Dec. 13, 2000

Box Score | Notes and Quotes

By DAVID GINSBURG
AP Sports Writer

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Juan Dixon is more than just a starting shooting guard with a slick touch. He's proof that coach Gary Williams knows a little something about recruiting.

Dixon scored 23 points to top 1,000 for his career as No. 20 Maryland rolled to its fifth straight victory, 93-67 over Maryland-Baltimore County on Wednesday night.

Lonny Baxter had 17 points and 12 rebounds for the Terrapins (6-3), who never trailed after Dixon snapped a 4-4 tie with seven straight points. It was Maryland's 73rd consecutive non-conference home win, the longest such streak in the nation.

Dixon, a 6-foot-3 junior, topped the 1,000-point barrier by hitting a 3-pointer with 16:18 left in first half. He went 9-for-15 from the field, including 3-for-4 from beyond the arc, to move past Lawrence Boston and Len Elmore on the career list.

Dixon is six points short of tying Brad Davis (1,026), who's No. 33 on the chart.

"I know I've joined the company of some great players," Dixon said.

"When I signed him, I remember being really criticized," Williams said. "They said he couldn't play in the ACC because he wasn't big enough. That's all I'll say about that."

Dixon heard the criticism, too.

"That's what motivated me. I turned it into a positive," he said.

Dixon last year led the conference in steals and ranked second in scoring, averaging 18 points a game.

"It's a gift I've had since I was a kid. I've always been able to put the ball in the basket," Dixon said. "Maryland recruited me because of my shooting."

Freshman Peter Mulligan scored 20 for UMBC (5-2), which fell to 0-13 against Maryland in the intrastate rivalry that began in 1987.

"I think that's a tremendous team," UMBC coach Tom Sullivan said of Maryland. "Juan did a great job defensively, and that gets his offense going. Once he got himself open, he really banged it home."

The Terrapins forced 17 turnovers and got 11 points from Dixon in taking a 51-33 halftime lead. Maryland benefitted from two big runs, the first a 9-0 surge keyed by Dixon's seven straight points.

"Juan Dixon was stroking it tonight," Williams said. "You could really tell he was on his game."

The Retrievers closed to 30-25 before going nearly four minutes without a basket. During that time, the Terrapins took control with a 13-0 spree that included points from six different players.

Terrence Morris, who missed his first six shots, finally scored on a dunk early in the run and also had a layup.

It was the first time this season that UMBC trailed at halftime.

Maryland led 62-39 before UMBC reeled off nine straight, including seven by Mulligan, to close to 62-48. The Terrapins quickly recovered with a 9-2 run that made it 71-50 with 10:32 remaining.

Morris went 4-for-13, missing four of five shots from 3-point range.

"It's going to come. He's just going to have to work his way through it," Williams said of Morris. "Obviously, we need him to play well this year."