Radio: WMUC Radio, 650-AM and 88.1-FM, and on the Internet at www.wmuc.umd.edu.(Brett Molina, Adam Gantman, Paul Monusky)
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Taking time off for final exams this week, the Maryland Terrapins women's basketball team begins a nine-day absence from game action this week. The Terps, still seeking their first victory of the season, host No. 14 Rutgers next Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. at First National Bank of Maryland Court at Cole Field House.
Against Rutgers next week, the Terps hope to add returning junior Tiffany Brown (Clinton, Md.) to their active roster. Ineligible due to academic problems so far this season, Brown hopes to return to the Maryland roster and aid an ailing backcourt which has been led thus far by true freshman March Strickland (Kingston, Mass.). Strickland has led the Atlantic Coast Conference in minutes (37.6) through the early games of her college career, and has played all 40 minutes of games already three times. She averages 10.0 points and 3.0 assists, but looks forward to Browns return in order that she might return to her more natural off-guard position.
Brown, a two-year point guard who has started 31 college games and who averaged 7.3 points and 3.0 assists last season, is the Terps top returning scorer after Maryland graduated its three top scorers from last years club. Brown also is Marylands career 3-point shooting leader, netting 84 3-point baskets in two seasons including a school record seven during a nationally-televised upset of No. 7 North Carolina last January.
Maryland deficiencies so far this season have been glaringly obvious. Tremendous inexperience has been evidenced by consistent minutes from five freshman and a JC transfer, and just one player junior Branka Bogunovic (Zemun, Serbia) who averaged more than one basket per game last season. Plus, minus Brown and injured senior Kelley Gibson (Easton, Md.), Strickland has been Marylands only true guard. The young Terps have woefully averaged 26.6 turnovers per game, despite a season-low 13 in Sundays loss to Wake Forest, and have scored just five 3-pointers in eight games. The Terps have gone four games without a 3-pointer, and have scored just one in their last six games.
RECORDS
Maryland is 0-8 following last week's losses at No. 20 Penn State, 79-44, and against ACC foe Wake Forest, 65-47. The Terps are 0-2 in the ACC. Rutgers is currently 8-2 after a 71-53 win at Syracuse on Sunday. The Scarlet Knights are also off for final exams until traveling to College Park.
COACHES
Maryland's Chris Weller (Maryland '66) has guided her alma mater to a national championship game and three Final Four appearances. Now in her 24th season, she has engineered an unprecedented eight ACC championships while compiling a 447-229 (.661) overall record. She is 161-112 (.590) in the Atlantic Coast Conference. In 1995, she became just the fifth coach in women's college basketball history to earn at least 400 victories at the same school. Three years earlier, her Terps were No. 1-ranked for a month which led to her naming as the 1992 Naismith and USBWA national coach of the year.
Weller is 17-9 all-time vs. Rutgers, and 5-7 vs. C. Vivian Stringer.
Rutgers coach C. Vivian Stringer is 574-177 (.764) in her 27th season as a college head coach. She is 54-42 (.563) in her fourth season at Rutgers. Previously the coach at Cheyney State and Iowa, she is the only coach to take three different teams to the NCAA Tournament. Her 1982 Cheyney State team advanced to the NCAA Final Four, as did her Iowa team in 1993. Last year's Rutgers team qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the first time in four seasons.
SERIES HISTORY
The Terps are 18-9 all-time against Rutgers. Last season's 67-44 setback ended a run of seven straight victories over the Scarlet Knights over a nine-year span. Rutgers' last win at Cole Field House was an 84-76 decision on Feb. 4, 1987.
NATIONAL RANKINGS
The Terps play 12 games this season against teams currently ranked in national top 25 polls. Last week's rankings:
AP (Dec. 7) ESPN/USA Today (Dec. 7)
7. North Carolina 7. North Carolina
14. Rutgers 13. Rutgers
15. Clemson 14. Clemson
16. Duke 15. Duke
20. Penn State 23. Penn State
21. Virginia 24. Virginia
Others: NC State 25. NC State
NEXT GAMES
Following the Rutgers game, Maryland hosts the Terrapin Classic on Dec. 28-29 Richmond faces Massachusetts at 4:30 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 28, and Maryland hosts Coppin State at 6:30. The consolation and championship games are held on Dec. 29, beginning at 5:30 and 7:30, respectively.
Rutgers returns to Big East play to host Georgetown on Dec. 30.
RADIO/TV SCHEDULE
Seventeen Maryland women's basketball games are carried on live radio this season between the Maryland/Learfield Network with WBAL (1090-AM) in Baltimore as the flagship station, and campus radio station WMUC (650-AM and 88.1-FM).
The Terps appear on four regionally televised games during the ACC season beginning with a Jan. 21 date at Georgia Tech. Subsequent dates include Maryland at Duke on Feb. 1, Virginia at Maryland on Feb. 8, and Maryland at NC State on Feb. 15.
Nov. 24 Hampton WMUC
Dec. 2 Western Michigan WMUC
Dec. 5 at Clemson Learfield Network
Dec. 10 at Penn State Learfield Network
Dec. 13 Wake Forest WMUC
Dec. 22 Rutgers WMUC
Dec. 28 Coppin State WMUC
Dec. 29 Terrapin Classic WMUC
Jan. 2 Duke WMUC
Jan. 8 at Virginia Learfield Network
Jan. 14 NC State WMUC
Jan. 17 Florida State WMUC
Jan. 21 at Georgia Tech FOXSS-TV
Jan. 28 Clemson WMUC
Feb. 1 at Duke RSN-TV
Feb. 3 Morgan State WMUC
Feb. 8 Virginia WMUC/RSN-TV
Feb. 11 North Carolina WMUC
Feb. 15 at NC State RSN-TV
Feb. 21 Georgia Tech WMUC
FOXSS-TV denotes FOX Sports South
RSN-TV denotes Home Team Sports, FOX Sports South and Sunshine Network.
TERP TICKETS
Tickets for Terrapin women's basketball games are available by calling the Terp ticket office at 301-314-7070 or 800-462-TERP. Tickets for all home games are $5 for adults and $3 for youth 18 and under.
TERP PROMOTIONS
Upcoming promotions include Big Brother and Big Sister Night on Monday, Dec. 28 when the Terps host Coppin State on the first night of the Terrapin Classic. All Big Brother and Big Sister chapters in the metro D.C. area are invited to participate.
Maryland's Jan. 2 date with Duke is tabbed as Maryland Alumni Day. Maryland alumni, as well as participants in county recreational basketball leagues throughout the state of Maryland, receive group ticket discounts.
Information or additional group tickets may be obtained by calling the Maryland sports marketing office at 301-314-5252.
TERRAPIN FANPHONE
Information on Maryland athletics and a recap of every Maryland men's and women's basketball game can be obtained by calling the Terrapin Fanphone at 301-314-TERP.
MARYLAND (0-8, 0-2 ACC)
N14 UNC Greensboro L 45-63
N17 at Loyola (Md.) L 43-50
N20 at Howard L 47-65
N24 Hampton L 57-76
D2 Western Michigan L 55-64
D5 * at Clemson L 49-89
D10 at Penn State L 44-79
D13 * Wake Forest L 47-65
D22 Rutgers 7:30 p.m.
D28 TERRAPIN CLASSIC
Richmond vs. UMass 4:30 p.m.
Maryland vs. Coppin St. 6:30 p.m.
D29 TERRAPIN CLASSIC
Consolation Game 5:30 p.m.
Championship Game 7:30 p.m.
J2 * Duke 2:00 p.m.
J8 * at Virginia 7:30 p.m.
J10 * at North Carolina 4:00 p.m.
J14 * NC State 7:30 p.m.
J17 * Florida State 2:00 p.m.
J21 * at Georgia Tech 7:00 p.m.
J28 * Clemson 7:30 p.m.
F1 * at Duke 7:00 p.m.
F3 Morgan State 7:30 p.m.
F6 * at Wake Forest 2:00 p.m.
F8 * Virginia 7:00 p.m.
F11 * North Carolina 7:30 p.m.
F15 * at NC State 7:00 p.m.
F18 * at Florida State 7:00 p.m.
F21 * Georgia Tech 2:00 p.m.
F26- at ACC Tournament (Independence
M1 Arena, Charlotte, N.C.)
* ACC game
1998-99 ACC Standings
ACC Overall
Teams W L Pct. W L Pct.
Clemson 2 0 1.000 7 0 1.000
No. Carolina 2 0 1.000 11 1 .917
Virginia 1 0 1.000 5 2 .714
Duke 1 0 1.000 7 4 .636
Georgia Tech 1 1 .500 5 2 .714
Wake Forest 1 1 .500 4 4 .500
NC State 0 2 .000 3 4 .429
Florida St. 0 2 .000 2 4 .333
Maryland 0 2 .000 0 8 .000
Monday, Dec. 14
Dartmouth at Clemson
South Florida at Florida State
Wednesday, Dec. 16
Georgia Tech at Chattanooga
Thursday, Dec. 17
Clemson at South Carolina
Furman at Wake Forest
No. Carolina at Holy Cross
Florida St. at Pepperdine
Saturday, Dec. 19
Georgia State at Georgia Tech
NC State at New Orleans
UNC Asheville at Duke
Sunday, Dec. 20
Clemson vs. LSU (ACC-SEC Challenge @ Myrtle Beach, S.C.)
North Carolina vs. Alabama (ACC-SEC Challenge @ Myrtle Beach, S.C.)
Wake Forest vs. Colorado State (California/Oakland Tribune Classic @ Berkeley, Calif.)
Monday, Dec. 21
Wake Forest at California/Oakland Tribune Classic
Western Carolina at Florida State
East Carolina at NC State
Radford at Virginia
Tuesday, Dec. 22
Rutgers at Maryland
MARYLAND'S PROBABLE STARTERS
Player (G/GS) Ht. Yr. Hometown PPG RPG APG Notes
F 32 Antonieta Gabriel (8/6) 6-0 Jr. Virginia Beach, Va. 1.3 5.6 3.4 career-high 13 boards v. Wake Forest
F 34 Deedee Warley (8/6) 6-2 Fr. Fort Washington, Md. 8.6 4.5 1.9 12.0 PPG in last four games
F 42 Rosita Melbourne (8/5) 6-3 Fr. Washington, D.C. 7.1 5.9 0.8 4th in ACC in blocked shots
C 55 Branka Bogunovic (8/7) 6-8 Jr. Zemun, Serbia 12.9 7.1 0.0 Three double-doubles this season
G 20 March Strickland (8/8) 5-9 Fr. Kingston, Mass. 10.0 2.9 3.6 Only Terp to start all 8 games
TERPS BY THE NUMBERS
0
Terp seniors that have played this season.
3
Only three classes of players under Chris Weller have failed to participate in at least one Sweet Sixteen appearance.
5
Branka Bogunovic failed to start in the Wake Forest game for the first time this season to mark Maryland's fifth different starting lineup in eight games.
6
Six freshmen on the Maryland roster are the most since seven in 1985-86.
8
Freshman March Strickland is the only Terrapin to start all eight games this season.
8
The Terps have captured an unprecedented eight ACC championships.
9
Teams on the 1998-99 Terrapin schedule that qualified for last year's NCAA Tournament.
13
Maryland's 13 turnovers against Wake Forest shattered the club's previous season-low of 21 vs. Western Michigan.
12.0 & 15.0
Terp freshman Deedee Warley has averaged 12.0 points in her last four games, and 15.0 in her last two. Her top two scoring outputs have come in consecutive games 18 at Penn State and 12 vs. Wake Forest.
26.6
Chris Weller's young Terrapins, lacking experienced leadership and a true point guard, average 26.6 turnovers per game.
32
Points by Branka Bogunovic vs. WMU, ties the seventh-best effort in Terrapin history, and the most since 1990.
37.6
Average minutes by freshman guard March Strickland who has thrice played 40 minutes.
48.1
The Terrapins' shooting percentage against Hampton and Western Michigan (25 of 52 in both games) is Maryland's best of the year.
