Jan. 2, 2002
Maryland vs. Norfolk State Game Notes in PDF Format
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COLLEGE PARK, Md. --Maryland (No. 8 AP, No. 6 USA Today/ESPN) hosts Norfolk State on Thursday night in what is the Terps' final non-conference game ever to be played at Cole Field House. The game will be telecast regionally on Comcast SportsNet. Tipoff is 8 p.m.
* Maryland has not lost a non-conference game at Cole Field House since December 12, 1989, and its non-league win streak at home spans 83 games and over 12 years. Moving into the 17,100-seat Comcast Center in 2002-03, Maryland can close Cole's non-conference slate on Thursday by going 84-0 against non-league opponents since Dec. 30, 1989. In 13 seasons at Maryland, Gary Williams can end his non-ACC slate at Cole with an 87-1 record overall.
* Maryland meets Norfolk State for the second time in two seasons, and just the second time in its history.
* Last year, Maryland beat the Spartans 123-79 on Dec. 23, beginning a string of four straight games of 100 points or more. Lonny Baxter scored a career-high 32 points on 12-for-14 shooting as No. 20 Maryland routed Norfolk State and extended its non-conference home winning streak to 74 games. Juan Dixon had a season-high 26 points for the Terrapins who ran their win streak to six games. Baxter scored 17 points in the opening six minutes of the second half to help Maryland increase its 26-point halftime lead to 89-42. Baxter made his first seven field goal attempts, went 7-for-10 at the line and had seven rebounds before sitting out the final nine minutes. Dixon made 12 of 17 field goal attempts, but fell four points short of giving Maryland two 30-point scorers in a single game for the first time in school history. Darrel Neal scored a season-high 15 for the Spartans (2-6), who committed 24 turnovers.
* Maryland has won 10 of 12 games this season, and 20 of its past 24 games dating to last year's Final Four campaign.
* In their last outing, the Terps outlasted NC State, 72-65, to claim their first ACC victory of the season and the 100th in the career of head coach Gary Williams. Williams became the 10th coach in ACC history to win 100 games within the conference. Maryland was limited to just six second half field goals and committed 19 turnovers in a wild game which featured 57 fouls. Maryland went to the free throw line 49 times, scoring nearly half (35) of its 72 points from the charity stripe. Maryland led by as many as 10 late in the first half, but after a 32-28 halftime advantage, the Terps never led by more than six until Juan Dixon and Steve Blake hit 10 straight free throws to end the game. After going 8 1/2 minutes without a field goal earlier in the second half, Blake hit a baseline jumper and a 3-pointer for five consecutive points to stave off the Wolfpack rally, and lead 60-54. Sandwiched around Blake's field goals and a jumper by Dixon, Maryland hit 15 consecutive free throws in the game's last five minutes. Dixon led all scorers with 21 points. Chris Wilcox, making his first start since the opening game of the season, led the Terrapins with 12 rebounds.
TERP STREAKS
* Maryland has won 10 of its last 11 games.
* The Terps own a nine-game home win streak dating to last season.
* The Terrapins own a five-game ACC regular season win streak dating to last season.
* Counting the final month of the 2001 season when the Terps played five NCAA Tournament games and won 10 of their last 12, Maryland has won 20 of its last 24 games. Its only losses have come to Duke, Arizona and Oklahoma.
* Maryland owns the nation's longest non-conference homecourt win streak which spans 83 games and over 12 years. The streak began on Dec. 30, 1989 against Alcorn State. The Terps' last non-league home defeat was on Dec. 12, 1989 vs. Coppin State.
* Maryland has played 122 consecutive home games at Cole Field House since suffering consecutive home defeats. The last time Maryland lost back-to-back home dates was during the 1992-93 season.
RECORDS AND RANKINGS
* Maryland is 10-2 after Sunday's 72-65 win at NC State, and last week's 103-75 win over William & Mary.
* Norfolk State is 3-9 following a New Year's Eve loss at Cleveland State, 79-69. The Spartans have lost three straight, including road games at UNC Greensboro, 84-69, and Georgetown, 87-68.
* Maryland is No. 8 by the Associated Press and No. 6 in the USA Today/ESPN coaches poll. Other Maryland opponents in this week's rankings: Duke (1,1), Virginia (4, 4), Illinois (7, 7), Oklahoma (10, 11), Arizona (15, 14), Wake Forest (23, 24). Connecticut and NC State each received votes in both polls.
ON DECK
* The Terps resume ACC action on Wednesday, Jan. 9 against North Carolina at Cole Field House (7:30 p.m., ESPN2).
* Following the UNC game, Maryland embarks on its only back-to-back road games during its ACC conference schedule. Maryland is at Georgia Tech on Saturday, Jan. 13 (2 p.m., ESPN), and at Duke on Thursday, Jan. 17 (9 p.m., ESPN).
