Dec. 4, 2004

Recap |  Stats

• The Maryland basketball team (No. 12 AP/No. 12 USA Today/ESPN) improved to 4-1 on the young season, using a complete first-half performance to coast to a 78-54 win over George Mason on Saturday afternoon in the first round of the 10th annual BB&T Classic at MCI Center in Washington, D.C. With the win, Maryland continues its dominance of their local adversaries, having won all seven matchups with the Patriots.

• The Terrapins improved their mark to 13-6 in the local tournament and advance to their seventh BB&T Championship game. They will look to capture the tournament crown for the fifth time and the school's first since the 2001 classic on Sunday afternoon when they square off against George Washington, a 96-83 upset winner over No. 11/9 Michigan State in Saturday's second game. Tomorrow's game will mark the fifth time in tournament history that Maryland and George Washington will vie for the championship, with each squad having won twice.

• Chris McCray tied a career-high with 20 points (vs. Virginia; March 7, 2004) and Nik-Caner Medley also tallied 20 points in pacing the Terps to victory. Combined, McCray and Caner-Medley shot 13-of-18 from the field (72.2 percent) and were a perfect 10-of-10 from the free-throw line. McCray also had a game-high 4 steals, all of which came in the first half.

• John Gilchrist piloted the Terrapin offense smoothly, delivering key buckets and crisp passes that resulted in easy Maryland points. He finished with 9 points and a game-high 9 assists, which ties a career-high set on two previous occasions. Maryland doubled up on Mason with 21 helpers, compared to just 10 for the Patriots.

• Maryland shot over 50 percent from the field (28-of-55) for the first time this year and also shot a season-best 7-of-12 from beyond the arc. On the opposite end, GMU shot 14-of-57 from the field (.24.6 percent), a BB&T Classic team low. Maryland's aggressive post play and team speed was evident as they outscored the Patriots 40-18 in the paint and outran Mason with 16 fast-break points compared to just 2 for GMU.

• Maryland came out with sharp shooting and an aggressive defense that sparked the Terps to an 18-2 lead in the opening six minutes. During the beginning stretch, Maryland shot 6-of-7 from the field and Caner-Medley drilled his first four field goal attempts in tallying 11 of the team's first 15 points. Maryland also used a tight defense in holding Mason to just one field goal in their first 11 attempts.

• Freshman James Gist showed off his glowing potential with a highlight-reel play midway through the first half. He blocked a Mason jumper from the top of the key, corralled the ball and streaked downcourt for an emphatic slam that upped the Maryland lead to 24-6. Gist had 6 points, 5 boards and 2 assists for the game.

• Maryland's active defense held Mason to just 4-of-27 shooting in the opening frame (14.8 percent), including 0-of-13 from behind the arc, as the Terps rolled to a 38-15 halftime lead. It was the lowest scoring output for a Maryland opponent since last year's season opener against American on Nov. 22, 2003, when the Terps held the Eagles to just 8 first-half points.

• The Terrapins controlled the low post in the half, holding an 18-6 advantage in points in the paint. They held the Patriots without a field goal for the final 5:46 of the stanza and got 11 points each from McCray and Caner-Medley to lead the way.

• Maryland continued to hold serve throughout the second half, building a game-high 37-point lead when Will Bowers pulled down a rebound and found a streaking D.J. Strawberry for a dunk that gave the Terps a 66-29 advantage with 10:53 remaining.

• Bowers scored his first four points of the season and added a pair of rebounds and fellow big man Hassan Fofana also poured in four points, aiding Maryland's starting frontline who got into foul trouble early in the second half.