Nov. 21, 2008
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400 and Counting: With his team's overtime victory over Vermont on Friday night, Gary Williams achieved yet another coaching milestone to add to his growing legacy. The Maryland head coach notched his 400th career victory in his 20 seasons at his alma mater. Williams, the winningest coach in Maryland men's basketball history, now has a record of 400-216 as the Terrapins head coach. He is the third coach in the history of the ACC to reach that plateau while a coach in the league.
Venezuelan Sensation: One game after Greivis Vasquez tied his career high with 28 points, the Terps' guard hit a game-tying 3-pointer with six seconds remaining in regulation to send the game to overtime as part of his 26-point performance. Vasquez, who hit his first four shots from the field, also led the team with six points during the extra session. The reigning All-ACC honoree now has scored in double figures in 29 of his last 30 games. He also posted a career-high-tying nine rebounds and five assists.
Working Overtime: Seizing the momentum from Vasquez's big shot, the Terps commenced the overtime period on a 17-0 run, limiting Vermont to two points during the extra session. Maryland improved to 5-0 in overtime games played in Comcast Center and now are 46-47 all-time in overtime games.
Back-to-Back 20s: Vasquez's performance marked the first consecutive 20-point performances by a Maryland player since he did so in three straight games (25 at Duke, 20 vs. Florida State and 25 vs. Virginia Tech) last season.
Neal the Real Deal: Dave Neal played arguably his best game as a Terp, tallying a career-high 10 points along with seven rebounds. Maryland's lone senior hit two big 3-pointers in the final minutes of regulation and also provided strong defense on Vermont forward Marqus Blakely.
Three Ball: Adrian Bowie and Neal had combined for just 13 career 3-pointers entering Friday's game, but both hit big threes on consecutive possessions with less than five minutes remaining in the game to tie the score at 63-all and 66-all, respectively. Neal, who had seven career 3-pointers prior to Friday's game, added another trey in the final minutes to pull Maryland to within two at 71-69.
Three for Three: Maryland now has started 3-0 for the third consecutive season and the sixth time in the last seven seasons (exception: 2-1 start in 2005-06).
Maryland's No. 1: Forward Landon Milbourne provided a strong inside presence for the Terps against Vermont. The junior finished with 13 points and a season-high five rebounds.
Balanced Scoring: Maryland had six players in double figures for the first time since its 2007 NCAA Tournament first-round game vs. Davidson on 3/15/2007.
Nail-biter: The Terps enjoyed an average margin of victory of 26.5 during their opening two games, but Friday's matchup provided a much closer outcome. Maryland and Vermont played in a game marked by 10 lead changes and seven ties, as neither team led by more than nine at any point during regulation.
Emphatic Blocks: Dino Gregory made a statement with a pair of powerful blocks during the first half of Friday's game. The forward finished with three of the five blocks registered by the team during Friday's game.
Cliff Notes: Guard/forward Cliff Tucker continued to serve as an excellent scoring option for the Terps in this, his first full season as a starter. Tucker contributed 10 points against Vermont, tying for the second-highest point total of his career.
How About Hayes: Eric Hayes posted a game-high seven assists, to go along with 11 points, during Friday's game. The junior guard, who finished fourth in the ACC last season in assist-to-turnover ratio, had just one turnover on Friday.
Free-Throw Shooting: After hitting 74 percent of their free throws during the first contests, the Terps improved upon that mark versus the Catamounts. Maryland hits its first 12 from the charity strip and finished 24 of 30 (.800) from the line.
Quick Start: After starting slowly in its first two games, Maryland burst out of the gate against Vermont, hitting 7 of 8 to start the game in claiming an early 18-11 advantage following a layup by guard Adrian Bowie with 14:27 remaining in the first half.
That's Comcastic: The Terps now have won 56 of 60 non-conference games since moving into Comcast Center in 2002. The team now stands 88-20 (.815) all-time in games played on its current homecourt.
Coaching Legend: Now with 607 career victories overall, Williams remains in sixth place among active NCAA Division I coaches. He stands four wins behind Houston coach Tom Penders (whose squad has three wins thus far this season) for fifth place all-time.
Trey Streak Intact: With Milbourne's first 3-pointer of the season just less than three minutes into the contest, the Terps extended their streak of hitting at least one shot from beyond the arc to 323 consecutive games. Maryland finished with a season-high nine 3-pointers.
Series Record: By earning a victory Friday, Maryland improved to 2-0 all-time against Vermont. The Terps won the only previous meeting, 81-63, on Nov. 8, 2006, in Comcast Center.
