Jan. 6, 2012
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Postgame Quotes: #5 Maryland 77, Georgia Tech 74
Jan. 6, 2012
College Park, Md.
Maryland Head Coach Brenda Frese
Opening statement:
"Are you kidding me? I mean, did you guys see what we saw? And what I just told them in the locker room, obviously a game like tonight shows you what makes this team so special. To have the heart and the determination and the grit to be able to, in the second half, come out like they did, go down by 20, and then be able to put a game like that together. Obviously that's what makes this team so special. You know obviously I thought Georgia Tech was really, really good tonight. I thought they came in really aggressive and kind of tried to make their statement early in the first half, but we understood that it was a 40-minute game and chipped away in the second half. Just a heck of a game."
On the comeback:
"We talked about trying to get it within six by the first media timeout [in the second half]. That was pretty bad coaching, I think it was like 12 or 14 when we turned the ball over there. We talked about the glass, keeping them off the glass. They just did a tremendous job in the first half and we had no answer for it. I thought that was the difference in the second half, in terms of limiting them to one shot when we could."
On the difference in play between halves:
"We got more aggressive. I thought we started to attack more. In transition our pull up started to fall, getting to the rim and making some plays. We got active on the glass, which gave us some second-chance opportunities. Obviously a combination of all of it [contributed to the win]."
On the pace of the comeback:
"I think it shows the luxury we have on this team: we can score in bunches quickly. That does allow you to be able to get back within a game. Hopefully we don't have to learn that lesson again anytime soon. I'm just really proud - when we were down 20, this team could have folded. You talk about the character that we had to be able to come back and not roll over and go fight to win this game."
On what was said at halftime:
"At halftime there wasn't anything diagrammed. It was all about heart. Georgia Tech came in and they played with more heart and energy and intensity in the first 20 minutes. We just challenged the heart we had in this locker room, and obviously its tremendous heart that we have."
On winning on Leukemia Awareness Night:
"I think that's what adds to making this win so special. You talk about all the people out there fighting to beat cancer and then you talk about the display this team showed - to fight through a 40-minute game with adversity. But a special night for us, to want to continue to bring awareness out there for all the leukemia survivors and trying to bring as much awareness as possible."
Sophomore Forward Alyssa Thomas
On her second half performance:
"I think in the first half I was a little too excited and I let the press get the best of me. After the halftime speech, it kind of sparked something in me and I just came out and did what I usually do."
On hitting the game-winning shot:
"I got the rebound and I was looking to pass it up to Anjale [Barrett], but she told me just to go. I looked up and saw that there was no shot clock and who was guarding me, so I took it to the left and then spun. Then I got fouled and made the shot."
On Maryland's second half performance:
"I think it was a little bit of everything. After halftime, we knew that we had to do the little things to get back into this game. We all took care of what we needed to do and we chipped away at the lead little by little."
Sophomore Guard Laurin Mincy
On Maryland's comeback victory:
"I think it's a learning experience that when we are down, we just got to keep fighting. The reason why this team is special is because we stuck together and kept fighting and we came out at the end with the win."
Sophomore Center Alicia DeVaughn
On Maryland's improved rebounding in the second half:
"In the beginning they came out hard against us, but we knew that in order for us to win it would come down to the little things. We knew that [Georgia Tech] boxing us out was keeping them in the game and in order for us to come back and win the game, we needed to box them out. All five of us boxed out and were focusing on this to come back and win the game."
Georgia Tech Head Coach MaChelle Joseph
Opening Statement:
"First of all, I just want to say that I am really proud of my team. I felt like we came out here, had a good game plan, we got on our toes and attacked early and we were able to control the boards in the first half and stop transition baskets. The two things that Maryland does, they score on transition baskets and offensive rebounds and we were able to take those away in the first half. I was really proud of the way my players competed right to the final buzzer. I can't say enough about their effort. You're on the road and you're going to get tough calls and we got to learn to play through those. It is what it is tonight, but we are going to learn from this and go back to Atlanta and get better and take on Miami Monday night.
On the difference in the game:
"The difference was Alyssa Thomas. She came out in the second half and basically dominated the game on the offensive end, and we didn't have an answer for her. I think that was the difference in the second half. Also, you're on the road, and we've got to be able to make shots when we're getting hit inside and we have to be able to finish. That's one of the things we work on every day. Life is tough on the road; they have to come to Atlanta. Maryland has a great crowd. Their crowd did a great job getting behind them down the stretch and we felt like that was a sixth man for them on the defensive end."
Senior Center Sasha Goodlet
On what they can take away from this game:
"Honestly, I'm just proud of how me and my team came out and fought. This is Georgia Tech basketball night in and night out. Give credit to Maryland, they're a great team. First half was great, second half we just have to get better and learn from it. I have to take on some responsibility for a couple of layups that I missed and know that I will learn from it and come back and be better for my team."
