Jan. 15, 2005

Recap |  Box Score |  Quotes

• The Maryland basketball team received a career performance from Nik Caner-Medley and came from behind to defeat Temple 80-69 Saturday at Comcast Center in a matchup of two legendary coaches. The Terrapins got back in the win column as they fought back from as many as six points down in the second half to outlast the gritty Owls.

• Under Gary Williams, Maryland is now 109-2 against non-conference foes on their home floor. Today's win increases its current streak in those games to 19 in a row. Maryland remains undefeated in eight home contests this season .

• Two of college basketball's most legendary coaches - Temple's John Chaney and Maryland's Williams - squared off for the fourth time since 1998. The collegiate hardwood icons brought 1245 combined wins into Saturday's tilt and Williams has now won three of four against the longtime Temple head man.

• Caner-Medley shattered his previous career-high with 35 points on 14-of-21 shooting, the highest point total for a Terrapin since Joe Smith racked up 40 points in 1995. It was the first 30-plus point performance for a Terrapin since John Gilchrist scored 33 against NC State in the 2004 ACC Tournament. Caner-Medley has been a workhorse in the last five games, averaging 20.6 points per game in that span and contributing key buckets at opportune stages. The junior small forward also had a game-high nine rebounds and chipped in a pair of assists and steals.

• Sophomore Mike Jones had his biggest game of the season, finishing with 21 points and consistent free-throw shooting down the stretch. He drilled 4-of-6 from behind the arc - a career-high - and sank 7-of-8 free throws in only 19 minutes of action. He energized the home crowd with three consecutive triples midway through the second half that helped turn a six-point Maryland deficit into a three-point cushion.

• Will Bowers continued to emerge as a reliable bench player who can provide a force in the post. He pulled down five rebounds and had one of the biggest buckets of the game, when he found an opening in the lane and soared high above the rim to stuff home a missed three-pointer that gave Maryland a 64-62 lead it would not relinquish.

• All five Owl starters reached double figures in scoring. Dustin Salisbery led the way with 16 points and 8 rebounds, while Mark Tyndale contributed 15 points. Point guard Mardy Collins had 12 points and a career-high 11 assists., to go along with 3 steals. Antywane Robinson had 11 points, seven rebounds and needed only 20 minutes to register a career-high four blocks. Temple has hung tough in three meetings with ACC powerhouses, but has fallen to Wake Forest, Duke and Maryland by a combined 22 points.

• Known for their matchup zone defense, Temple's offense hit 7-of-8 field goals to open the game and grabbed a 17-8 lead just over five minutes into the contest. Mark Tyndale scored eight points in the opening eight minutes, while Caner-Medley's follow slam of a Bowers miss gave him eight points and enabled the Terps to close to 21-17 with 12:30 remaining.

• Jones entered the lineup with 12:28 remaining and scored six points in three minutes to key an 8-0 Terrapin spurt that gave Maryland a 25-23 advantage.

• Caner-Medley continued his recent aggressive play, leading the Terps with 12 first-half points, seven rebounds (five on the offensive glass) and two assists. Jones provided a strong option off the bench for Maryland, contributing eight points and two rebounds in just seven minutes.

• After Temple hit 7-of-8 field goals to start the half, Maryland's defense tightened, as the Owls mustered only six field goals in 22 attempts (27 percent) to close the half. Tyndale led Temple with 10 first-half points, while Mardy Collins had six points and six assists. Marshall needed only the opening 20 minutes to register a career-high four blocks. 11 of Maryland's 34 points came on second-chance opportunities and the lead changed hands five times.

• Caner-Medley didn't slow down out of the second-half gates, scoring the Terps' first 12 points, including a crowd-pleasing one-handed throwdown of a Gilchrist miss. The junior's lay-in with 15:12 remaining gave him 20 points for the contest and he drove the baseline for a lay-in with 12:07 remaining that broke his previous career-high of 23 points (vs. George Mason, 11/25/03)