Feb. 14, 2009
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The No. 11/9 University of Maryland women's basketball team will step out of conference play for the final time this regular season when it welcomes the Big East's Rutgers Scarlet Knights to the Comcast Center on Sunday. The game, which is slated for a 1 p.m. tip-off, will be televised nationally on ESPN2 and can be heard live on the Terrapin Sports Radio Network.
Maryland (20-4, 8-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) has won four straight and seven of its last eight games, going 3-1 versus ranked teams in that stretch. Guard/forward Marissa Coleman (season-high 28 pts) & point guard Kristi Toliver (25 pts) each scored at least 25 pts in the same game for the first time in their Maryland careers in leading the Terps to a 16-point win over No. 17/15 Virginia on Thursday.
Coleman became the second leading scorer in the history of Maryland hoops on Thursday, surpassing Vicky Bullett (1986-89) and now standing with 1,931 career points. She trails only former teammate Crystal Langhorne (2005-08; 2,247 pts) and is just 69 points shy of the 2,000-point mark, where she can join Langhorne as the only Terrapins - men's or women's - with 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in a career.
With her pair of 3-pointers versus Virginia, Toliver jumped into third place on the ACC's all-time 3-pointers made list. Currently at 270 career treys, one more than third place Chioma Nnamaka (Georgia Tech), Toliver owns the most career 3-pointers among active NCAA players.
Maryland has won at least 20 games in each of the last five seasons, reaching the plateau with its victory over the Cavaliers. The Terrapins have won their last 31 games at the Comcast Center, dating back to the beginning of last season
Rutgers (14-9, 5-6 Big East) has won two of its last three games with a pair of overtime contests (1-1) versus Big East foes Georgetown (60-47 win) and Pittsburgh (61-53 loss). The Terps fell to the Panthers in Pittsburgh, 86-57, on Dec. 7.
Scarlet Knights junior guard Epiphanny Prince leads RU in scoring with 20.5 points per game. She shoots 42.5 percent from the floor and 30.7 percent from 3-point range. Senior center Kia Vaughn paces the Scarlet Knights in rebounding (7.0 rpg) and blocks (1.9 bpg).
Maryland leads the Rutgers series, 18-11, however the Scarlet Knights have won the last three meetings, including last season's 68-60 win in New Jersey. That game was the first contest between the two foes since 1998.
