Jan. 10, 2009
Recap |
Final Stats |
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Down But Not Out: Fueled by suffocating pressure defense and timely shooting, particularly by guard Eric Hayes, Maryland overcame a 10-point second-half deficit to claim victory in its Atlantic Coast Conference opener and defeat Georgia Tech for the seventh consecutive time dating back to 2004. The win marked the Terps third this season when trailing at halftime (also versus Michigan and Charlotte).
Late Run: Hayes contributed eight points to spark a 15-2 Maryland run late in the second half. Hayes' 3-pointer with 7:12 remaining - his fourth of the game - gave the Terps their first lead since the game's opening minutes, at 53-52. Maryland ended the game on a 24-9 run to emerge victorious.
250 in College Park: For head coach Gary Williams, Saturday's victory marked his 250th win at home. During his 20 seasons at the helm for the Terps, the veteran coach has a career home record of 250-56 (.817)
For Starters: Maryland has now won six of its last nine ACC openers under Williams.
Turnover Margin: The Terps ranked third in the conference in turnover margin (+4.0) entering Saturday's game, and continued that trend against the Yellow Jackets. Maryland forced 28 Georgia Tech turnovers on Saturday - the most by an opponent this season, as well as the Yellow Jacket's most in 2008-09. The Terps had 12 steals and scored 24 points off turnovers. Maryland's effort produced a season-high turnover margin of +15 from Saturday's contest (previous season high: +9 vs. Bucknell).
How About Hayes: Eric Hayes finished with a season-high 17 points on 4 of 6 shooting from beyond the arc. The junior guard set a season high for 3-point field goals and fell just short of his career mark for treys (five vs. Morgan State on Dec. 6, 2007).
Mighty Mosley: Guard Sean Mosley entered Saturday's game off the bench and provided instant energy and hustle for the Terps. The freshman scored 10 points and tied a career-best with three steals versus the Yellow Jackets. The first two double-figure scoring outputs of his career have come in the last three games.
Venezuelan Sensation: Guard Greivis Vasquez has been one of the conference's most productive players all season, and Saturday's game was no exception. The reigning All-ACC nominee notched 16 points along with six assists. Vasquez, who has started 51 consecutive games for the Terps dating back to the 2007 ACC Tournament, has scored in double figures in 40 of his last 42 games.
Vasquez's Free Throw Streak: Vasquez, who entered Saturday's game leading the ACC in free throw shooting, hit 6-of-6 shots from the line against Georgia Tech to extend his streak of consecutive free throw conversions to 35. The junior guard has not missed a free throw since the game against Michigan on Dec. 3.
Buoyed by Bowie: Guard Adrian Bowie scored all 11 of his points during the second half on Saturday, and he also notched a season high with three steals and tying a season high with six rebounds.
Maryland's No. 1: Forward Landon Milbourne muscled his way to a season-high nine rebounds along with six points on Saturday while constantly being matched against taller opponents.
Free Throw Precision: Maryland entered the week leading the ACC and ranked second in the nation in free throw shooting (79.5 percent) and continued to shoot well from the stripe versus the Yellow Jackets, hitting 17 of 23. The Terps improved to 12-1 when they make more free throws than their opponents.
Getting Defensive: The Terps are now 12-1 when they hold their opponent to less than 50 percent shooting from the field.
Lined-Up for Success: Maryland improved to 8-1 with its current starting lineup of guards Eric Hayes, Adrian Bowie and Greivis Vasquez, forward Landon Milbourne and center Dave Neal. That current starting five represents the third combination used by coach Gary Williams thus far this season, though all three have involved Hayes, Vasquez and Milbourne.
Record Book Update: Several Maryland players have continued their ascents this season through the Maryland record book. With his performance against Georgia Tech, Vasquez passed Obinna Ekezie (1996-99) to claim 32nd place in school history with 1,180 career points. With six helpers against Georgia Tech, Vasquez passed Dutch Morley (1979-82) to move into seventh place all-time in career assists with 461. Hayes' four 3-pointers enabled him to tie Terence Morris (1998-01) for 14th place all-time with 101 career conversions from beyond the arc.
Coaching Legend: Now with 616 career victories overall, Gary Williams remains in sixth place among active NCAA Division I coaches. He stands one win behind Houston coach Tom Penders (whose squad has eight wins thus far this season) for fifth place all-time. Williams, who posted his 400th win at Maryland with an overtime victory over Vermont on Nov. 21, also now has 409 career victories as coach of his alma mater.
That's Comcastic: The Terps now stand 95-21 (.819) all-time in games played on its current homecourt. Maryland is 101-50 (.669) at home in ACC games under Williams, including 32-15 (.681) in Comcast Center.
Trey Streak Intact: With Eric Hayes' first of four 3-pointers near the end of the opening half of play, the Terps extended their streak of hitting at least one shot from beyond the arc to 335 consecutive games.
Series Record: With its win Saturday afternoon, Maryland improved to 35-33 all-time against Georgia Tech, having now won the last seven meetings. The last Yellow Jackets' victory came on Feb. 19, 2004.
