Dec. 15, 2003

Recap?|? Final Stats?|? Notes

Villanova head coach Jay Wright on his team:

"Tonight was another good step for us. We are still a work in progress, especially when it comes to controlling the offensive glass."

"We played real well as a team, and we are starting to play together. Defensively, we came out with a lot of intensity for the first 15 minutes, but to be a great team, we have to do it for 40 minutes."

On Curtis Sumpter's performance:

"Most of all, it was nice to see Curtis feel good about himself. He struggled at times last year, but Curtis worked so hard in the offseason, and really trusted the coaching staff."

On the return of Jason Fraser:

"I let him know before the game that he wasn't going to play a lot, we just wanted him to get a feel for the game again. The doctors didn't want us to push him, but naturally he just wants to play because he has waited so long."

Villanova sophomore forward Curtis Sumpter on his 39-point effort:

"I had a lot of fun out there tonight. They were denying Randy, Mike and Allan all night, so I had to step up and make my shots. I had a good feeling tonight because I was able to get into a rhythm and stick with it."

"My teammates were able to get me good looks all night, so I wanted to create for them. I didn't want to start forcing shots."

Villanova freshman forward Will Sheridan on Sumpter's performance:

"When a guy is having the kind of night that Curtis was having, you definitely want to try to get him the basketball, because it is going to be a moment to remember."

On Northeastern's ability to stay in the game:

"We just had to show our maturity, even though we are a young team, we have to play tougher than our opponents."