Jan. 11, 2009

DURHAM, N.C. - The Maryland women's basketball team is hitting the road this week for its first conference road game, visiting Duke on Monday night at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Terrapins and Blue Devils will square off on ESPN2 at 7:30 p.m.

No. 14/15 Maryland (13-2, 1-0) comes into the game on a five-game winning streak, having dominated their ACC opener on Thursday night against Wake Forest. Maryland jumped out to a 20-0 advantage before the Demon Deacons got on the board, and the Terps never looked back on their way to a 92-65 triumph. Five Terps scored in double figures, led by Kristi Toliver with 22.

In Duke, Maryland will face its stiffest test of the young season. The Blue Devils come into the game ranked fifth in the AP poll, 10th in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches. Duke (13-1, 1-0) also won its conference opener, 73-58 over Miami.

The Blue Devils are led by Chante Black, who is putting up 16.2 points a game and 7.8 rebounds a contest. Riding an 11-game winning streak, the Blue Devils suffered their lone loss to Hartford at the DePaul Invitational.

Thanks to a 13-for-27 performance on Thursday night, Maryland now stands as the top-ranked three-point shooting team in the nation. Overall, the Terps are hitting .422 (92-for-218) from beyond the three-point arc. There, too, they are led by Kristi Toliver, who is shooting .441 - the second-best mark in the conference.

Maryland will have to deal with a hostile environment at Cameron Indoor, but their early season travels should have them well-prepared for the test. The Terps have played just six of their first 15 games at home, and went 6-1 during a seven-game road trip that took them away from Comcast Center for over a month.

Maryland and Duke tip off at 7:30. Coverage will be available nationally on ESPN2. The game will also be aired online by WMUC Sports at www.WMUCSports.com.

-TERPS-