Feb. 28, 2006
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
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Maryland (16-11, 6-8 ACC) looks to send the senior class out on a winning note when the Terps host Miami on Senior Night Wednesday at 9 p.m. in the their final home game.
Maryland lost at No. 21 North Carolina on Sunday, 81-57. Ekene Ibekwe led the Terps with 12 points, while Mike Jones added 11 points and Nik Caner-Medley scored 10. Maryland had 10 blocks in the game and forced the Tar Heels into 17 turnovers.
The Terps are led by Nik Caner-Medley (15.3 ppg, 6.3 rpg), who is averaging 16.1 points and 6.7 rebounds in ACC play. Junior point guard D.J. Strawberry (10.4 ppg, 4.0 apg) directs the Maryland attack, while junior forward Ekene Ibekwe (11.0 ppg, 6.6 rpg) and sophomore center James Gist (8.6 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 1.4 bpg) man the paint. Junior shooting guard Mike Jones (9.9 ppg, 3.2 rpg), who is averaging 13.6 points the last 10 games as a starter, rounds out the Terps' starting five.
Miami (15-12, 7-7 ACC) enters the contest having lost four of its last five games, but did defeat Virginia Tech, 70-59, in its last game on Feb. 22. Junior guard Guillermo Diaz had a season-high 29 points to lead the Hurricanes. Diaz leads Miami in scoring with 17.3 ppg and has hit 19-of-28 shots (67.9%) the last two games. Senior guard Robert Hite is averaging 16.3 ppg and has connected on a team-best 64 3-pointers, while junior forward Anthony King is third in the ACC with 1.8 blocks per game.
Maryland Notables...
Tonight marks the final home game for seniors Sterling Ledbetter, Travis Garrison and Nik Caner-Medley. The three have played a combined 291 games in a Terps' uniform...The latest RPI lists the Terps's schedule as the 15th toughest in the country...Caner-Medley needs just three points to become the 15th Terp with 1,500 career points...Garrison is one rebound shy of becoming the 24th Terp with 600 for his career...Ekene Ibekwe is 10 rebounds shy of 500 for his career, which would mark the third Terp to reach the milestone this season.
Maryland trails the all-time series with Miami, 6-4, dating back to the first meeting in 1949. The Hurricanes won the first meeting this season, 84-70, on Jan. 7 in Coral Gables. Maryland did not face the Hurricanes from 1970 to 2005, when Miami became a member of the ACC. The Canes have never played in College Park.
Head coach Gary Williams is the 11th-winningest active coach in NCAA Division I men's basketball with an overall record of 557-317 (.637). He ranks second among active ACC coaches with 350 wins at Maryland (4th overall) and also ranks second among active league coaches (3rd overall) with 145 ACC victories. Williams is the Terps' all-time winningest coach.
