Feb. 8, 2005

Recap |  Box Score

• The Maryland basketball team welcomed ACC newcomer Virginia Tech to College Park on Tuesday evening for the first time in more than 15 years, capturing a vital 86-71 victory over the Hokies to improve its overall mark to 14-7 and evening its conference record at 5-5 entering the home stretch. The win snapped a two-game losing streak for Maryland, which had suffered road defeats to Clemson and Miami last week.

• The Terps and Hokies renewed a series that was dormant for 14 years. Maryland continued its supremacy in the matchup, having won 24 of 28 contests dating to the 1925-26 season. Maryland has won the last seven meetings, dating all the way back to Jan. 12, 1953. Maryland has won 11 of 12 games this season in the friendly confines of the Comcast Center.

• John Gilchrist had his most productive offensive output of the new year, scoring 19 points and dishing out a career-high 10 assists, his third double-double of the season and career. He was perfect in seven attempts at the free-throw line and added five rebounds, a pair of steals and a blocked shot. It was his best performance since he poured in 28 points against Liberty on Dec. 28. His other double-double performances came earlier this season against Memphis (16 points, 10 rebounds) and Florida State (21 points, 13 rebounds).

• Nik Caner-Medley led all Terp scorers with 21 points, the eighth time this season he has collected more than 20 points and tenth game in which he has led the team in the scoring column. He shot 7-of-11 from the field and 6-of-7 from the charity stripe, and tied for team-high in rebounds with seven.

• Chris McCray had a strong first-half, helping the Terps build a 12-point lead at the break. He finished with 16 points (13 in the opening frame) and a season-high six assists (11 in his last two games) and was instrumental in encouraging crowd involvement early in the game.

• Mike Jones provided valuable minutes off the bench in the second half, registering seven straight points in a two-minute span midway through the second half to help Maryland maintain a double-digit cushion down the stretch. He was successful on all six field goal attempts, including an acrobatic one-handed lay-in that cemented the Terrapin victory with under two minutes remaining. He totaled 13 points in just 11 minutes. Coupled with a strong performance last time out at Miami, Jones has scored 27 points in two games against ACC newcomers.

• Freshman forward James Gist earned his first collegiate start and responded with a solid effort, scoring eight points and grabbing seven rebounds in 27 minutes of action.

• Senior forward Mike Grinnon saw extended playing time, particularly in the first half when he spelled Gist early and provided an aggressive boost on the defensive end. He played a career-high 12 minutes. Center Will Bowers was a force in the post, scoring six points, securing four rebounds (all in the first half) and swatting away a Hokie shot attempt in the opening frame.

• Maryland shot 52.5 percent from the field (31-of-59), its third most efficient performance of the season (55.1 percent against UNC-Asheville and 54.2 percent against Liberty) and best against a conference foe. The 57.1 percent first-half performance (16-of-28) was the team's best opening frame all season and second-best single half performance (64.3 percent vs. Jackson State). Maryland also sank 19-of-21 free throws, its second best effort from the charity stripe this season (13-of-13 against UNC-Asheville).

• Carlos Dixon led four Hokies in double figures, with 22 points on 9-of-15 shooting, including 4-of-5 from three-point territory. He also had a team-high nine rebounds. Zabian Dowdell contributed 17 points, Coleman Collins had 14 (12 in the second half) and Jamon Gordon finished with 10 points. Virginia Tech committed as many turnovers as assists (18).

• After Dowdell's four-point play gave the Hokies an early 9-3 lead, Maryland responded with an 11-2 run in two-and-a-half minutes, during which McCray scored six points. Dowdell scored half of Tech's first 14 points, while McCray dropped 11 of Maryland's first 16 points in under five minutes. The teams motored up and down the court, but managed to combine for only nine points in the next four minutes, with Maryland holding a 20-17 edge.

• After the Hokies closed the gap to a single point at 22-21, Maryland reeled off 11 straight points to take a double-digit lead with five minutes remaining. Caner-Medley knocked down a three-pointer from the right baseline, Grinnon dove to secure a loose ball in the Maryland defensive half and the possession ended with a monsterous two-handed dunk by Gist, the first of three straight jams by the Terps. Gilchrist heaved a full-court pass to a streaking McCray who glided in for a dunk and Gist followed seconds later with a thunderous one-handed jam that wowed the crowd.

• The Terps benefited from a friendly rim in the first half, as Gist tipped in a missed free throw by Caner-Medley and Sterling Ledbetter saw a free throw attempt bounce high off the back iron and through the hoop. As the clock wound down, McCray drove the lane, but was stripped of the ball. Caner-Medley corralled it in mid-air and released a short jump hook with less than one second remaining that found the bottom of the net, as Maryland took a 42-30 lead into the locker room.

• McCray paced the Terps with 13 first-half points on 5-of-9 shooting and added three assists and a pair of steals. Caner-Medley dropped 11 points missing only one field goal in six attempts. Gilchrist pitched in seven points and five assists, while Gist totaled six points, five rebounds and two blocks. As a team, Maryland shot better than 57 percent from the floor (16-of-28). Carlos Dixon kept the Hokies within striking distance by draining five of eight shots, including three from behind the arc for a 13-point first half.

• The Hokies scored eight straight points to open the second half, pulling to within 42-38 in less than two minutes of play. Deron Washington had two dunks and Maryland committed three miscues in the opening stretch. But Gilchrist and McCray nailed back-to-back three-pointers to recapture Maryland's double-digit advantage. After Jones' individual spurt gave Maryland a 66-56 lead, the teams traded baskets down the stretch and Virginia Tech never got closer than eight points the rest of the way.