Jan. 29, 2004

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COLLEGE PARK, Md.- Jan. 29, 2004

Led by freshman Shay Doron's 22 points, the Maryland women's basketball team picked up its fifth ACC win of the season, surpassing its conference win total from the last two seasons, surging past Clemson, 68-55, on Thursday night at Comcast Center. The win also snaps a three-game Maryland losing skid while stopping a Tigers' four-game win streak.

After trailing 42-41 late in the second half, Doron (Great Neck, N.Y./Christ the King) scored 14 of her points over the next nine minutes, sparking a 25-9 Terrapin (13-7, 5-4 ACC) run which gave Maryland a commanding 66-51 lead with just 1:13 remaining in the game. Doron hit on her only three three-point attempts of the game during that span, igniting the Maryland offense. Senior Delvona Oliver (Euclid, Ohio/Euclid) and junior Alli Spence (Lafayette, Colo./Chatfield) contributed six and five points in the streak, respectively, helping Maryland put the Tigers (13-7, 5-4 ACC) away.

Maryland held a four-point edge, 30-26, at the break, but Clemson scored the first two buckets of the period to tie the game with 18:25 left to play. The Terps pushed its lead back up to three points, but back-to-back Khaili Sanders' baskets put Maryland behind for the first time in the game, 34-33. The lead changed hands four more times in the next five minutes before the Terps took the lead for good with 10:22 left on the clock, using the dominating run to decide the game.

In the first half, the Terps never trailed, jumping out to an 11-4 lead early on for their biggest lead of the period. A 7-0 run, capped by Amanda White free throws, tied the score at 11 with 13:13 left in the half. The score was tied again at 13-13 before the Maryland defense forced back-to-back turnovers which resulted in a couple of scores to cap a 6-0 run, 19-13.

Maryland equaled its biggest margin of the half at 22-15 with nine minutes left, but Clemson continued to respond with a run of its own to reel the Terps back within reach, tying the game again at 24-24. Spence gave the Terps another boost before the end of the half, knocking down back-to-back threes, putting Maryland ahead, 30-24. Julie Aderhold's layup brought the Tigers to within 30-26, but they could not get any closer, trailing by that margin at the break.

The Terps, who are 13-0 when outrebounding an opponent, had three players with seven rebounds to lead the team. Doron had seven boards to go along with her standout shooting performance. She also matched a career-high with six assists and four steals, while shooting 7-for-13 from the field. Oliver also had seven boards and finished with 14 points. Freshman Kalika France (Forestville, Md./Bishop McNamara) recorded her 13th game of the season with at least five rebounds, tying for the team lead with seven.

Spence added 11 points to the Terps' win, including a 3-for-5 effort from behind the three-point arc.

Clemson's Lakeia Stokes scored 13 of her 17 points in the second half to lead the team, while Julie Aderhold was limited to just two points in the second half after scoring 12 in the first.

Maryland snapped a four-game losing streak to Clemson and now leads the series, 30-23. The five ACC wins equals or surpasses the Terps' conference win total from five of the last nine years.

Maryland plays another crucial ACC game, traveling to Virginia, on Thursday, Feb. 5 at 7 p.m. That game will be televised on Comcast SportsNet, Fox Sports South and the Sunshine Network.

-- TERPS --