Dec. 21, 2006

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Maryland plays host to American University on Saturday (Dec. 23) at Comcast Center. Tip-off is set for 1:00 p.m. The game can be heard on the Terrapin Sports Radio Network and will be televised locally on Comcast SportsNet.
• The Terps carry a mark of 10-2 into the contest, while American is 7-3.
• Maryland senior D.J. Strawberry leads the Terps with 14.8 points per game. He is 14th in the Atlantic Coast Conference in scoring. Senior Andre Ingram leads the Eagles attack. Ingram averages 13.2 points per game, while senior Arvydas Eitutavicius has poured in 10.8 per contest.
• Saturday's game marks the 15th meeting between the two schools. Maryland leads the all-time series 13-1.

Maryland has displayed a balanced offensive attack through 12 games this season. The Terps are averaging 80.8 points per game this season and have four players averaging double figures.
• Strawberry leads the team with 14.8 points per game. Mike Jones is averaging 13.7 points per game, while James Gist has tallied 11.7 points per game. Ekene Ibekwe is averaging 10.6 points.
• Ibekwe, Jones and Strawberry have each been the team's leading scorer at least three times this season.

The Terps have made a renewed commitment to defense in 2006-07. Maryland has forced its opponents into an average of 18.7 turnovers per game through the first 12 games of the season.
• The Terps are yielding just 28.0 points in the first half and limiting the opposition to 36 percent shooting from the field. Maryland's opponents are shooting just 27 percent (70-of-262) from three-point range.
• The Terps are averaging 8.4 steals per game and have recorded 85 blocked shots through 12 games.

Maryland posted a 101-50 victory over the University of Missouri-Kansas City on December 13. A number of team and individual records fell in the victory over the Kangaroos.
• Mike Jones scored a career high with 27 points in the win. The senior guard set a new school record with nine three-pointers in the win. His 13 three-point attempts tied the school record set by Danny Miller in 2000.
• Senior D.J. Strawberry scored a career-high 20 points in the win. Strawberry eclipsed his previous high of 19, which he had tallied four times during his career.
• The Terps set school records for made three-pointers (17) and three-point attempts (37) against the Kangaroos.
• Maryland topped the 100-point plateau for the second time this season. The Terps have reached 100 points 104 times in the program's history.
• The 51-point margin of victory was the 17th highest margin in school history.
• The 101-50 win marked the first time the Terrapins doubled their opponents scoring output since an 87-38 victory over Maryland-Eastern Shore on January 6, 2004.

The Terrapins are in the middle of a seven-game homestand that runs from December 13 to January 13. Maryland will play its final five non-conference games before hosting two Atlantic Coast Conference games against Miami (Jan. 10) and Clemson (Jan. 13). It is the longest homestand for the Terps since the 1976-77 season.

Despite preparing for final examinations and participating in prestigious regular season tournaments over the years, Maryland has excelled during the month of December under Gary Williams. His Terrapins have posted an all-time record of 94-32 (.746) in the last month of the calendar.
• Williams guided the Terps to an unblemished mark of 8-0 during December of 2000.

Four Terrapins are rapidly climbing the school's all-time record book. Seniors D.J. Strawberry, Ekene Ibekwe, and Mike Jones have all made their mark in the Terrapin annals, along with junior James Gist:
• Strawberry ranks 10th in school history with 164 career steals. He was named Honorable Mention All-ACC Defensive Team in 2005-06.
• Ibekwe sits in seventh place on the school's all-time blocked shots list. The Carson, Calif., native has 171 career rejections at Maryland and has averaged 1.8 blocked shots per game.
• With six rebounds against Fordham, Ibekwe moved into 27th place on the school's all-time rebounding list. The senior forward has 597 career rebounds.
• Senior Mike Jones has distinguished himself as one of the best shooters in the ACC and has rapidly moved up the school's all-time three pointers list. Jones has totaled 154 three-point field goals and sits in fifth place on the school's all-time list. Jones has hoisted 381 shots from beyond the arc, which is the seventh highest total in school history.
• Gist has totaled 107 blocked shots during his three seasons in College Park. He is 11th on the school's all-time list and has averaged 1.4 blocks per game.

Eric Hayes has tallied 53 assists through 12 games and is well on his way to recording one of the top assist totals among freshman point guards at Maryland. Hayes needs just 35 more helpers to pass Exree Hipp for eighth on the school's all-time assist totals among freshmen. Fellow freshman Greivis Vasquez has recorded 45 assists through the first 12 games of the season.
• Steve Blake (2000-03) owns the school record with 217 assists as a freshman in 2000.

Maryland has been a dominant home team over the years.
• The Terps are 768-274 (.736) all-time at home dating back to 1923-24.
• Maryland went 14-3 (82.3%) at home last season and is 62-12 (.826) all-time at Comcast Center. The Terps have won 24 of their last 27 at home dating back to 2003-04.
• The Terps are 217-47 (.819) at home under Gary Williams (155-35 at Cole Field House).
• Maryland is 128-19 (.867) at home the last ten seasons (since 1997-98).
•Maryland has won 34 of its last 35 non-conference games at Comcast Center under Williams.
• The Terps are 124-2 (.983) in non-conference home games under Williams.
• Maryland was 476-151 in 47 seasons at Cole Field House; 169-90 in 24 seasons at Ritchie Coliseum and 61-21 in eight seasons at The Gymnasium.