No. 14/16 Maryland Looks To Ring In The New Year With A Fifth Straight Win

Dec. 30, 2005

COLLEGE PARK, Md. -

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Maryland Notables...

Maryland (No. 14 ESPN/USA Today, No. 16 AP) looks for its fifth straight win and its ninth win in the last 10 games in the third of four consecutive non-conference games...The 14th-ranked Terps are at their highest ranking since Nov. 29, 2004 (No. 12)...Maryland is 7-0 at home this season and has won 10 straight games at Comcast Center dating back to last year...The Terps have won 27 consecutive non-conference home games...Maryland's 68-54 win over Delaware State was Gary Williams' 550th career victory. With 343 wins as the Terps' head coach, he is just six wins shy of becoming Maryland's all-time winningest coach.

Nik Caner-Medley has averaged 16.5 points and 7.5 rebounds the last two games, while shooting 13-of-21 from the floor...Chris McCray has scored in double figures in all 10 games he has played this season and 13 straight contests dating back to last year...Ekene Ibekwe has averaged 16.0 points and 9.0 rebounds the last four games, including two straight double-doubles...D.J. Strawberry ranks third in the ACC in assists (4.8 apg) and fourth in steals (2.2 spg)...The Terps have allowed an average of 15.0 points in the first half of the last two games...Maryland is averaging 82.7 points per game, which ranks second in the ACC.

Last time out, junior forward Ekene Ibekwe posted his second consecutive double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds as the Terps allowed a season-low 54 points in a 68-54 win over Delaware State. Nik Caner-Medley added 16 points, six rebounds, four assists and five steals for Maryland, which limited the Hornets to just 13 points (5-20 FG) in the first half. Chris McCray also scored 11 and D.J. Strawberry chipped in 10 points, five rebounds and four assists as the Terps had four players score in double figures for the eighth time in 11 games.

Maryland is 41-10 all-time against VMI dating back to the first meeting in 1911, but the Terps have not faced the Keydets since 1953 when UM joined the Atlantic Coast Conference. VMI and Maryland were fellow members of the Southern Conference from 1923-53. The Terps are 22-3 all-time at home against the Keydets, including a 67-41 win in their last meeting on Feb. 12, 1953 at Ritchie Coliseum. Maryland has won six straight games over VMI dating back to 1950.

Head coach Gary Williams is the Atlantic Coast Conference's second-winningest active coach (5th overall) with a 343-180 (.656) record as the Terps' mentor, while also ranking second among active ACC coaches (4th overall) with 140 conference wins. Williams is the 11th-winningest active coach in NCAA Division I men's basketball with an overall record of 550-308 (.640). He is just six wins shy of becoming Maryland's all-time winningest basketball coach (Charles "Lefty" Driesell, 348-159 from 1969-86).

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