Dec. 26, 2004

Game Notes in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader

TERRAPIN CLASSIC
Wednesday-Thursday, December 29-30, 2004
Wednesday, December 29
Elon (1-7) vs. Marshall (4-4), 5 p.m.
Massachusetts (6-3) vs. #17/17 Maryland (8-1), 7 p.m.
Thursday, December 30
Game 1, 5 p.m.
Elon/Marshall vs. #17/17 Maryland, 7 p.m.
Comcast Center (17,950) • College Park, Md.

QUICK HITS
• The Terps' 8-1 start is their best since the 1996-97 campaign and their six-game win streak is the longest since 2000-01.
• Maryland garnered its highest ranking in the USA Today/ESPN and Associated Press rankings to date, earning a No. 17 rating this week. The Terps are in the top 20 in both polls for the first time since 1993-94.
• The Terps are 14-3 in non-conference games since Comcast Center opened in 2002-03 and have won 26 of 30 non-conference matchups at home the start of the 2000-01 campaign.
• Maryland has scored at least 72 points in its eight wins this season and is 26-6 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 times.

TERPS WRAP UP HOMESTAND WITH TERRAPIN CLASSIC
• 17th-ranked Maryland wraps up a five-game homestand hosting the sixth-annual Terrapin Classic on Dec. 29 and 30. The Terps welcome three teams they have never faced in Massachusetts, Marshall and Elon. The first day of action begins with Marshall and Elon tipping off at 5 p.m. The Terps take on UMass at 7 p.m. On day two, game one is scheduled for 5 p.m. Maryland plays Elon or Marshall at 7 p.m. on Dec. 30 regardless of the result.
• The Terps welcome two 400+ career win coaches in Marshall's Royce Chadwick (443) and Elon's Brenda Paul (415).
• Maryland looks to close out the year with a perfect December record and an eight game win streak which would be its longest since 1996-97.

LAST TIME OUT
• Sophomore Kalika France scored 15 of her game-high 20 points in the second half to lead Maryland to its 10th-straight win over Coppin State, 83-51. The Terps picked up their sixth-straight victory, matching their longest win streak since the 2000-01 campaign.
• The Terrapins used a 15-0 run in the first and second halves to cruise to the victory. Maryland shot nearly 51 percent from the field while limiting the Lady Eagles to under 39 percent.
• France also added a career-high five steals in the game. Freshman Laura Harper was one rebound short of her fourth double-double of the season, netting 19 points to go with nine boards. Classmate Crystal Langhorne added 14 points going 6-for-7 from the field.

THE SIXTH-ANNUAL TERRAPIN CLASSIC
• The Terps are hosting the Terrapin Classic for the sixth time in seven years. Maryland is 9-1 all-time in its home tournament, winning the title last season. Its only loss in the tournament was a 70-64 setback to Rhode Island in the championship game on Nov. 30, 2002.

TERPS IN THE POLLS
• The young Maryland Terrapins continue to climb in the national polls, earning a No. 17 rating in this week's Associated Press poll, their highest ranking of the season. The Terps also garnered its first top 20 ranking in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll since 1993-94, the last year they were in the top 20 in both polls. It is also the seventh-straight week the Terps have been among the top 25 in both polls.
• Three Maryland opponents are featured in this week's polls, including top-ranked LSU and ACC foes Duke (#3/3) and North Carolina (#6/6). Arizona, who hosts the Terps in late January for a national television broadcast, is 25th in the Coaches poll and is receiving votes in the AP ranking. Four other conference opponents are receiving votes in either poll, including Florida State, NC State, Wake Forest and Virginia Tech.
• The Terps have run out to an 8-1 record this season with their only loss coming against the No. 1 Lady Tigers.
• The last time Maryland was ranked in the top 20 in the AP and Coaches poll was the week of Dec. 27, 1993. That was also the last year the Terps were featured in the top 20 in both polls prior to this season.

ABOUT MASSACHUSETTS
• Riding a five-game win streak, its longest since Dec. 2002, UMass comes to Comcast Center for the first time sporting a 6-3 record. Under the direction of third-year head coach Marnie Dacko, the Minutewomen have limited their opponents to 53.8 points per game and 33.5 percent shooting, both tops in the Atlantic 10. However, their 56.8 ppg as a team is 10th in the conference out of 12 teams and 33.9 percent shooting is eighth. UMass has been out of action since Dec. 12.
• Leading the team in scoring are Pam Rosanio and Tamara Tatham. Both are averaging just over 10 points per game, at 10.7 and 10.2, respectively. In the top five in every rebounding category in the A-10, UMass has three players averaging over 5.0 boards per game with Brooke Campbell's 8.8 rebounds leading the way.

SERIES VS. UMASS
• Maryland has never played UMass, but is 2-1 vs. teams from the state of Massachusetts. The Terps defeated Harvard in 1997 and recorded a win and a loss vs. Holy Cross.
• This season, the Terps are 2-0 against A-10 squads, pulling out a 74-72 victory at Xavier on Dec. 4 and cruising to a 91-42 win over St. Bonaventure. All-time, Maryland is 28-9 against A-10 teams.

ABOUT MARSHALL
• Marshall is participating in its fourth in-season tournament of the year, coming to College Park with a 4-4 record. Most recently, the Herd took a split at the UCF Christmas Classic in Orlando, Fla., falling to Florida International, 61-58, but bouncing back to defeat Colgate, 86-68.
• Scoring 67.5 points per game in eight games this season, the Herd has just one player averaging double figures. Sikee Shepard-Hall's 12.5 ppg is tops on the team. Modupe Ishola not only leads her team but is also the Mid-American Conference's rebounding leader, hauling down 9.0 boards per game.
• In his fourth season at Marshall, Royce Chadwick is a 1980 graduate of S.W. Oklahoma State. He reached 400-career victories during the 2000-01 season, his final season at Stephen F. Austin. He has posted a 43-52 mark at Marshall and a 443-184 record in 21 seasons coaching.

SERIES VS. MARSHALL
• The Terps have never faced the Thundering Herd, however, head coach Brenda Frese is 4-0 in her career against them. Frese faced Marshall four times in her two seasons at Ball State.

ABOUT ELON
• A 50-38 win over Greensboro College on Dec. 15 snapped a six-game, opening season losing skid, however, Elon was edged, 50-46, by Chattanooga, to fall to 1-7 on the season. Of the seven losses the Phoenix have suffered, four have been to Southern Conference foes, including Appalachian State (72-68), who the Terps defeated, 94-74, to open the 2004-05 season. Elon also fell to the ACC's North Carolina (86-40).
• Kitara McMoore is the only player on the squad averaging double-digit scoring at 12.5. She has led or tied for the team scoring lead in six of Elon's contests. McMoore also leads the team with 7.8 rebounds per game.
• Head coach Brenda Paul is in her 11th season at Elon, establishing a 135-152 record. Last season, she won her 400th career game, and has amassed a 415-351 mark in 27 seasons as a head coach.

SERIES VS. ELON
• The two teams have never faces one another. Maryland is 1-0 this season against Southern Conference teams, defeating Appalachian State, 94-74, in the Terps' season opener.

LETHAL WEAPONS
• Maryland has proven hard to defend with its strong inside/outside game. Opponents will not be able to zero in on just one player to contain the Terrapin offense. Averaging 77.8 points per game, the Terps are second in the ACC in scoring behind North Carolina's 82.1 ppg. With four different players reaching the 20-point plateau, the Terps are the only team to have four players among the top 15 in scoring in the conference.
• The Terrapins are also the top shooting team in the ACC at .479. Maryland has shot above 50 percent from the field five times this season. Freshmen Crystal Langhorne and Laura Harper are in the top four in the conference in that category, having shot better than 50 percent in seven games each this season. Sophomore Kalika France is 12th in the ACC rankings in field goal percentage. She's had five games with at least 50 percent shooting.

MARYLAND CONNECTIONS
• Maryland Athletics Director Debbie Yow is a 1974 graduate of Elon. Yow was a four-year letterwinner in basketball and was coached by current NC State coach and sister Kay Yow. Phoenix seniors Janey Bartley (Oleny) and Brianne Gray (Dunkirk) both hail from the state of Maryland.
• Marshall freshman Lateisha Wade is a former high school teammate of Maryland freshman Crystal Langhorne. Both played at Willingboro High in Willingboro, N.J. Three other Herd players are also from the Washington, D.C., area (Tenyonka Hodge, Crystal Champion and Modupe Ishola).
• UMass has three players from the state of Maryland on its roster. Redshirt-junior Katie Nelson (Ellicott City) is a graduate of the McDonogh School, the same high school of former Maryland Terrapin Vicki Brick. Brooke Campbell graduated from St. Francis Academy out of Baltimore, Md., while Katie Mills hails from Elkton.

AMONG NATION'S BEST
• As of Dec. 20 (stats prior to Coppin State game), 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 25th with 9.9 rpg. She and classmate Crystal Langhorne rank 41st and 15th, respectively, in field goal percentage. Senior Anesia Smith is 22nd 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 7th overall in the nation. 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.

DOUBLING UP
• Freshmen Laura Harper and Crystal Langhorne have accounted for a combined six double-doubles this season. Harper recorded her first-career double-double in the Terps' home opener vs. Siena, then went on to accomplish that feat against top-ranked LSU and St. Bonaventure. Langhorne's first double-double came against Loyola and then posted double-doubles in the next two games at Xavier and vs. the Bonnies.
• Five current Terrapins have reached double-doubles:

			Player		Career	2004-05
			Charmaine Carr	1	0
			Kalika France	1	0
			Laura Harper	3	3 (Siena, LSU, St. Bon)
			Crystal Langhorne	3	3 (Loyola, Xavier, St. Bon)
			Angel Ross	3	0

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 26-6 when scoring 70 points or more and 20-1 since last year. Maryland has scored at least 72 points in each of its eight wins this season.
• The Terps are also 12-1 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 37 treys after entering the season ranked 10th in the school record books. Her 1113 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 blocks 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.

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 Mention All-American in its college basketball preview edition. She was also voted to the Preseason All-ACC squad at the ACC's Media Day.

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 opens the ACC schedule traveling to league newcomer Virginia Tech right after the New Year on Jan. 2. The game is scheduled for 1 p.m. tip off and will be televised on the ACC's Regional Sports Network (Comcast SportsNet, Fox Sports South and Sunshine Network).