Dec. 20, 2007

Complete Release in PDF Format

The University of Maryland (6-5, 0-1 ACC) takes on American University (6-5) Saturday (December 22) at Comcast Center. Tipoff between the Terps and Eagles is set for 4:00 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on the Terrapin Sports Radio Network and will be televised by Comcast SportsNet.
• Saturday's game will be the 16th meeting between the two schools. The Terrapins lead the all-time series, 14-1. Maryland has won each of the last 14 meetings after losing the first meeting in the series during the 1926-27 season.
• The Terps are 63-38 (.624) all-time against opponents from the Patriot League, including a 72-51 victory over Lehigh earlier this season.
• Maryland's Gary Williams earned his first collegiate head coaching position at American University (1978-82), where he led the Eagles to back-to-back 20-win seasons, two postseason appearances and the 1981 East Coast Conference Championship. American won a school-record 24 games under Williams in 1981.

Head coach Gary Williams is the eighth-winningest active head coach in NCAA Division I men's basketball with an overall record of 591-333 (.642). He ranks second among active ACC coaches with 384 wins at Maryland (3rd overall) and also ranks second among active league coaches with 157 ACC victories. Williams is the Terps' all-time winningest coach.
• Williams is just nine wins shy of 600 career victories. Only five active head coaches in Division I have 600 career wins.

Defense has been a constant for the Terrapins this season. Maryland is third in the ACC and 24th in the nation in field goal percentage defense, as the Terrapins have limited their opponents to just 38 percent shooting from the field.
• Maryland is second in the league and tenth in the nation in blocked shots. The Terps average 6.64 blocked shots per game. Bambale Osby is third in the league with 2.30 blocks per game, while James Gist is fifth in the ACC with 2.10 blocks per contest.
• The Terrapins are fourth in the ACC in three-point field goal percentage defense. Maryland has limited its opponents to 30 percent shooting from beyond the arc.

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 98-35 (.746) in the last month of the calendar.
• Williams guided the Terps to an unblemished mark of 8-0 during December of 2000.

Senior James Gist has joined elite company in the storied history of Maryland Basketball:
• With 18 points against Morgan State (Dec. 6), Gist became the 46th player in school history to reach 1,000 career points.
• His scoring average has increased each season, as he is averaging a career-best 13.8 points per game this year.
• With his 599 career rebounds, Gist is just the 22nd player in school history to tally 1,000 points and 500 rebounds.
• Gist is eighth on Maryland's all-time blocked shots list with 175 rejections.
• He has scored in double figures in seven games this year and has two double-doubles (Hampton and Boston College).
• The Silver Spring native was named a preseason Wooden Award candidate.
• Gist spend the summer as a member of the USA's Pan Am Games team which earned a fifth-place finish in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Sophomore guard Eric Hayes has built on an impressive freshman season and has continued his development for the Terrapins:
• Hayes has scored in double figures in seven of Maryland's 11 games this season.
• He is second on the team with 61 assists and is second on the squad with 16 steals.
• Hayes is fourth in the ACC in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.44).
• He scored a then-career high 18 points against Illinois before pouring in 19 points against Morgan State.
• He is second on the team in free throw shooting. Hayes has connected on 83 percent (25 of 30) of his attempts from the foul line.

Sophomore guard Greivis Vasquez enjoyed a breakout season as a freshman in 2006-07 and has improved in 2007-08:
• Vasquez averages a team-high 15.5 points per game. As a freshman he scored 9.8 points per game.
• He has topped his career high twice this season. He set a new career high with 21 points against Hampton before scoring 22 against Lehigh. He has scored in double digits in nine of 11 games this year.
• Vasquez leads the team with 68 assists and has dished out at least five assists in six games this year. He has recorded 10 or more assists three times (Northeastern, Illinois and Morgan State).
• He has improved his rebounding from 3.3 per game as a freshman to 5.2 this season.
• Vasquez is averaging a team-high 36.3 minutes per game.
• Vasquez spent the summer as a member of the Venezuelan National team which competed in the FIBA Americas Championships in Las Vegas during August.
• Named to the 2008 Cousy Award Preseason List.

Senior Bambale Osby has made a big impact for the Terps at both ends of the floor this season:
• Osby is averaging 11.4 points per game this year after averaging just 5.8 points as a junior.
• He has scored in double figures seven times this season after only breaking double figures in eight games last year.
• Osby leads the team with 23 blocked shots.
• Osby has increased his production on the glass as he is averaging 6.5 rebounds per contest after pulling down 3.9 board per game last year.

After playing in just 16 of 34 games as a freshman, Landon Milbourne spent the summer in College Park working on his game and the results have followed:
• Milbourne is averaging 7.8 points per game this season after averaging 1.0 as a freshman. His rebounding has jumped from 0.8 to 4.5 per game.
• He has scored in double figures in each of the last four games and has tied his career high with 11 points in each of the last three games.
• Milbourne has made his mark on defense as well, as he is third on the team with eight blocked shots and has added seven steals for the season.

Freshman Braxton Dupree was inserted into Maryland's starting lineup against Lehigh and has responded with increased production:
• After scoring nine points in his first five games, Dupree has averaged 5.8 points and 3.2 rebounds in his last six games as a starter.
• Dupree scored a season-high 14 points in his first game as a starter against Lehigh.
• He recorded a season-high six rebounds against Morgan State.
• In his second start against Illinois, Dupree scored 10 points.

Maryland has been a dominant home team over the years.
• The Terps are 784-278 (.738) all-time at home dating back to 1923-24.
• Maryland went 17-2 (89.5%) at home last season and is 78-16 (.830) all-time at Comcast Center. The Terps have won 39 of their last 45 at home dating back to 2003-04.
• The Terps are 233-51 (.823) at home under Gary Williams (155-35 at Cole Field House).
• Maryland is 131-21 (.871) at home the last 10 seasons (since 1998-99).
• Maryland has won 44 of its last 46 regular season non-conference games at Comcast Center under Williams.
• The Terps are 131-3 (.985) in regular season 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.