VCU coach Shaka Smart:
   
    “I tip my hat to William and Mary and the way they attacked offensively. The two guards, (Brandon) Britt and (Marcus) Thornton, were terrific. We had a really hard time guarding them. Thornton (28 points had his way and Britt (19) as well. He got to the basket whenever he wanted to.

  “I also give our guys a lot of credit. . . . It’s good to put some points on the board. Our young players are playing with more confidence on the offensive end, and that’s translated into more baskets.”
 
    On VCU’s better shooting:

    “We needed it tonight because we didn’t guard as well. We gave up 78 points. On a night like that, you need 87 points. I think it’s good for our confidence. We’ve got a group of guys who all stepped into new roles this year. Now, 24 games into the season. I think they’re more and more comfortable in those roles.”

    On why VCU has had such a hard time guarding William and Mary in two meetings:
   
    “No. 3, Marcus Thornton, is a very good player. And No. 12, Brandon Britt, is a very, very good player. That’s the No. 1 reason.

    “No. 2, I think both games we had a cushion but not a big enough cushion. When you’re the team that’s behind by six, eight, 10, 12 points, there’s going to be an extreme urgency to be aggressive and attack the basket and go make plays. That’s what they had, and I give them a lot of credit.”

    Rob Brandenberg, on the shooting resurgence (obviously several questions about that topic):
    “We really work hard between practice and games. We’re putting up extra shots in the gym. We just feel like that hard work is finally going to pay off. It’s finally showing these past three games. We’re just going to continue to stay in the gym and continue to stay hungry.”

  William and Mary coach Tony Shaver:
 
  “I thought we played with great heart, great courage. I thought we dug a hole a little too deep.”

  On playing VCU tough in two meetings:

  “I’m proud of that. One of the things this young team hasn’t done is play with that kind of heart every day. During that 10-day stretch where we played five games, we took a little bit of a step backwards. We’ve had two days to prepare for this, and we played at a much higher level.
 
    “I don’t think moral victories mean a lot, but I think our guys proved we can compete with anybody in this league. We’re shooting for March. We’re pretty good over in the CAA tournament, so hopefully we’ll be in pretty good shape by then.”

    On the last minute of the first half, when VCU turned a seven-point game into a 14-point game:

    “It was the ballgame.”

    On Britt, who also had 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 turnovers and 3 steals:

    “Brandon played tonight like we envisioned him playing all year long.”