Coppin State (5-2) vs. #17/21 MARYLAND (7-1)
Monday, December 20, 2004 • 7:00 p.m.
Comcast Center (17,950) • College Park, Md.

QUICK HITS
• The Terps' 7-1 start is their best since the 1996-97 campaign.
• The Terps are 13-3 in non-conference games since Comcast Center opened in 2002-03 and have won 25 of 29 non-conference matchups at home the start of the 2000-01 campaign.
• Maryland has scored at least 72 points in its seven wins this season and is 25-6 when scoring at least 70 points under head coach Brenda Frese.
• The Terps have had at least three double-digit scorers in every game but one and a 10+ rebounder in six of Maryland's eight contests.
• At least one Terrapin has posted a double-double in five of the team's eight games.
• Four different Terps have reached the 20-point plateau this season.

Terps and Coppin State Clash at Comcast
• Riding its longest win streak in four years while boasting its highest Associated Press ranking in 11 years, 18th-ranked Maryland hits the hardwood on Monday, Dec. 20 at 7 p.m. to host Coppin State after taking a week off. All fans who bring a toy to benefit Toys for Tots receive free admission to the game and are entered into a raffle to win a free prize.
• To of the nation's top rebounding teams will be squaring off when the Terrapins and the Lady Eagles hit the court. Maryland is ranked eighth in rebounding margin while CSU is 24th. Freshman Laura Harper is the Terps top rebounder whose 9.9 boards per game are 26th in the nation. While not ranked in the national stats because she has not played enough games to date, CSU's Talia Sutton is averaging 12 rpg in five games.
• Off to their best start since the 1996-97 campaign when the team went 9-1, the Terps, who have never lost to the Lady Eagles, have played CSU every year for the last seven years. All nine meetings between the teams have been in College Park.

Last Time Out
• In a game where every Terrapin scored at least a bucket, Maryland extended its win streak to five games with an 81-49 victory over Monmouth. Sophomore Shay Doron had a solid all-around game, leading the Terps with 20 points, five rebounds, four assists and a career-high seven steals. Freshmen Crystal Langhorne and Ashleigh Newman each added 11 points. The Terps shot 53.4 percent, including 64 percent in the second half, while limiting the Hawks to 32.1 shooting for the game. Maryland also outrebounded Monmouth, 44-29, led by freshman Laura Harper's eight boards, to remain perfect in the all-time series, 2-0.

Head Coach Brenda Frese
• Entering her third season at the Maryland helm, head coach Brenda Frese has revitalized the Terrapin women's basketball program. After signing two-straight top-five recruiting classes, the rebuilding of the Maryland squad has been put on the fast track. In what was supposed to be year two of the rebuilding process, Frese guided the Terps to a tie for third place in the ACC last year after a preseason eighth-place prediction and also led the team to its first NCAA Tournament win in 12 years when it upset Miami (Fla.) in the first round, 86-85.
• Frese is a 1993 graduate of Arizona and has compiled a 35-32 record in three seasons at College Park. She has also put together an 92-62 mark in six seasons as head coach.

Terps in the Polls
• The young Maryland Terrapins continue to climb in the national polls, earning a No. 18 rating in this week's Associated Press poll, their highest ranking of the season, garnering an 18th national rating.
• For the second-straight week, Maryland is ranked 21st in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. It is also the sixth-straight week the Terps have been among the top 25.
• Three Maryland opponents are featured in this week's polls, including top-ranked LSU and ACC foes Duke (#3/3) and North Carolina (#5/6). • The Terps have run out to a 7-1 record this season with their only loss coming against the No. 1 Lady Tigers.
• Maryland entered the AP's top 20 for the first time in 11 years last week since earning a No. 20 rating on Dec. 14, 1993. Maryland held onto that spot for three weeks. The No. 18 national ranking is the highest since ending the 1992-93 campaign ranked 11th.

About Coppin State
• Coppin State is 5-2 and hosts Bucknell on Dec. 18 before coming to College Park. The game marks the first game of a six-game road swing for the Lady Eagles. A member of the MEAC, CSU is 3-0 in conference action already, sitting atop the standings along with Hampton. The Lady Eagles went 18-11 last season and tied for third in their league with a 13-5 mark.
• Returning all but one letterwinner, including four starters, Coppin's Sherrie Tucker and Leisel Harry are the team's offensive weapons, once again, leading the team with 17.0 and 15.1 points per game, respectively. Rashida Suber is the only other Lady Eagle in double figures, contributing 11.6 ppg off the bench. Coppin is also one of the best rebounding teams in the nation, led by Talia Sutton's 12.0 rebounds per game.
• Head coach Derek Brown is in his sixth season at the Coppin State helm. He has compiled a 69-71 career record.

Series vs. Coppin State
• With the series dating back to 1991, the Terps are undefeated vs. the Lady Eagles, winning all nine meetings. Maryland has hosted CSU in all nine meetings, including the last seven years in a row.

Among Nation's Best
• As of Dec. 12, four different Terrapins are ranked among the nation's top 50 in four statistical categories. Freshman Laura Harper is the only Terp ranked in two categories. The ACC's leading rebounder, she is 26th with 9.9 rpg. She and classmate Crystal Langhorne rank 43rd and 18th, respectively, in field goal percentage. Senior Anesia Smith is 43rd with 5.9 assists per game.
• As a team, Maryland is in the top 15 in four different statistical categories. Its 11.1 rebounding margin is 8th overall. The Terps are also 13th in scoring offense (77.1) and in field goal percentage (.475) and 14th with a +21.5 scoring margin. Check out the chart at the bottom right-hand corner of page three to see where the Terps rank among Division I's 324 teams in every statistical category as a team.

Terps vs. Free State Teams
• The Terrapins have dominated games vs. teams from the Free State, combining for a 74-9 all-time mark. The Terps have played 12 teams from their home state, with only four ever posting a win against the Terps.
• Of the nine all-time setbacks to Maryland teams, six came prior to the 1975-76 campaign. Towson has logged the most wins against the Terps. Loyola has three wins in the all-time series, winning in 1994, 1997 and 1998. Salisbury and Western Maryland (now McDaniel College) are the only other teams to post wins against UMCP, each recording one.

Double Trouble
• With Laura Harper's (10 points, 10 rebounds) and Crystal Langhorne's (12 points, 10 rebounds) double-doubles in the win over St. Bonaventure, the duo became the first to post double-doubles in the same game since former Terrapins Deedee Warley and Jamecca Harrell did so on Feb. 9, 2002 vs. IPFW.
• Langhorne's double-double vs. the St. Bonaventure marked the third-straight game she's performed the feat. Not since Jamecca Harrell on Dec. 9, 2000 has a Terrapin had three-straight games with a double-double.

Langhorne Voted Top Rookie of the Week
• Crystal Langhorne was selected the ACC's Rookie of the Week on Dec. 6 after posting back-to-back double-doubles. It is the second-straight selection for the Terps as classmate Laura Harper was given the honor on Nov. 29.
• Langhorne recorded her first-career double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds in Maryland's decisive 77-36 win over in-state foe Loyola. She helped the Terps pull out a close 74-72 victory at Xavier tallying 18 points on 9-for-11 shooting and a season-high 11 boards.

That 70s Show
• Since head coach Brenda Frese took over the program during the 2003-04 season, the Terps are 25-6 when scoring 70 points or more and 19-1 since last year. Maryland has scored at least 72 points in each of its five wins this season.
• The Terps are also 11-1 when netting 80 or more points under Frese and 6-0 when scoring at least 90 points since Frese has been at the helm.

Moving Up
• It took just one season, but sophomore Shay Doron has already made her way into the Maryland record books. After making her mark on the free throw record, she has her sights set on the three-point charts. She is eighth with 36 treys after entering the season ranked 10th in the school record books. Her 109 attempts behind the three-point line is eighth overall.

Harper Picked Rookie of the Week
• A media panel voted Laura Harper ACC Rookie of the Week on Nov. 29 after averaging a double-double at the Coors Classic over the Thanksgiving weekend. Harper had season highs of 17 points, 16 rebounds and three blcoks in the close loss to LSU on the first day of the tournament. She then posted nine rebounds and three blocks in the win over Penn.

Doron's Diary
• Get up close and personal with sophomore Shay Doron. Read her diary on www.espn.com every two weeks or by going through www.umterps.com.

Maryland Picked Third in ACC Preseason Poll
• After being picked to finish eighth in the previous two Preseason ACC Media Polls, the Terps jumped five spaces to third in the 2004-05 version, garnering two first-place votes. Last year, Maryland ended the season in a surprising third-place tie with NC State.
• North Carolina was predicted to end Duke's six-year stranglehold on the ACC regular-season title, while the Blue Devils were picked to place second in the league. League newcomers Virginia Tech and Miami round out the top five, respectively.

Langhorne Selected Preseason Rookie of the Year
• Newcomer Crystal Langhorne became the first-ever Terrapin to be named ACC Rookie of the Year when it was announced at ACC Media Day. Langhorne was rated the top post player in the nation last year according to the All-Star Girls Report and was a McDonald's, Parade, Street & Smith's and WBCA All-American.
• Since 1991 when the preseason picks began, the preseason honoree has been the actual honoree seven times.

Terrapins 12th in Athlon Poll
• Maryland was 12th in this year's Athlon College Basketball Annual, the Terps' highest preseason ranking. Only three ACC teams were among the preseason top 25. North Carolina was seventh in the poll while Duke was ninth.

Doron Earns Preseason Honors
• Doron, who was the first Terrapin freshman to ever earn All-ACC honors, was named to the Naismith Player of the Year watch list. In addition, Street & Smith's selected Doron a Honorable Metion All-American in its college basketball preview edition. She was also voted to the Preseason All-ACC squad at the ACC's Media Day.

Who's Back
• Seven letterwinners return from last season's 18-13 squad. Among them are returning starters senior Anesia Smith and sophomores Shay Doron and Kalika France. Smith is the most experienced Terp on the team and is the incumbent at the point guard position having emerged as the team's leader. Doron and France also look to fulfill leadership roles this season as the two top-returning scorers. France also led the team in rebounding last year.
• Also coming back to the Comcast Center hardwood are juniors Charmaine Carr and Angel Ross, and sophomores Aurelie Noirez and C'Vette Henson. Noirez played every game after sitting out the first eight games of the season while the NCAA determined her international eligibility status. Carr will make contributions at a new position as she will play the swing forward spot. Ross and C'Vette will also push for playing time at the post and guard spots, respectively.

Five New Faces Join Squad
• The No. 2 recruiting class in the nation consists of three post players and a guard. Crystal Langhorne, Laura Harper and Jade Perry will have to fill the void left behind by Delvona Oliver and Crystal Washington. All three have successful prep experience and will make an immediate impact. The only guard in the class, Ashleigh Newman is a versatile player who adds depth to the backcourt and will push for playing time. Senior transfer Liz Gilchrist comes to Maryland after spending three seasons at Division-III Washington College where she was named Honorable Mention All-Centennial Conference in her last season there.

Frese Signs Recruits
• Head coach Brenda Frese announced the signing of two of the nation's top recruits. High school seniors Marissa Coleman and Kristi Toliver signed National Letters of Intent to play basketball at the University of Maryland beginning 2005-06. The Blue Star report rated this class the No. 4 recruiting class in the nation, making it the second-straight year Frese has secured a top-five recruiting class.

Up Next
• Maryland takes another short break before hosting the annual Terrapin Classic on Dec. 29 and 30. Marshall, Massachusetts and Elon, Maryland Athletic Director Deborah A. Yow's alma mater, are all first-time opponents for the Terps. The Terrapins, who play at 7 p.m. on both nights, face UMass on the first night, while Elon and Marshall square off in the earlier game at 5 p.m. Game times for the second day of the tournament are also at 5 and 7 p.m.