Lettere d'Italia: Day 9
8/25/2004 8:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Aug. 25, 2004
Day Nine Photo Gallery CERNOBBIO, Italy - Italian Fact of the Day: Lake Como, at the foot of the Alps Mountain Range, forms part of the border between the countries of Italy and Switzerland. Though not very wide in most places, Como is Italy's deepest lake - as deep at 1,200 feet in some areas. The surrounding region is very fashionable, as American actors George Clooney, Sylvester Stallone and actress Julia Roberts have made vacation homes here. The Terrapins hit the home stretch of their Italian Tour on Wednesday, departing from the canal city of Venice after breakfast and arriving in Cernobbio, on the shores of picturesque Lake Como, located in one of the northernmost parts of Italy. The lake in itself is not very wide, but provides spectacular views as the surrounding mountain towns rise all around it. Across the lake is the town of Chiasso, marking Switzerland's southern border with Italy along the lake. The Terps' team hotel is practically on the lake shore, and the team and travel party spent portions of the early afternoon walking the scenic landscape and exploring the lake town. A simple glance out of the hotel lobby is almost enough to leave one awestruck. A rumor that has surrounded the Maryland basketball team for the last few years was put to rest tonight as the Terrapins donned their alternate road uniforms - the black ones! - for the first time in the Gary Williams Era (click on the link to the Day Nine Photo Gallery for an excusive look). Many wondered if they existed, and the 110 traveling Terp fans and the Italian basketball enthusiasts were treated to the rare sight in Desio, Italy. In addition to the Terps' rarely-used threads, the crowd on hand witnessed a physical, exciting, intense basketball game from wire-to-wire. It was a game of runs and comebacks, filled with excitement, emotion and heroics. It was the type of contest you would expect from an elite university program and a playoff team from Italy's top professional (A1) division. The Terps' determination was once again on full display as they traded runs with Biella over the course of the 40 minutes. Host town Desio, home of the C1 division Desio team, packed the noisy and sweltering Pallancestro Aurora neutral court with rabid fans. Despite having SEVEN players in double-figures, the Terps' fourth-quarter rally came up just short as they moved to 3-1 on their Italian Tour with one more game to play. Terp rising junior Nik Caner-Medley led the Terps with 16 points, and sophomore Ekene Ibekwe was brilliant with 15 and a game-high 13 rebounds. Ibekwe, who once again battled throughout the fourth quarter despite foul trouble, at one point dove into a gym door and outside while hustling to recover a loose ball (if in Venice, he would have splashed down into the canal). Back and forth went the see-saw battle. Whenever one team would get a few points behind, the squad would put together a six or eight point run to climb back into the game. With Biella looking to put the game away, holding an 80-70 advantage with just over eight minutes to play, the Terps scratched their way back into the contest. Ibekwe, Mike Jones (12 points), Chris McCray (10 points) and D.J. Strawberry (11 points) led the late charge for the Terps, who faced a deficit of eight (96-88) at the two-minute mark in the fourth quarter. From there the Terps' pressure defense led to an Ibekwe dunk, a Jones layup and a Caner-Medley slam. A pair of Biella free throw's by former Nebraska player Cookie Belcher gave the Italian team the lead at 98-96, but a Maryland steal resulted in a pair of game-tying free throws by McCray with 22 seconds to play. Belcher was fouled and made two shots on the ensuing Biella possession, but the Terps could not convert after yet another steal and the Italians held on for the 100-98 victory. Biella has several players that attended American universities, such as Belcher (24 points) and Mississippi State's Mario Austin (14 points). The star of the night, however, was Biella's Guilherme Giovannoni, whose clutch 3-pointers down the stretch were the only cure for the Terrapins' gritty comeback. The Terps check out the town of Como tomorrow, which is sure to provide picturesque views from the lakefront, before playing the last game of the tour when they take on Varese. Another member of Italy's A1 division, the Roosters of Varese recently acquired former Terp national champion Ryan "Sleepy" Randle. Be sure to log on to umterps.com and get all the latest news from Italia! A domani! Ciao!
