#22/23 Women's Basketball Hits the Road Again
12/3/2004 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 3, 2004
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
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#22/23 MARYLAND (4-1) at Xavier (1-2)
Saturday, December 4, 2004 • 2:00 p.m.
Cintas Center (10,950) • Cincinnati, Ohio
QUICK HITS
• This is the first-ever meeting between Xavier and Maryland. The Terps are 28-9 all-time against teams currently in the Atlantic 10 Conference.
• The Musketeers are the first of three opponents from the A-10 the Terps will be facing this season.
• Maryland is playing in its fourth road contest in six outings.
• The Terps have had at least three double-digit scorers in every game but one and a 10+ rebounder in the last four contests.
Terps Hit the Road Again
• No. 22/23 Maryland is back on the road, traveling to Cincinnati, Ohio, to face Xavier on Saturday, Dec. 4 at 2 p.m. It is the first-ever meeting between the teams.
• The Terps are coming off of a 41-point romp over in-state rival Loyola at home, 77-36, as head coach Brenda Frese evened her record at Maryland to 32-32 and looks to stay above the .500 mark in Cincinnati, Ohio.
• After tonight's contest, the Terps will play their next five games at Comcast Center, including the annual Terrapin Classic, Dec. 29-30. Maryland's next road venture is January 2, 2005 in Blacksburg, Va. against ACC-newcomer Virginia Tech.
Last Time Out
• The Terps steam rolled past Loyola, 77-36, at Comcast Center. Maryland dominated, limiting the Greyhounds to just 12 points in the second half and 25 percent shooting for the game. The Terps had almost double the number of boards, outrebounding Loyola, 50-26.
• With the game scored at 24-17, Maryland used a 15-2 run to pull away and take a 39-19 lead and eventually took a 46-24 halftime lead. After the break, the Terps limited the Greyhounds to just one field goal in the first 14 minutes as the Terps cruised to a 77-36 win, extending their win streak over Loyola to six games.
• Freshman Laura Harper tallied 18 of her career-high 22 points in the first half. Classmate Crystal Langhorne recorded her first double-double neeting 14 points to go with 10 boards.
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 32-32 record in three seasons at College Park. She has also put together an 89-62 mark in six season as head coach.
Terps in the Polls
• The young Maryland Terrapins are ranked 22nd and 23rd in this week's Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today Coaches polls, respectively. The Terps are featured in the top 25 for the fourth-consecutive week. With the return of three starters, including sophomore sensations Shay Doron and Kalika France, and the addition of the No. 2 recruiting class in the nation, the Terps have run out to a 4-1 mark, dropping their only game of the season in a close game to top-ranked LSU in Colorado.
• Four Maryland opponents are featured in this week's polls, including top-ranked LSU and ACC foes North Carolina and Duke. Arizona is ranked 25th in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll and receiving votes by the Associated Press.
About Xavier
• Xavier is 1-2, recently falling to Auburn, 55-53. The Musketeers other loss was to the ACC's Florida State, 56-48, on the road to open the season. Their only win was a 64-52 decision over Western Illinois.
• The Musketeers are lead by All-America candidate Tara Boothe who is averaging a double-double with 16 points and 10.3 rebounds per game She has posted back-to-back double-doubles in Xavier's last two games.
• Head coach Kevin McGuff is in his third season at Xavier, compiling a 38-25 mark. The Musketeers returns all five starters from last season's 17-13 team. After going 8-8 in the Atlantic 10 and placing fourth in the west division, the team was invited to the WNIT, falling to Miami (Ohio), 77-65.
Series vs. Xavier
• Maryland has never faced Xavier but is 28-9 all-time against teams currently in the Atlantic 10 Conference. The Terps own a winning record against every A-10 squad except Rhode Island, who won the only meeting between the teams during the 2002-03 season, head coach Brenda Frese's first season.
• The Terps are also 7-2 against teams from the state of Ohio.
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 tied for eighth with Limor Mizarachi (1992) netting 32 treys after entering the season ranked 10th in the school record books. Her 96 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.
Doubling Up
• Freshmen Laura Harper and Crystal Langhorne have accounted for a combined three double-doubles. Harper recorded her first-career double-double in the Terps' home opener vs. Siena (12 points, 14 rebounds). She followed up with 17 points and 16 rebounds in the close loss to top-ranked LSU. Langhorne had 14 points and 10 rebounds vs. Loyola to record her first-career double-double.
• Five current Terrapins have reached double-doubles:
Player Career 2004-05
Charmaine Carr 1 0
Kalika France 1 0
Laura Harper 2 2
Crystal Langhorne 1 1
Angel Ross 3 0
Harper Earns All-Tourney Nods
• Averaging 12.5 points, 12.5 rebounds and 3.0 blocks over two games at the Coors Classic in Boulder, Colo., freshman Laura Harper was selected to the five-player all-tournament team as the Terps earned a split at the tournament.
• Harper posted her second-career double-double in the close loss to second-ranked LSU, leading the team with season-highs of 17 points and 16 rebounds. She also had three blocks in the game. In the win over Penn, she netted eight points and grabbed nine boards while also making three blocks.
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.
Injury Report
• Suffering an ankle sprain against Pennsylvania in the second game of the Coors Classic, sophomore Aurelie Noirez listed as day-to-day. She sat out the Terps' last game vs. Loyola.
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.
Harper Claims Gold
• Before coming to College Park, freshman Laura Harper traveled to Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, as a member of the U.S. Junior Women's Basketball team. She helped the Stars & Stripes to a perfect 6-0 record at the Junior World Championship Qualifying Tournament as the USA claimed the gold medal.
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.
Who's Not
• The Terps have to contend with the loss of post players Delvona Oliver and Crystal Washington. Oliver was an Honorable Mention All-ACC pick and earned a spot on the ACC All-Tournament second team. Washington had a breakout season last year, starting every game and leading the team in blocks.
• After a successful four-year career, Vicki Brick left her mark in the Maryland record books, ranking in the top 10 in assists and steals.
• The Terps who were the top three-point shooting team in the ACC, will be hurt by the departures of Alli Spence and Chrissy Fisher. Spence set the single-season school record for three-point percentage, shooting at a .500 clip. Fisher was seventh in the ACC in three-point shooting and 10th with 1.23 treys made per game.
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 a break from traveling, hosting anothet A-10 opponent, St. Bonaventure, on Tuesday, Dec. 7, opening a five-game homestand.
