Postgame Notes: Maryland 70, Virginia 61 - University of Maryland Athletics

March 7, 2004

The Maryland basketball team rallied to pick up a pivotal 70-61 victory over regional rival Virginia in their regular season finale Sunday night at Comcast Center. The Terps, who will enter the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament as the sixth seed, climb to 16-11 overall and 7-9 in the Atlantic Coast Conference, while the Cavs see their record fall to 16-11 and 6-10 in league play.

Maryland, on a roll having won two straight ACC games, will begin conference tournament play on Friday evening against third-seeded Wake Forest. The game will tip off at 9:30 p.m. and the winner will square off against either N.C. State or Florida State on Saturday afternoon at 4:00 p.m.

Sunday's win completes the season sweep against the Cavs for the second time in three years and pushes the series margin to 97-63 in Maryland's favor. The Terrapins have performed well against Virginia on their home court, having captured 10 of the last 11 games in College Park and 58 of 78 overall.

Chris McCray scored a career-high 20 points to lead the Terps in a victory marked by physical play and defense. He went 7-of-16 from the field and made 5-of-6 from the charity stripe and seemed to come up with key baskets at every turn and also had an impressive five steals to lead the Maryland defensive effort.

Nik Caner-Medley and Jamar Smith joined him in double figures with 13 and 10 points, respectively, while Ekene Ibekwe totaled an impressive nine-point, eight-rebound performance. Caner-Medley and John Gilchrist each pulled down eight rebounds - six offensive for Caner-Medley and five for Gilchrist, part of a 52-rebound effort that was their high total in conference play and third-highest overall this season (55 vs. Mt. St. Mary's and 53 vs. UMES).

Smith, the Terps lone senior, made the most of his final regular season game in a Maryland uniform by tallying his tenth double-double of the year. In addition to the 10 points, he dominated on the glass with a team-high 12 rebounds. Smith capped off a superb senior season in style that saw him average 12.2 points per-game and 9 rebounds per game -- one of the ACC's most prolific post players.

Both teams showed their resolve and determination on the boards in the opening five minutes, collecting 10 offensive rebounds combined and creating multiple second-chance opportunities. Caner-Medley got the Terps off to a fast start with the team's first five points and Ekene Ibekwe also had five points and two strong rebounds in the early going. Neither team was able to build on early momentum as the largest lead by each was five points, until J.R. Reynolds' off-balance jumper with the clock winding down gave the Cavaliers a 34-27 halftime lead.

Caner-Medley led the way with nine first-half points and had two of Maryland's three first half triples. He later knocked down his third trey of the game, tying the most long-range jumpers he has ever made in a game.

Defense dominated the first 20 minutes as the Cavs managed only 32.6 percent shooting from the field (12-of-37), while the Terps limped to a 28.6 percent mark on 10-of-35 shooting. Virginia connected on just one-of-nine three-point field goals, while Maryland knocked down three-of-11 from beyond the arc. Chris McCray led the defensive effort with a team-high three steals and two blocks to go along with five points and two assists.

After Virginia tallied the first four points of the second half (all by Reynolds), Maryland ran off eight straight points on jumpers from McCray, Smith and Gilchrist and two free throws by McCray and Smith to cut the margin to 38-35 with 15:18 remaining. The Wahoos were held without a field goal for more than seven minutes, during which the Terrapins ran off an 11-2 streak. Two emphatic dunks from Smith and McCray evened the score at 42 with 11:32 remaining.

Maryland would extend the run to 25-6 on three straight McCray buckets that gave them a 52-44 lead with 7:30 remaining, its largest lead of the game and first since the five-minute mark of the first half. A Reynolds three-point field goal and three-point play by Devin Smith cut the Terrapin lead to 52-50 and an Elton Brown lay-in eventually deadlocked the score at 57 with 4:29 left. The Terps would run off seven straight points that would prove to be an an insurmountable advantage as they hit their free throws down the stretch to secure the important victory.

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