraps up a tremendous year, and we'll be back. "
On what was going through her mind when Georgetown hit six consecutive three pointers in the first half:
"We talked about it as a staff, we talked about it at halftime that we felt that the percentages were going to even out. We understand, watching enough game film and stats, that it's a game of runs, and we said it at halftime either the percentages are going to even out or we're going to get beat pretty badly. When you look at the percentages - 52% from the three point line, 86% from the free throw line - that's a helluva night shooting the basketball. Again, we got beat by a very good Georgetown team, a very experienced team, a team that's been here. Unfortunately it didn't show tonight, but I am proud of our team. We're young, we have ten freshman and sophomores and we played like it tonight. We showed our youth, we showed our inexperience, but you know what? We'll get better from it, this is a tough lesson to have to learn here in your own building, but we'll learn from it and we'll get better from it."
On if it's possible to practice Georgetown's level of pressure:
"Well it is hard to do if you're on spring break, and in the NCAA you can't use scout [players], but our conference prepares us for these teams. We've played Georgia Tech, Duke, and Miami and they have very similar styles of play. So we are disappointed in the fact that our conference prepared us for this style of play this year, we've got to improve it."
On the difference in rebounding between this game and the game earlier this season when these teams played:
"Well, we tried to plug one hole, and then we had to go plug another hole so we had to figure out was it going to be defensively you were trying to stop them, then you needed some production on the offensive end. You saw us go with the lineup to speed it up with four guards, so we were pretty small. Obviously we lost Diandra [Tchatchouang] 30 minutes into the game, we were plugging holes all night and that's hard to do especially when you're in a limited rotation with three post players. "
On the shot selection after Maryland was able to get by past the pressure:
"I thought they just gained great confidence with that first knock- out punch, and it just fueled them throughout the game. They just continued to send waves."
Maryland Junior Forward Lynetta Kizer
On the team's uncharacteristic poor shooting:
"They forced us to play a game that wasn't real basketball. We just have to get back to it this offseason and come back hard next year. Like Coach said, we'll be back."
On the rebounding:
"We tried to pound the glass. We just needed to find someone to box out. It seemed like they were going to the glass hard and that really kind of changed the game for them."
On what to expect of the team next season:
"We've just got to put the pieces together. Earlier there were glimpses of a great Maryland basketball team and we definitely need to put that together. So it's getting back in the weight room, it's getting back in the gym, it's watching film. It's doing anything we have to do to put this puzzle together and be successful and protect our legacy. So we're going to get back to it and I know everyone is going to be dedicated to getting back in the gym, and the film room and the weight room. So we're ready to go."
Maryland Junior Guard Anjale Barrett
On Georgetown's Sugar Rodgers:
"I think at the beginning she got hot and she didn't really cool off. Sometimes we lost her but she was on fire today."
Georgetown Head Coach Terri Williams-Flournoy
Opening Statement:
"I told you we weren't scared. I thought our team came out right from the jump. We let our pressure defense dictate our offense. I told our girls in the locker room that if we made shots then we could easily get into our press. We just needed to do what we do and get into our press. That's what we wanted to do, force them to turn the ball over. We knew if we held them off the boards, which we didn't, but we did a better job than last time, that we would have an opportunity to stay with them. But we did better than that."
On the effectiveness of Georgetown's 1-2-2 press:
"Actually it wasn't [the most effective]. The second half of Louisville was probably the most effective that we have been. That was the same game that we scored 57 points in one half."
On if this was a statement game:
"We aren't supposed to say that it is, but it is. My young ladies work extremely hard. It's very disappointing when I know how hard they work for people to come in and say we can't win. For President Obama to say that we can't beat Princeton, Kara Lawson to say we can't beat Maryland, and people to doubt us it gives us a reason to prove our doubters wrong. It goes back to what we always tell our players, believe in God and believe in ourselves and everything else will follow."
On sophomore guard Sugar Rodgers:
"Sugar [Rodgers] has gone off a lot. Maybe people will begin to follow us. They would have seen some other games like this. I recruited Sugar so I have seen her go off. Probably her best game was at Nike Nationals going into her senior year in high school. She absolutely went off. The thing with Sugar is when she is on, it really doesn't matter what anyone else does. They can't stop her. She could shoot with her eyes closed. She is unbelievable."
On this game building confidence:
"I think this game gives our team more confidence. This is what we do. We are a pressure team that pressures all game long. We finally pulled it off except for the last three minutes or so. The more we press, the more confidence that our kids get. The more shots we hit, the more confidence that our kids get at making the shots. This game builds our confidence that we need them to take going into the Sweet 16."
Senior Monica McNutt
Importance of getting off to a good start:
"Off the jump, absolutely. We came out with an agenda. We thoroughly believe in ourselves. For some reason, we keep hearing people don't believe in us and weren't taking us seriously. Through the grapevine, we heard someone tell them that they simply played bad when they came to McDonough. Absolutely, we had a little chip on our shoulders. We had something to prove.
On the upcoming UConn matchup:
"UConn is UConn. We are just going to come out and play hard. We will see what happens in the end."
On the swagger Georgetown brought:
"I was recapping the press conference to my dad and he said oh you got a little diarrhea of the mouth, what you going to do when the game starts? I hope he is proud. We backed it up. I believe in these girls and I would never take anything I said back. We worked so hard; we deserve every success that we earn."
On having fun on defense:
"That's what we live for. Since my time here we have revamped how we play and this is the way that works for us. When we are out playing defense and hitting shots, that's fun. I don't think anybody frowned on our team at any point tonight. That's what we love to do and we worked so hard."
On a message for UConn:
"Sugar is whispering to me the third time is the charm. However, I think in our league teams respect one another and I think UConn respects us in a certain way because we have played them tough in the past. They are humans. They are a great team it's no secret but they're humans, they've gone done. Why can't we be the team to take them down again?
Sophomore Sugar Rodgers
On when she knew she would have a good night shooting the ball:
I don't remember how many games I had like that but I know I had quite a few. I knew it was my night when I hit two threes in a row and I was just in the groove.
On the upcoming UConn matchup:
"UConn is UConn. We are just going to come out and play hard. We will see what happens in the end."
-NCAA- 