Northwestern head coach Chris Collins
Opening Statement:
“That was certainly a tough loss for us. I was really proud of our guys’ effort tonight. I thought we
played a really good game. When you play Maryl
and, we’re not going to win a racehorse game
with them when they’ve got athlete on athlete and pro on pro. We had to try and manage the
possessions and make it a grind it out game, and I thought we did that. We had our
opportunities, but Maryland, give them credit,
they made some plays down the stretch. They
made some great passes on the pick and roll, especially in overtime. It was certainly our free
throw shooting. We went 5-for-12, which was a
factor. In a one possession game like that, they
were 16-for-19 from the line, we’re 5-for-12, so that was tough. You have to go out there and
make them. I thought it was a really good game.
I thought both teams played really hard. I’m
just disappointed for my guys because I thought we gave an effort that was rewarded with
winning, but we just didn’t get that tonight.”
On positives he can take away from the game:
“I’m not big on moral victories. But Aaron Falzon is a freshman, Dererk Pardon is a freshman,
Bryant McIntosh is a sophomore. These are great experiences for them. We wanted to win
these games this year. We played a great team
to overtime. I think that they are the most
talented team in the country. We’ve played a few of them and I’d be hard pressed to find
another team with equal talent. So for us to come into their home floor and battle the way we did
I’m proud of. But I’m a competitor and I want to win. If a win is out there to be had, you want to
try and make the plays to win, and that’s part of the process when you’re building a program.
We are trying to garner respect and these are the kind of games you want to be in and then
you’ve got to find a way to win them. We have done that this year, but tonight we weren’t able to
finish the game.
