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Jan. 1, 2013

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COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Postgame quotes following Maryland's 81-63 victory over IUPUI Saturday afternoon.

Head Coach Mark Turgeon

Opening statement:
"I will state the obvious: we weren't ready to play and they were. They came off of a game where they didn't play well, and they really played well. They had a lot of guys who shot the ball really well. That is what I am most disappointed in, we didn't defend the way we are capable of defending. We rebounded a little bit better; our effort was better in the second half. We continued to share the ball and shoot the ball well. We adjusted to their different defenses. We had 16 assists, but had too many turnovers--they were not-concentrating type turnovers. We did what we had to do. The biggest lead was 25, going from down 11 to plus 25 we must have had a pretty good stretch in there today to get to that point."

On entering league play:
"I am egger for conference play because we have gotten better. We have gotten a lot better the past three or four weeks. You saw Shaq [Cleare] today, that was his best game but he has been practicing this way from almost a week now it takes time. Seth [Allen] did great when he was in there in the first half. Jake [Layman] is getting better minutes. Logan [Aronhalt] is getting better; Logan isn't making as many shots and he is still playing better so that gives you a good sign for us. I am excited to go into the league because I think we are ready for it. Mentally we weren't ready to play today; Saturday we will be ready for it. You have to ask the guys. We won the games; we did what we had to do. A lot of teams around the country play the same type of schedule and we handled it well. We didn't have many close games; that would be one of my concerns heading into the league is we haven't had many close games. But we practice that a lot. We should be ready for it."

On half-time adjustments:
"We changed our ball screen defense in the second half; we should have done it before that. You have to have different ball screen defenses to survive a year. Our whole game is ball screen. I wanted to keep practicing that one. I am a little bit stubborn so I waited until halftime to switch it. I that five I started in the second half were the five that played the best in the first half. You could argue Shaq [Cleare] over Alex [Len], it was a tough decision for us. But we got Shaq in there and he got good minutes."

On the team's depth:
"I am really pleased with our depth. A lot of guys down 14-3 would be afraid to put in a bunch of freshmen. We just put them in and they did great. I watch them practice every day and they do great. Depth is going to help us. It's nice when you can say, we are going to do this to start the second half, and one guy doesn't do it, you just take him out because you have guys to do it. It will get their attention, and they will start to do everything the way we want to do it moving on."

On Shaquille Cleare:
"He is posting up harder. He is finishing, he wasn't finishing in the beginning of the year. He is getting in better shape, and he is more confident. Guys like Shaq, they like throwing him the ball. He was dominant in practice yesterday. No one likes going against him because when he hits you, he hits you. Shaq liked when big number 11 was out there because he had another body to beat on for them. He was assertive. I was happy for him. As the league goes, and we are playing bigger teams--I don't know what lies ahead--but I think it will be a better situation for him."

 Freshman Guard Seth Allen
On playing off the bench:
"It doesn't make a difference. I just try to play the best I can play when I get in, and just create for my teammates every time I'm there."

On competitiveness moving into ACC play with two point guards:
"I think we can be very dangerous. Coming into ACC play, me and [Pe'Shon Howard] are always hitting up extra shots. It's hard because you have to guard Alex Len and James Padgett; we have so many options, [including] Dez Wells. It's hard, so if he and I start hitting, then people are going to have to start staying home. They can't really hop on Alex because it just opens everyone else up."

On the bench:
"It's great. They played six guys in the first half, so they had guys playing almost 20 minutes, and we had 10 guys so we can just out run teams. You could tell at the end that we last longer than most teams."

On the team's depth:
"The depth really helps us create leads because it gives our team a different look. The first five started out a little bit flat, but then the bench came in and we executed our plays and we really guarded. Then the first five came back in and they played well too so we really feed off of each other."

Junior Guard Pe'Shon Howard
On Nick Faust:
"Just make sure he goes to the gym and works hard. He's playing pretty well. He's playing well in practice. Not everyone is going to have a good game. I was kind of off the last game. We all started out slow today. It's just that one day is not going to be your day and the next will be your day. The game before he played really well and shot really well so he was a little off today. They did the scouting report for him and focused in on him and made sure he couldn't make any plays. He'll be fine."

On replacing the starters six minutes into the game:
"I think that it was that we weren't ready to play. It wasn't to send a message. He tried to let us go as long as we could. If he let us go any longer, then we could have been down 20; so I think it was just him adjusting to the game. The bench came in and they were ready to play but our bench could be starters on any night or any team. I don't really know if we have bench players, because any day anyone could switch in and do a great job."

 Senior Guard Logan Aronhalt
On the game:
"Before tonight I thought we were pretty good. Tonight we were up and down. Defensively, I think that was probably the best shooting percentage anyone has shot against us all year. We know we've got to pick it up on both ends, offensively and defensively."

On the starters' play:
"We were just kind of stagnant. They came out in the zone and guys weren't really cutting hard. They were just catching and holding for two or three seconds at a time. If we just pass and cut a little bit, there's going to be wide open shots."

On the bench's play:
"I thought the bench played really well. We came in and Jake [Layman] played well, Shaq [Cleare] played amazing, and Seth [Allen] got us scoring. I think us playing so well, it gave Coach [Turgeon] a little confidence for putting the bench in at any given time."

 Sophomore Forward Dez Wells
On the identity of the team:
"I don't think it's fully formed yet. We know what we pride ourselves on--it's just a matter of getting better every day and really living by that identity every time we step on the court. We're a young team; we just put everyone together [this season]. A lot of teams around the country have been playing together for their fourth year now. We're just really trying to get better every day and really live with the identity we have of being tough and outrebounding every team, really playing defense. Those are things that we have to get better at, but we're going to get better no matter what."

On difficulties of playing smaller conference teams:
"When playing against teams like IUPUI and Delaware State, you never know what you're going to get. You can come out and think they're going to do the burn offense, going to weave until there's 10 seconds yet. Or they can come out and really try to attack you. Not many teams have done that. [IUPUI] did that in the beginning until we went on a run. We're just trying to get a feel; we don't really know what to expect. Going out there we're kind of hesitant to see what's going on and get a feel for the game. But we pulled the win out, and that's all that matters."

 Freshman Center Shaquille Cleare
On improving his game:
"I do conditioning every day. Game day, days after games. I just go in, practice and do the little things: wedging on the side, being physical, using my hips to box out. Basically I just listen to Turgeon because Turgeon isn't going to lead me wrong. They want me to be a great player, so whatever he tells me, that's what I'm going to do."

On playing off the bench:
"Our starters start the fire and dominate. Once they do their part, we have to come in and take off from where they started. Being on the bench, I learn a lot of things. People think being on the bench, oh you suck or whatever. No, it's not like that. You learn a lot. You learn the pace of the game, you learn the plays. I don't mind coming off the bench because I think it's changing my game a lot."

IUPUI Coach Todd Howard

On how Maryland cut the lead in the first half:
"They hit some threes. They got good looks off of kick-outs. Their size inside compared to our size created a mismatch. You play the odds, and make them kick it out. Just the job they did on the glass; we needed some balls to bounce our way and it just didn't happen. We had six scholarship guys today, and seven of our rotation guys out [of the game]. To come in and battle in this fashion against a team that is rolling is just a phenomenal credit to our guys."

On the defensive game plan:
"We wanted to mix it up. We did some triangle-and-two [zone] and some one-three-one. We needed to keep them on their heels, and for very big portions of the game--especially the first 18 minutes--they were really on their heels."

On what he liked about his team's performance today:
"I think you saw a band of brothers. We've got six guys--two guys that were game-time decisions couldn't go. We had nothing to lose. You just roll your sleeves up, play hard, play together and let the chips fall where they may. We had a sound attack on both ends. There are no Marylands in our league, and that's what we have to leave with. We aren't going to be guarding that type of personnel in January and February, but the intensity needs to be matched."

On Maryland:
"I like their pieces a lot. They're a team that's going to be good for the next couple years as these guys grow into their roles. They are well-crafted, and I like the stuff to do. They're playing at a high level. We'll be pulling for them for sure because I like the way they play."

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