Dec. 27, 2006
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Maryland plays host to Mount St. Mary on Thursday (Dec. 28) at Comcast Center. Tip-off is set for 8:00 p.m. The game can be heard on the Terrapin Sports Radio Network.
• The Terps carry a mark of 11-2 into the contest, while the Mount is 2-9.
• Maryland senior D.J. Strawberry leads the Terps with 15.1 points per game. He is 14th in the Atlantic Coast Conference in scoring. Junior Chris Vann leads the Mount with 13.0 points per game. He has scored in double figures in each of his last 10 outings.
• Thursday's game marks the sixth meeting between the two schools. Maryland leads the all-time series 5-0. The Terps captured a 85-53 victory at Comcast Center in the last meeting on January 4, 2005.
Maryland has displayed a balanced offensive attack through the first 13 games of the season. The Terps are averaging 79.7 points per game this season and have four players averaging double figures.
• Strawberry leads the team with 15.1 points per game. Mike Jones is averaging 13.1 points per game, while James Gist has tallied 11.8 points per game. Ekene Ibekwe is averaging 10.7 points.
• Jones and Strawberry have each been the team's leading scorer five times this season, while Ibekwe has led the Terps in the scoring column on three occasions.
The Terps have made a renewed commitment to defense in 2006-07. Maryland has forced its opponents into an average of 18.4 turnovers per game through the first 13 games of the season.
• The Terps are yielding just 28.2 points in the first half and limiting the opposition to 36 percent shooting from the field. Maryland's opponents are shooting just 27 percent (74-of-277) from three-point range.
• The Terps are averaging 8.2 steals per game and have recorded 94 blocked shots through 13 games.
Maryland recorded a 66-54 victory over American University on December 23. Senior D. J. Strawberry led the Terps with 19 points as the Terrapins shot 44 percent from the field and limited the Eagles to 35 percent (22-of-63) shooting from the floor.
• Strawberry recorded three steals and moved past Chris McCray into ninth place on the school's all-time steals list. Strawberry has recorded 167 steals at Maryland. He tied his season high with six assists against AU.
• Ekene Ibekwe and James Gist each recorded double-doubles for the Terps. Gist recorded his third straight double-double as he posted 13 points and 12 rebounds. Ibekwe scored 11 points and grabbed 13 rebounds.
• Ibekwe's 13 rebounds gave him 610 for his career. He tallied six blocked shots against the Eagles, one off his career high.
• Parrish Brown earned his first career start against American. The senior guard scored two points and grabbed four rebounds in 13 minutes.
• Senior Mike Jones knocked down two three pointers to move past Walt Williams into fifth place on the school's all-time three pointers list. Jones has totalled 156 triples at Maryland. He is shooting 61 percent (21-of-34) from three-point range in his last six games.
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 95-32 (.748) in the last month of the calendar.
• Williams guided the Terps to an unblemished mark of 8-0 during December of 2000.
Eric Hayes has tallied 57 assists through 13 games and is well on his way to recording one of the top assist totals among freshman point guards at Maryland. Hayes needs just 31 more helpers to pass Exree Hipp for eighth on the school's all-time assist totals among freshmen. Fellow freshman Greivis Vasquez has recorded 48 assists through the first 13 games of the season.
• Steve Blake (2000-03) owns the school record with 217 assists as a freshman in 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 ninth in school history with 167 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 177 career rejections at Maryland and has averaged 1.8 blocked shots per game.
• With 13 rebounds against American, Ibekwe moved into 25th place on the school's all-time rebounding list. The senior forward has 610 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 156 three-point field goals and sits in fifth place on the school's all-time list. Jones has hoisted 383 shots from beyond the arc, which is the seventh highest total in school history.
• Gist has totaled 109 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.
