ATLANTIC 10 CONFERENCE MEN'S TOURNAMENT

March 15, 2013

Derek Kellogg

Freddie Riley

Terrell Vinson

Chaz Williams

MASSACHUSETTS – 79
TEMPLE – 74

THE MODERATOR:  We\'ll start with opening statement from UMass Coach Derek Kellogg.

COACH KELLOGG:  It\'s what we\'ve come to expect out of the UMass/Temple games a long time ago.  I thought it was another battle that we were fortunate enough to make some big plays down the stretch, and I love the way Temple, even in defeat, handles it with such class.  Talking with Coach Dunphy after the game, the players really do things in a professional manner.

So one thing that I always liked about him and his program is the way they operate.  So I wish them the best of luck in the NCAA Tournament, and we obviously have a very tough game tomorrow against a team that handled us pretty well down in Richmond.

THE MODERATOR:  Questions for the players.

Q.  Terrell, you had the big three there as the time ran out on the shot clock.  Were you thinking when you had the ball, you wanted to take a shot at that point?

TERRELL VINSON:  Yeah, yeah, I was thinking of taking the shot.  It was denying Chaz.  They pressured.  They switched out.  There was about three seconds to go.  I had no choice but to shoot it.

Q.  What were you thinking after the win?

TERRELL VINSON:  Just happy.

Q.  Chaz, in the stretch, it seemed like every time down the floor, it was right to the basket.  Can you tell us what was going through your mind?

CHAZ WILLIAMS:  Just wanted to win.  Just really wanted to win.  Coach been preaching to us all day that we got to rebound, got to push Temple.  So we did whatever we had to do to win today.  Just happy God blessed us tonight.

Q.  Did you feel like it was your responsibility to kind of take over?

CHAZ WILLIAMS:  I was just basically doing what the team wanted.  It was kind of getting close.  Freddie was being denied.  They were playing on him.  So I just had to make plays.

Q.  Freddie, the season\'s been kind of a journey for you.  This defensive performance you feel like kind of put a finishing touch on your transformation?

FREDDIE RILEY:  I don\'t think so.  I think the finishing touch would be ending the season on a win.  So we\'re just going to try to play defense the best I can and help my team to be in a position to win.

Q.  Chaz, there were a couple times where you came up the floor, banged up your leg or your hand.  How much of a toll does it take on your body?  Every time you crash in the rim, it seemed like you were on the ground or on the floor.  Very hard getting banged up?

CHAZ WILLIAMS:  I played football, so I\'m kind of used to it.  Every day at practice, it\'s tough.  These guys out here don\'t make it easy for us.  My teammates, we go hard every day.  So it\'s something you\'re kind of used to.  Just got to fall and get back up.

Q.  Chaz, one of the timeouts, it really seemed like you were bent over and you were gassed.  Looked like you were gassed.  How tired were you at that point?

CHAZ WILLIAMS:  I was pretty exhausted.  That\'s close to that media timeout, he left me in.  So I was trying to play.  When the media timeout came, I just knew I had a nice little break so I just wanted to get as much time in and catch my breath.

Q.  Chaz, was this like the game was on the line, was it basically like [indiscernible] carry it?

CHAZ WILLIAMS:  No, not at all.  We were together.  No matter what.  If I\'m scoring, one of my teammates got a pick or a steal down low.  So I always play with my teammates.  Tonight was just one of those nights where God blessed us, the shots was falling.  So they just kept going to me.

Q.  Chaz, I know you were passing, but obviously Freddie did it most of the game.  But talk about the job you did and how tough of a job it is.

CHAZ WILLIAMS:  Freddie is a great defender.  He gave me tough battle in practice.  He\'s a tough cookie.  So he\'s just out there playing as hard as he can.  He did a great job.  For Wyatt to go 4 for 19, I tell Freddie, "Good job."

Q.Freddie, at the end of the game, you hit the three‑pointer.  You jumped in the air, you pumped your fist, because it put you guys up five points.  Tell us about your feelings at that point.  It was a huge shot for you.

FREDDIE RILEY: I was actually just happy I finally made a shot.  I had a drought for a long time.  I was happy it extended the lead.  I knew that if we got enough stops, the lead would stay up and we would win the game.  So I was happy to get the lead up to maybe two possessions so we can be in a good position to win.

Q.  So obviously, now, it\'s VCU, and last time, the second half didn\'t go the way you guys wanted it to go.  What can you guys take away from that, especially that half?  Especially in the opening minutes.  With the press, you\'ve got to stay away from it.

UNIDENTIFIED PLAYER:  Gone from the good to the bad.  Coach going to do a great job breaking down the film and giving us a game plan.  So we\'ll learn from our mistakes from the last game and keep it positive, just improve.

THE MODERATOR:  Two more questions for the players.

Q.  You said the crowd was a factor in the first VCU game.  Did you guys see the crowd tonight in the first game when you got here and any thoughts on that?

UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  I guess their crowd travels wherever they go.  I mean, it\'s good to have a good crowd here for‑‑ it\'s kind of a big arena.  I\'m expecting a lot of UMass to be here tomorrow and the next day.  So we can\'t get caught up in the crowd situation.  Just got to come out and execute the game.

Q.  Chaz, do you think you guys are an NCAA Tournament team?

CHAZ WILLIAMS:  Yeah, actually, I believe so.  That\'s what we\'re working for.  We\'re trying to prove to the world that, and we\'re just fighting \'til we make it.

THE MODERATOR:  Thanks, guys.

Q.  Derek, same question.

COACH KELLOGG:  I forgot that question already.  No, I believe we\'re a very good basketball team, and I believe‑‑ I leave that to the powers that be to make that decision.  And I\'m really just worried about getting ready for VCU tomorrow and not really having as much time to prepare as we did for Temple.  We at least had 24 hours.  Now we have, by the time we get home, after our meal tonight, we\'ll probably have about, you know, 12, 14, 16 hours, whatever it might be.  So that\'s the biggest thing on my mind right now.

Q.  Coach, Khalif Wyatt is a Player of the Year.  He\'s 4 of 19 tonight.  What do you think you guys did defensively well against him tonight?

COACH KELLOGG:  I thought we did a good job of crowding him, really making him work for every basket.  It was a team effort and Freddie took out a challenge of making it hard for him.  When you\'re playing a player of his caliber, it\'s a team effort to make it hard on him.

And then he didn\'t get as many kind of break‑away lay‑ups.  A lot of time, he helps our defense, goes for some steals, gets two or three of those a game, and that helps get him going.

Q.  Coach, how much has the Temple/UMass rivalry meant to the two programs?

COACH KELLOGG:  I think it\'s been‑‑ it\'s something that obviously as a player, it was big time and I think it still carries some weight.  But we have a lot of‑‑ I think with so many good teams in the conference, there\'s a lot of games that are starting to really have a lot of rivalry feeling.  It\'s one of those things where we\'re going to miss them.  But same token, we\'ve got to pick somebody else now, I guess.

Q.  Coach, did you get a chance to see the VCU game as well?  What are your thoughts?

COACH KELLOGG:  No, I stayed in the locker room.  I heard the fans.  I think it\'s going to be a battle, who can have the most fans here tomorrow.

Q.  Derek, you guys killed them on the boards, 40 to 23, and Anthony Lee just wasn\'t right tonight.  How much of a factor was that in this game?

COACH KELLOGG:  I thought they tried to go small and take Cady out of the game.  They were playing a game that they were putting a shooter in at the 5‑spot so we had to get Cady out of the game.  Cady had a nice run in the last five or six minutes where he kind of dominated the boards and did good things for us.  And he stuck to his game defensively.

I thought it was a chess match with Coach Dunphy that he was putting a shooter in there so we had to get Cady out of the game.

Q.  Just another game from Chaz.  Can you describe what he does?

COACH KELLOGG:  He played tonight.  I thought last night he waited a little too long to step on the gas.  He had the Brooklyn jitters and playing in the beautiful Barclays Center.  But tonight he played well.  He was using those ball screens and rifling them up and doing a great job.  I thought our guys did a nice job also of getting him open, of setting good ball screen, of kind of moving into good positions to get him open.

So when he plays well, it\'s kind of a team thing, where they make plays for him.

Q.  You were in the same position last year.  How much different was this preparing and how much executing in this game?

COACH KELLOGG:  It was very‑‑ I think it was similar, except last year we were able‑‑ we went from the home game and had an extra day between to really rest up a little more and be prepared probably a little bit more.  I thought our team, our run last year in the A‑10 Tournament and the NIT, I think the guys have matured a little bit in that situation, and I think that helps us today.

THE MODERATOR:  Anybody else?  Thank you.

COACH KELLOGG:  Thank you.

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