Feb. 14, 2009

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V is for Victory: Bolstered by Landon Milbourne's 23-point effort and the team's most accurate free-throw shooting performance of the season, Maryland never trailed and bested the Hokies during a Valentine's Day showdown Saturday afternoon to even its Atlantic Coast Conference record at 5-5.

Free Throw Precision: Maryland entered Saturday's game leading the ACC and ranked seventh in the nation in free throw shooting (76.8 percent) and continued to shoot extremely well from the stripe versus the Hokies, hitting a season-best 24 of 26 (92.3 percent). The Terps, who at one point converted 21 free throws in a row during the second half, improved to 16-1 when they make more free throws than their opponents.

Maryland's No. 1: Forward Landon Milbourne caught fire early Saturday, hitting four consecutive shots, and continued to carry a hot hand throughout the contest en route to tying his career high with 23 points. Milbourne, who shot 8 of 11 (72.7 percent) from the field, has averaged more than 13 points per game against ACC opponents this season. He now has led or tied for the team lead in scoring on 10 occasions this season.

Emphatic Dunk: Junior Landon Milbourne brought the sell-out crowd to its feet with a powerful left-handed dunk in traffic with 5:19 remaining in the game. The basket stretched Maryland's lead to 10 points at 64-54.

Tenacious D: Virginia Tech's leading trio of scorers (guards Malcolm Delaney and A.D. Vassallo and forward Jeff Allen) entered Saturday's game averaging a combined 52 points per game, but the Maryland defense held that three-some below its usual output. Delaney (16 points), Vassallo (20) and Allen (8) combined for just 44 points against the Terps.

Dialing Long Distance: The Terps enjoyed one of their better games of the season from behind the arc Saturday, connecting on seven 3-pointers - which ties for the team's most during conference play this season. Greivis Vasquez led the way with three 3-pointers and Eric Hayes added two conversions.

As Good As Gold: The Terps improved to 2-0 this season wearing their gold uniforms, having also beaten fellow ACC foe Miami on Jan. 31.

Venezuelan Sensation: As has been the case all season, guard Greivis Vasquez played an integral role in Maryland's success Saturday, notching 17 points, including three 3-pointers. Making his 60th consecutive start for the Terps, Vasquez now has scored in double figures in 57 of his last 61 contests.

Quick Hands: Guard Sean Mosley tied his career high by recording three steals against the Hokies. The freshman from Baltimore also contributed all but one of his nine points during the second half.

Ball Security: Maryland continued to take excellent care of the basketball against Virginia Tech, committing just 11 turnovers. During its last three homes games, the Terps have committed an average of just 9.0 turnovers per game.

Assist/Turnover Ratio: The Terps ranked third in the ACC in assist/turnover ratio (1.1) entering Saturday's game and continued to perform well in that department against Virginia Tech. Maryland tallied 15 assists while committing just 11 turnovers (1.4). The Terps improved to 15-4 when they commit fewer turnovers than their opponent.

Record Book Updates: Several Maryland players have continued their ascents this season through the Maryland record book. With his performance against Virginia Tech, Greivis Vasquez passed Joe Smith (1994-95 to claim 24th place in school history with 1,299 career points. The guard from Caracas, Venezuela, also now ranks seventh all-time in 3-point field goals made, as he hit three shots from behind the arc versus the Hokies to pass Sarunas Jasikevicius (1995-98), having accumulated 137career treys. Fellow junior Eric Hayes's team-high five assists Saturday enabled him to pass Ernest Graham (1978-81) to claim 15th place in school history with 350 career helpers.

Coaching Legend: Now with 620 career victories overall, Gary Williams remains in sixth place among active NCAA Division I coaches. He stands three wins behind Houston coach Tom Penders 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 413 career victories as coach of his alma mater.

That's Comcastic: The Terps now stand 98-22 (.817) all-time in games played on its current homecourt. Maryland is 104-51 (.671) at home in ACC games under Williams, including 35-16 (.686) in Comcast Center.

Trey Streak Intact: With Greivis Vasquez's first 3-pointer of the contest with 15:14 remaining in the first half, the Terps extended their streak of hitting at least one shot from beyond the arc to 344 consecutive games.

Series Record: By beating Virginia Tech Saturday, Maryland improved to 26-8 all-time versus the Hokies, including 17-3 at home.