Jan. 27, 2006
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
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Maryland (No.18 AP, No. 19 ESPN/USA Today) hits the road again for its final non-conference game of the season at Temple on Saturday at 2 p.m. It is the second of four straight national TV games for the Terps (ESPN2), who host No. 25 North Carolina on Thursday at 7 p.m. (ESPN). Maryland has won three straight ACC games and is 10-2 in non-conference action this season. .
The Terps are coming off an 86-74 win at Georgia Tech on Wednesday night, while Temple is fresh off an 81-79 victory over its A-10 nemesis, Xavier.
Maryland, which leads the ACC and ranks 10th nationally in scoring with 82.6 ppg, will be led by senior forward Nik Caner-Medley (14.8 ppg, 6.2 rpg), who has averaged 28.0 points and 8.5 rebounds the last two games. Junior point guard D.J. Strawberry (10.3 ppg, 4.4 apg) directs the Maryland attack, while junior forward Ekene Ibekwe (11.4 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 1.4 bpg) and sophomore center James Gist (8.9 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 1.4 bpg) man the paint. Junior shooting guard Mike Jones (8.0 ppg) rounds out the Terps' starting five.
Temple (10-7, 4-2 A-10) is led by senior guard Mardy Collins (15.5 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 3.3 apg), who had 28 points, seven rebounds and five assists in the Owls' win over Xavier, and senior forward Antywane Robinson (12.4 ppg, 4.7 rpg).
Maryland Notables...
Head coach Gary Williams has reached another career milestone. With 348 career wins at Maryland, Williams has tied Charles "Lefty" Driesell (1969-86) as the Terps' all-time winningest basketball coach. He is just one victory shy of claiming sole possession of first place on the Maryland all-time wins list. Williams also has 143 career ACC victories, which ranks third on the ACC career wins list.
Maryland leads the all-time series with Temple 4-3 dating back to the first meeting in 1948. The Terps have won two straight over the Owls and four of the last five meetings. Last year, Maryland got a career-best 35 points from Nik Caner-Medley in an 80-69 win over Temple at Comcast Center. Terps head coach Gary Williams and Temple Hall of Fame coach John Chaney have a combined 1,289 career collegiate wins and have made a combined 31 NCAA Tournament appearances. (more series info on page 3)
Senior forward Nik Caner-Medley is averaging 20.5 points and 6.3 rebounds the last six games, and has led the Terps in scoring in six of the last nine contests. He had a season-best 33 points (15-16 FT) in Maryland's 86-74 win at Georgia Tech Wednesday night...Maryland is 12-0 when scoring at least 80 points...The Terps lead the ACC with 5.8 blocks per game.
Head coach Gary Williams is the 11th-winningest active coach in NCAA Division I men's basketball with an overall record of 555-310 (.642). He ranks second among active ACC coaches with 348 wins at Maryland (4th overall) and also ranks second (3rd overall) among active league coaches with 143 ACC victories.
