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University of Maryland Athletics

No. 25 Terps Knock Off No. 15 Wisconsin In Overtime, 73-67

Men's Basketball Maryland Athletics

Red-Hot Terrapins Play Host To Pepperdine Waves Sunday

Dec. 13, 2003

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COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The Maryland basketball team, coming off an impressive, 69-68 overtime victory at No. 1 Florida, returns home to play host to Pepperdine before taking a break for exams. The Terrapins (5-2), who have now defeated the nation's top-ranked team nine times in school history, look to build upon their winning momentum in the matchup with the Waves on Sunday. For the second-straight season, each of the Terps' 27 regular-season games are scheduled to be televised live - Maryland meets Pepperdine in a nationally-televised contest on FOX Sports Net.

  • Maryland head coach Gary Williams, now in the 15th season at his alma mater, captured his 300th victory as the head coach of the Terrapins on Wednesday. Williams' record at Maryland currently stands at 300-155 (.659), with an overall record of 507-283 (.642). Only six coaches in college basketball history have captured as many victories as the leader of a program in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

  • With the victory over No. 1 Florida, Williams became the winningest active coach in college basketball in terms of victories over top-ranked opponents. The Terps have posted wins over five No. 1-ranked foes with Williams as their head coach, and his Ohio State team captured a win over top-ranked Iowa in 1987, giving Williams a grand total of six. The win over the Gators marked the third-straight season in which Maryland has beaten a No. 1 squad.

  • The Terrapins, who began the week receiving votes in both the AP and USA Today/ESPN polls, used a total team effort to battle Florida for the overtime victory - their third extra-session contest in four games. The win marked the Terps' second victory over a ranked team in the young season. Sophomore forward Nik Caner-Medley posted a double-double by halftime and put in an inspired overtime effort, scoring six points in the extra-session to finish with a game-high 22 points and career-high 13 rebounds. Senior center Jamar Smith recorded his sixth double-double of the season with 14 points and 12 boards, and point guard John Gilchrist set the tone with 18 points, four assists and four rebounds before fouling out. Freshman D.J. Strawberry had five points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals, and forced a jump ball that gave the Terps the final possession they needed, and sophomore Travis Garrison blocked four shots and hit a long jumper with 19.7 seconds to play to lift the Terps to the victory.

  • The Waves are now 3-4 after a 95-74 victory at Lipscomb on Friday. Junior Glen McGowan netted 24 points and grabbed seven rebounds vs. the Bison, and leads four Peperdine double-figure scorers with 17.9 ppg. 2003 WCC Freshman of the Year Alex Acker chipped in with 19 points, six assists and four steals while freshman point guard Shaun Davis scored 15 and dealt five helpers. Head coach Paul Westphal is in his third season at Pepperdine after coaching the NBA's Phoenix Suns and Seattle SuperSonics from 1992-2001.

  • Maryland has faced Pepperdine only once in school history, a 69-64 Terp victory on March 14, 1986, in the NCAA Tournament First Round in Long Beach, Calif.

    Terp Streaks & Storylines

  • The Terrapins bring a new-look squad to the floor for 2003-04, as Maryland's roster features a combined nine freshmen and sophomores, three juniors and lone senior Jamar Smith. Head coach Gary Williams, now in his 15th season at Maryland and his 26th season overall, returned to his alma mater in 1989 and has since guided the Terrapins to 10 straight NCAA Tournament berths - a run that includes seven Sweet Sixteen appearances, Final Four showings in 2001 and 2002, and the 2002 NCAA Championship.

  • The 2003-04 Maryland squad appears to be the youngest Williams has coached since the 1993-94 season. That year, with a five-man freshman class that included Keith Booth, Joe Smith and current Terp assistant coach Matt Kovarik, the Terps posted an 18-12 record en route to the Terps' first Sweet Sixteen appearance of the Williams era. The 1994 NCAA Tournament appearance was the first of Maryland's current streak of 10 straight.

  • Maryland head coach Gary Williams reached his 500th career victory at NC State on March 2, 2003. His record stands at 507-283, which makes him the 17th-leading active coach in America in terms of victories. Williams totals 25 NCAA Tournament victories - ranking ninth among active coaches - and is 21-9 at Maryland for a .700 winning percentage after once again leading the Terps to the Sweet Sixteen last season. He is now 300-155 at Maryland.

  • Williams owns a 98-2 home record against non-conference opponents in his 15 seasons as the Terps' head coach.

  • Williams was recently named the No. 3 college basketball coach in the nation by CBSSportsline.com's Gregg Doyel. Williams' active string of 10-straight trips to the NCAA Tournament ranks tied for fourth in the nation, and he was listed behind only Kentucky's Tubby Smith and Texas Tech's Bob Knight as the NCAA's top mentors on Sportsline's list.

  • The 2003-04 Terrapins look to continue a school record this season by earning a berth in the 2004 NCAA Tournament. Maryland is currently one of only six schools in the nation riding a streak of 10-straight NCAA Tournament appearances.

  • Maryland has won 30-of-36 (.833) ACC regular-season games over the last three seasons, including a second place 11-5 mark in 2002-03 and a 15-1 ACC regular-season championship in 2001-02.

  • For the second consecutive season and the second time in school history, all of Maryland's 29 preseason and regular-season games are scheduled to be aired on live television. The Terps' 2003-04 broadcast slate includes 14 games that will be broadcast nationally, on ESPN, ESPN2, Fox Sports Net, ABC or CBS. With the exception of the snow-delayed victory over Wake Forest last February 17, every preseason and regular season game of the Terps' 2002-03 season was aired live, and the Terps' Feb. 19 tilt at Duke ranked as ESPN's top-rated college basketball telecast of all of last year.

  • Maryland is currently the fourth receiving-vote getter in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll (released Dec. 8), after appearing in 70-consecutive votes of the head coaches. The Terrapins, who finished the 2002-03 season at No. 10, have been ranked in the Coaches Poll's Top 10 in 25 of the last 34 votes.

  • Maryland is currently the fourth receiving-vote getter in the AP Poll, released Dec. 8. Including finishing the 2002-03 season ranked No. 17, the Terrapins had been ranked in 77 straight AP Polls.

    On Deck

  • Maryland breaks for exams before meeting UNC Greensboro in a pre-Christmas tilt on Dec. 23 in College Park. The Terps take on UNCG at 8 p.m. before the holiday in a game that will be aired by FOX Sports Net South, and in the Baltimore/Washington, D.C. area on Comcast SportsNet.

  • ACC action is just around the corner, as the Terps' first conference contest comes just after the Christmas holiday vs. Florida State. The Terps meet the Seminoles in Tallahassee on Sunday, Dec. 28, in a nationally-televised tilt on FOX Sports Net.
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