Dec. 20, 2000

Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Juan Dixon matched a season-high by scoring 23 points and Lonny Baxter registered the team's first double-double of the 2000-01 season last week as the Maryland Terrapins beat state rival UMBC, 93-67, to record their fifth straight win and extend the nation's longest non-conference home winning streak to 73 games.

This week, Maryland hosts Norfolk State on Saturday afternoon in hopes of extending both of those streaks, in addition to winning at Cole Field House for the 10th straight game overall, dating to last season.

Maryland, 6-3, welcomes the Spartans to College Park for the first time. NSU coach Wil Jones, however, returns to the Maryland campus after serving as a Terrapin assistant coach under Lefty Driesell from 1977 to 1979.

Against the Retrievers last Wednesday, Dixon and Baxter led a Maryland barrage which included its highest rebounding margin (+15) of the season. Baxter had 17 points, and his 12 rebounds led the Terps to a 44-29 advantage on the glass. In their fifth straight victory, the Terps led 51-33 at the intermission and never looked back.

Dixon's all-around effort included four rebounds, seven assists, a pair of steals and nine of 15 shooting from the floor. He hit three of four 3-point attempts and his two free throws extended his personal streak to 16 consecutive free throws over the last four games.

A Terrapin Win

• Sends the Terps onto a six-game win streak, their longest since a seven-game streak in 1998-99.
• Extends the nation 's longest non-conference home winning streak to 74 games.
• Extends Maryland 's home court win streak to 10 games overall. The Terps ' last home loss was an 80-70 defeat by No. 7 Duke last season on Jan. 9.
• Is the 81st victory for Maryland 's senior class of Mike Mardesich, Terence Morris and LaRon Cephas. Mardesich has played in every victory, Morris in 79.
• Raises Maryland 's Cole Field House record to 43-4 over the last four seasons (1997-98 to present). The Terps were 15-1 in 1999-00, 13-1 in 1998-99 and 12-2 in 1997-98.

Rankings
Maryland is No. 20 and 19, respectively, in the most recent AP and USA Today/ESPN polls. Norfolk State is unranked.

Records
Maryland is 6-3 following its 93-67 win over UMBC last week.

Norfolk State is 2-5 after a 71-62 loss at Maine last Sunday.

Series History
Maryland and Norfolk State have never played.

Injury Report
Sophomore forward Tahj Holden fractured the fifth metatarsal bone on his left foot during practice on Dec. 7 and has missed the last two games.

Holden underwent a successful surgery on Saturday, Dec. 9 to place a screw in the foot. He is expected to miss approximately four to six weeks of action, with a hopeful return in mid- to late-January.

Next Games
Maryland hosts Chicago State during the holiday break on Wednesday, Dec. 27 (8 p.m.), followed by its final pre-ACC tuneup, against UMES on Saturday, Dec. 30 (1:30 p.m./HTS).

The Terps open play in the Atlantic Coast Conference at Clemson on Jan. 2 (8 p.m.).

Co-Captains
Maryland has named co-captains for the current season seniors Mike Mardesich and Terence Morris.

Combined, they have 219 games experience during their four-year careers (Mardesich 110, Morris 109).

Comcast Center
Maryland basketball teams will play in the Comcast Center beginning in the 2002-2003 season, thanks to a $20 million naming rights gift to the university announced on Jan. 5, 1999. Last summer, Comcast increased its gift by $5 million in order to include naming rights on the floor.

The gift is part of a business partnership that also includes the provision of cable television services to university residence halls.

The Comcast gift is the largest single donation ever to the flagship campus, and it matches the largest known corporate naming gift in the United States for a college athletic facility. The $25 million represents a significant portion of the university's share of the cost of construction on the planned $124 million arena, which is being constructed on the north side of the campus under the auspices of the Maryland Stadium Authority.

Williams' Weekly Media
Among his many other obligations with his team, the community and the media, Maryland coach Gary Williams takes time weekly for three different interview shows on radio, TV and the Internet.

WBAL 's Steve Melewski hosts the Gary Williams Radio Show, which airs Thursday nights on stations throughout the Maryland/Learfield Network from 7:05 to 8 p.m., beginning Dec. 7.

Beginning with the Gary Williams ' Christmas Show on Dec. 25 (7 p.m., HTS) and resuming in mid-January through the ACC season, "Voice of the Terps" Johnny Holliday hosts the Gary Williams Coach 's Show weekly on HTS.

Every Monday, Williams appears for 30 minutes beginning at noon in a live chat session on ESPN.com. Due to the holidays, his next chat will be on Monday, Jan. 8.

Beginning on Jan. 9, Williams takes part in the ACC 's weekly media teleconference on Tuesdays at 11:40 a.m.

TERRAPIN NOTEBOOK

Getting Healthy
Beginning the season ranked No. 5 by the Associated Press, the Terps stumbled out of the gate against a nationally-prominent schedule and sending Maryland to a 1-3 record.

Since returning from Maui and Wisconsin, however, the Terps have put on their defensive bootstraps and more or less dominated five straight opponents.

Since its season-opening win over Louisville, Maryland has moved above the .500 mark for the first time this season with five straight wins.

Maryland 's six victories have come by an average of over 23.5 points.

Defensive Pressure
Just as in 1999-00 when Maryland led the ACC in defensive field goal percentage (40.2), the Terps ' have limited 2000-01 opponents to 39.4 percent shooting overall.

Maryland has shot over 40 percent in every game and averages 48.2 percent.

Terp opponents have shot below 40 percent in five of nine games, and below 40.7 percent in seven of nine games.

Following the loss to Dayton, four consecutive Maryland opponents were held under 38 percent.

Swat That!
Maryland led the ACC and set a school record with 6.7 blocked shots per game in 1999-00. This season, the Terps are at it again with an average of 7.9 through nine games.

Including 11 blocks against UMBC, the Terps have double-figure blocked shots three times this season.

Maryland has at least six blocked shots in seven of nine games.

Four different players (Lonny Baxter, Tahj Holden, Mike Mardesich, Terence Morris) have had at least three blocks in a game this season.

Three different players (Baxter, Holden, Morris) had a pair of blocks vs. Michigan.

Morris has had multiple blocks in seven of nine games, and at least one block in every game.

Maryland blocked a Maui Invitational record 13 blocked shots in its loss to Dayton. The Terps were led by Baxter 's tournament record of six by an individual.

Streak 's New Decade
Maryland has not lost a non-conference home game in over a decade not since falling to Coppin State on Dec. 12, 1989 in Gary Williams ' first season as the Terps ' coach. On Dec. 30, 1989, Maryland defeated Alcorn State to begin what is now the nation 's longest non-conference home court win streak, 73 games.

Last year, the streak included a 72-66 home win over Kentucky. This season 's home slate includes a February non-conference bout with Oklahoma. Tracking the streak:

1989-90 (5): Alcorn State, South Florida, Virginia Tech, UMBC, Massachusetts,

1990-91 (7): Towson, So. California, UC Irvine, Lafayette, UMBC, Boston U., American,

1991-92 (7): Mt. St. Mary 's, UMES, American, West Virginia, Towson, Rider, UNC Greensboro,

1992-93 (7): UMBC, UMES, American, Towson, Morgan State, Louisville, Howard,

1993-94 (5): Cornell, Rider, UMBC, Morgan State, Loyola-Md.,

1994-95 (8): Loyola-Md., Bucknell, UMBC, Colgate, Towson, Morgan State, LaSalle, American,

1995-96 (6): Howard, Rider, American, UMES, Delaware State, Missouri,

1996-97 (6): Howard, Towson, Chicago State, UMBC, American, Lafayette,

1997-98 (6): Fairleigh Dickinson, Mt. St. Mary 's, Florida International, UMBC, UNC Asheville, UNC Wilmington,

1998-99 (6): Western Carolina, UMBC, Hofstra, Duquesne, North Texas, South Carolina State,

1999-00 (8): San Francisco, Tulane, Fairleigh Dickinson, Winthrop, Kentucky, George Mason, UMBC, Coastal Carolina,

2000-01 (2): Stony Brook, UMBC.

Measuring Sticks
When Maryland lost three straight games in November, criticism was pointed toward its less-than-dominating inside presence.

Now nine games into the season, here are a few tendencies which tell the story.

Largest Rebound Margin
Against UMBC, Maryland outrebounded the Retrievers 44-29 to register the team 's largest rebound margin of the season, +15.

Tale Of Two Halves
Maryland has never trailed at halftime in any game this season.

However, in its three losses and even in its win at Penn, opponents have outscored the Terps during the second half.

For the season, Maryland outscores its opponents 401-279 during the first half for an average difference of 13.5 points per game. In the second half though, Maryland has barely outscored its opponents, 347-344.

All-America Marylanders
Among the Terrapins ' five returning starters is a trio of All-America candidates who each has earned first team All-ACC honors within the past two years. Each of the three also has been tabbed as a preseason candidate for the Naismith and Wooden national player of the year awards. The key stat for Maryland fans: all three are Maryland natives Lonny Baxter (Silver Spring, Md.), Juan Dixon (Baltimore, Md.) and Terence Morris (Frederick, Md.).

Inside Muscle
Lonny Baxter led the ACC with 8.8 rebounds and 2.3 blocks in a sophomore campaign which also saw him produce 15.6 points. Touted among the top centers in the nation, his inside muscle has continued to pay dividends.

Baxter leads Maryland in points (15.9), and rebounds (6.4), and is tied with Terence Morris with a team-high 2.2 blocks per game.

After leading the ACC with 12 double-doubles in 1999-00, he recorded his first double-double of 2000-01 with 17 points and 12 boards against UMBC.

He was one of three 19-point scorers against Stony Brook, shooting 8 of 10 from the field and adding seven rebounds and five blocked shots.

Baxter scored a season-high 20 points in the loss to Dayton.

He has scored in double figures in 15 of the last 16 games, dating to last season.

Baxter was ranked as high as the No. 2 (Lindy 's & The Sporting News) center in the country in preseason publications.

1,000-Point Scorer
Juan Dixon led the Terps with 18.0 points and was second in the ACC in scoring last season. He led the ACC with 2.7 steals per contest, and was third in the circuit while shooting better than 44 percent from 3-point range through 16 league games.

In the 78th game of his career, against UMBC, Dixon became the 36th player in Maryland history to eclipse the 1,000-point barrier. Dixon 's 3-pointer just three minutes into the game made him only the 16th Terrapin player to reach the milestone as just a junior.

The Baltimore native scored a season-high 23 points in the win at Penn, and matched the figure with 23 against UMBC. He has shot 15 of 26 >from the floor in his last two games, with five treys and 11 of 11 shooting from the charity stripe.

Maryland 's leading free throw shooter, he carries a string of 16 consecutive free throws into Saturday 's game with Norfolk State.

Dixon had one of his finest games of the young season with 19 points against Michigan on 7 of 10 shooting. His two 3-pointers were his first of the season.

He was an all-tournament selection at the BB&T Classic, averaging 16 points in two games.

A slasher and creative scorer, Dixon is currently second on the team in scoring with 15.6 points. He leads the team with 17 steals.

Dixon was ranked the top shooting guard in the country by Lindy 's, and the No. 2 shooting guard by Dick Vitale 's Preview and The Sporting News.

Mr. Opportunity
Maryland junior Byron Mouton has made the most of his first five starting assignments for the Terrapins, sparking the Terps to five straight wins.

In a three-game span from Dec. 3-9, Mouton scored 17, 19 and 20 points, while shooting 8 of 12, 6 of 7, and 6 of 9 from the field. He averaged 18.7 points and 71.4 percent shooting in those three games.

He has led the Terps in scoring three times, including a 17-point effort against GW in the championship game of the BB&T Classic. He was named to the all-tournament team at the BB&T Classic, alongside junior teammate Juan Dixon.

For the season, Mouton leads the Terrapins with an impressive 60.3 percent shooting clip. Not bad for a guy who 's offensive repertoire consists mostly of slashing, off-balance and turnaround jumpers in traffic.

Mr. All-Around
Terence Morris completed his junior season with career averages: 15.8 points, 8.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 2.1 blocks and 1.6 steals. His versatility has helped the Terps lead the ACC in blocks and steals in back-to-back seasons, and he has earned honorable mention All-America honors in three consecutive seasons.

Morris currently is second on the team in rebounds (5.1), fourth in scoring (12.1) and the leader in blocks (2.2).

Morris ' opening game vs. Louisville was dominating: 24 points, nine rebounds, three assists, three steals and three blocks.

Morris had three blocks in each of the Terps ' first two games vs. Louisville and Illinois, and contributed four against Dayton. He has had multiple blocks in seven out of nine games this season.

He has had multiple blocked shots in 48 of 77 games in the last three seasons, and three or more blocks in 32 of those games.

He is three blocks shy of becoming the third Maryland player and 16th player in ACC history to record 200 blocked shots.

He is the 13th player in Maryland history to score at least 1,400 points in his career.

Morris became the 15th player in Maryland history to surpass 1,000 career points in just his junior season, eclipsing the plateau on Jan. 9, 2000 against Duke.

Morris, selected to play on the USA Select team of college all-stars that faced the U.S. Olympic Team on Sept. 2 in Hawaii, was rated in the preseason as the nation 's top swing forward by Dick Vitale 's Preview and The Sporting News.

Morris: Shoot, Pass, Defend
In his final college season, Terence Morris is prominent among Maryland 's all-time leaders in blocks (3rd), steals (8th), 3FGs (10th), rebounds (13th) and points (13th).

His career scoring high was a 26-point game as a sophomore at No. 11 Kentucky. He matched it last season with a 26-point effort vs. Clemson. In three games against Kentucky the past two seasons, Morris has scored 26, 25 and 22 points (24.3).

Morris' passing abilities have proven as accurate as any 6-9 forward in the country

four or more assists eight times, and three or more assists in 16 games during his junior campaign.

Mardesich Closing In On Marks
Senior co-captain Mike Mardesich is closing in on Maryland records for career games played (110) and consecutive games played (110).

The 7-foot reserve center needs 22 more games this year to surpass the existing record of 131 games, by Len Bias (1983-86). He needs to play 17 more games in succession in order to eclipse the existing mark of 126 consecutive games played by Keith Booth (1994-97).

Right behind Mardesich is fellow co-captain Terence Morris who has played in 109 games overall. He missed last season 's game at Clemson to end his consecutive games streak at 83.

Engineering The Point
Sophomore Steve Blake has capably handled point guard duties for the Terps since his first day on campus as a true freshman. He is fast becoming one of the best veteran point guards in the country.

He had seven points, 10 assists and four steals in the win over UMBC.

In just 23 minutes against Stony Brook, Blake dished a career-high 13 assists, recording the most by a Terrapin since Steve Francis recorded 13 against Virginia in 1999.

Three nights later at Penn, he drilled a timely 3-pointer and a pair of driving jumpers to help the Terps stave off a furious Quaker rally in the final minutes. All 10 of his points came in the game 's final 3:55.

Through nine games, Blake 's 7.1 assists exceed last season 's 6.3 average. He is currently second in the ACC and 19th nationally.

He boasts at least five assists in eight of nine games.

Last season, Blake was regarded as one of the country 's top freshman, and in preseason 2000 he has been tabbed as one of the top 11 point guards overall. He spent the past summer touring with the U.S. Under-20 team and earning a silver medal at the World Championships qualifying tournament in Brazil.

Nicholas Fills Dual Role
Shooting guard. Point guard. Regardless of which role he has been asked to play, Long Island native Drew Nicholas has been outstanding early in his sophomore season.

Nicholas has assumed backup point guard chores as a sophomore. At the same time, he has become one of the Terps ' most deadly long-range shooters.

Nicholas is second in the ACC in 3-point percentage (15 of 24, 62.5%). He also is among the top 10 nationally.

Nicholas has also improved his marksmanship from the field, scorching the nets for 69 percent at Maui and 56.4 percent overall.

In the loss to Dayton, Nicholas hit four of five 3-point shots to finish with 12 points, five assists and a pair of steals.

He has hit at least one 3-point basket in all nine games this season, and in 14 games overall dating to last season 's ACC Tournament.

3-Point Goals
Five different Terrapins scored 30 or more 3-point baskets in 1999-00, and added this season is former Tulane scoring sensation Byron Mouton (who made 46 treys at Tulane in 1998-99).

Maryland boasts a 173-game streak with at least one 3-pointer, dating to March 18, 1995.

Early ACC Leaders
An early look at Maryland among ACC statistical leaders (through games of Dec. 18) shows sophomore guard Drew Nicholas is second among league 3-point percentage leaders at 62.5 percent, trailing NC State 's Archie Miller (22-35, .629) ... Steve Blake is second in the league in assists with 7.11, trailing Virginia 's Donald Hand (7.17) and leading Duke 's Jason Williams (6.56) ... Terence Morris and Lonny Baxter both are tied for third in the circuit with 2.22 blocks ... Baxter also is sixth in the ACC with 15.9 points per game ... Juan Dixon is fifth in the league in FT percentage at 82.5 percent and ninth in scoring with 15.6 points per game ... Dixon and Blake each are tied for eighth in the league with 1.89 steals per contest.

Team-wise, Maryland leads the ACC with 7.9 blocks per game and is second with 9.8 steals per game. The Terps are also third in scoring offense (84.6), third with 39.3 rebounds per game, third in 3-point percentage (40.5), fourth in scoring margin (+13.6), turnover margin (+3.7) and in assist/turnover ratio (+1.3).

Strength Of Schedule
Based on preseason AP rankings, Maryland experiences just one stretch this season in which it encounters more than two games at a time without facing a ranked opponent.

Maryland 's eight-game string including the BB&T Classic is the Terps ' only span of more than two games without a ranked opponent.

Depth Factor
Maryland is one of America 's deepest and most athletic teams in 2000-01. The Terrapins return all five starters from their 25-10 team a year ago, plus their top three reserves.

Added to the mix are Byron Mouton, runner-up as the 1998 Conference USA Rookie of the Year, who plays both the "2" and "3" positions, and 6-10 freshman Chris Wilcox who logs minutes at the power forward and center positions.

The Terps are at least two, and as many as four players deep at every position on the floor.

Road Warriors
Maryland played its first six games all away from Cole Field House.

It was Maryland 's longest streak away >from home to begin a season since the Terps began playing in Cole Field House in 1955-56.

It was the longest streak away from home to begin a season since 1941, overall.

Terps In The Polls
Maryland carries a string of 24 consecutive weeks in the AP Poll. The current streak began on Nov. 22, 1999 last season with the Terps peaking in the No. 12 position last season on Jan. 3, 2000, and at No. 5 in the AP 's 2000 preseason poll. Maryland finished last season ranked No. 17.

Maryland was No. 5 in the AP preseason poll, reflecting the highest preseason ranking by a Gary Williams-coached team, and the sixth time in Terrapin history that Maryland has begun in the Top 5.

A total of 26 teams nationally have been ranked No. 2 at least once, but never have been ranked No. 1. Maryland leads the way among those teams with 18 No. 2 rankings, while Louisville is second with 15.

Maryland has appeared in 44 of the last 46 polls, 48 of 51, 54 of 60 and 67 of the last 75 polls since Dec. 9, 1996.

Of those 73 polls since December 9, 1996, Maryland has been in the Top 10, 24 times.

One Of Country 's Elite
Maryland is one of just ten schools to have participated in each of the last seven NCAA Tournaments. Only Arizona, Cincinnati, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina, Purdue, Temple and UCLA join the Terps as teams that have competed in each of the last seven NCAA men 's basketball tournaments.

Maryland is the only team in the ACC that has advanced to the ACC Tournament semifinals in each of the last six seasons, the best streak in Terrapin history. Last season 's ACC championship game appearance was the Terps ' first since 1984.

Best Eras
The Terps ' 74 wins between the 1998, 1999 and 2000 seasons reflect the best three-year stretch in Terrapin basketball history in terms of total wins. Likewise, Maryland 's 34 ACC wins those past three seasons reflect the best three-year stretch of ACC victories. The Terps ' 1998, 1999 and 2000 seasons also mark the first three-year period with consecutive double-digit wins in ACC play.

Maryland needs 18 more wins this season to assure the best four-year stretch in the program 's history. The current four-year mark is a stretch of 97 wins between 1972 and 1975.

A 20-win season in 2000-01 would match the school 's best mark for consecutive 20-win seasons, five between 1972 and 1976.

G-A-R-Y-L-A-N-D
Cole Field House is the site of the nation 's longest non-conference home win streak (now 73 games), and Maryland has ranked in the Top 20 among national attendance leaders for three straight seasons.

The Terps ranked 20th (13,377 avg.) among national attendance leaders in 1998, 15th (school record 14,474 avg.) in 1999, and 17th (14,148 avg.) in 2000.

Last season, the Terps ranked 10th nationally and played before a school-record 503,648 fans overall. That figure was up from a previous record of 473,626 and a No. 12 ranking in 1999.

Maryland played to 99.8 percent capacity for its entire season at 14,500-seat Cole Field House during the 1998-99 season.

Maryland has averaged more than 13,000 fans for every home game in each of its last six seasons. The Terps currently average 13,114 at home in 2000-01 (one game).

During the last seven seasons, the Terps have achieved six of the top seven single-season home attendance averages in school history.