Feb. 21, 2009
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Big Upset: Powered by career-high point totals from Greivis Vasquez and Cliff Tucker, as well as Vasquez's triple-double, Maryland knocked off No. 3 North Carolina in an overtime thriller before a sellout crowd Saturday afternoon. Eric Hayes' free throws with 11 seconds remaining in overtime sealed the victory, as Maryland improved to 14-2 at home this season.
Triple-Double: By recording a career-high 35 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists versus North Carolina, Greivis Vasquez registered the third triple-double in Maryland history, the program's first in 22 years and its first involving assists. Derrick Lewis accounted for the program's other two triple-doubles, doing so against UMBC (32 points, 10 rebounds, 10 blocked shots) on Feb. 17, 1987 and versus James Madison (29 points, 23 rebounds, 12 blocks) on Jan. 28, 1987.
Venezuelan Sensation: Guard Greivis Vasquez started Saturday's game on an absolute tear, scoring Maryland's first 16 points of the contest on 7 of 11 shooting en route to his 35-point performance. Making his 62nd consecutive start for the Terps, Vasquez led the team in points, rebounds (11) and assists (10) for the third time this season, and became the first Maryland player to score at least 30 points since James Gist had 31 versus Wake Forest on Feb. 28, 2008. Vasquez now has scored in double figures in 59 of his last 63 contests. His layup with eight seconds left in regulation sent the game to overtime.
500 Assists: By feeding Eric Hayes for a 3-point basket during the first half of Saturday's contest, Greivis Vasquez recorded his 500th career assist, becoming the fifth Maryland player to reach that milestone. The Caracas, Venezuela, native finished the game with 10 helpers and has a team-leading (121), ranking fourth in the ACC in that category entering Saturday's matchup.
Cliff Notes: Two-and-a-half weeks after notching a then-career-high 18 points at North Carolina, sophomore Cliff Tucker enjoyed another stellar performance against the Tar Heels. The Terrapin wingman posted a career-best 22 points and six rebounds, connecting on a team season-high and personal career-high five 3-point field goals. He scored 18 of his points after halftime and provided Maryland a spark off the bench.
As Good As Gold: The Terps improved to 3-0 this season wearing their gold uniforms, having also beaten fellow ACC foes Miami on Jan. 31 and Virginia Tech on Feb. 14.
Undaunted: By beating the Tar Heels, the Terps earned their 20th victory over a top-5 opponent and 32nd win over a top-10 team under Gary Williams. Maryland, which also beat then-No. 5 Michigan State on Nov. 27, has 17 wins over 10-top foes in the last seven years. Williams has led his team to victories over No. 1, No. 2 or No. 3 ranked teams in eight of the last 10 seasons.
Just Win Baby: With its victory over North Carolina, Maryland, now with 17 wins, assured itself a 16th consecutive winning season. Every other team in the ACC has endured a losing season since it last happened to the Terps in 1992-92.
Down But Not Out: The Terps overcame a 16-point second-half deficit to force overtime and ultimately upset North Carolina. It marked the fourth time this season Maryland has earned a victory in a contest in which it trailed after halftime.
Overtime: Maryland improved to 6-0 in overtime games played in Comcast Center, including 2-0 this season.
How About Hayes: Guard Eric Hayes chipped in 17 points off the bench, connecting on three 3-pointers and scoring 12 points in the second half. It marked his 15th double-digit scoring performance of the season.
Bench Scoring: Led by Cliff Tucker (22 points) and Eric Hayes (17) Maryland's bench registered a season-best 41 points (previous high: 35 versus Michigan State). The Terrapin reserves outscored their Tar Heel counterparts by a 41-5 clip.
Block Party: Led by Dino Gregory's career-high-tying three blocks, Maryland swatted a season-high 10 shots Saturday versus North Carolina (previous high: eight blocks versus Michigan State). In addition to Gregory, Greivis Vasquez (three), Landon Milbourne (two), Cliff Tucker and Jerome Burney each contributed to the team's defensive effort by tallying blocks.
Two 20-Point Scorers: Greivis Vasquez (35) and Cliff Tucker (22) became the first pair of Terrapins to both score at least 20 points in the same game since former Terps James Gist and Bambale Osby did so at Syracuse on March 20, 2008.
Free Throw Precision: Maryland entered Saturday's game leading the ACC and ranked sixth in the nation in free throw shooting (77.3 percent) and continued to shoot well from the stripe versus the Tar Heels, hitting 13 of 17 (76.5 percent).
Record Book Updates: Several Maryland players have continued their ascents this season through the Maryland record book. With his performance against North Carolina, Greivis Vasquez passed Evers Burns (1990-93) to claim 22nd place in school history with (1,346) career points. Vasquez also recorded two steals, to tie John Gilchrist (2003-05) and Ernest Graham (1978-81) in 15th place on that career list with 123 steals. Fellow guard Eric Hayes knocked down three 3-pointers against the Tar Heels, enabling him to pass Nik Caner-Medley (2003-06) and claim 10th place all-time with (118) career 3-point field goals.
Coaching Legend: Now with 621 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 414 career victories as coach of his alma mater.
That's Comcastic: The Terps now stand 99-22 (.818) all-time in games played on its current homecourt. Maryland is 105-51 (.673) at home in ACC games under Williams, including 36-16 (.692) in Comcast Center.
Trey Streak Intact: With Greivis Vasquez's falling-down 3-pointer just more than three minutes into the game, the Terps extended their streak of hitting at least one shot from beyond the arc to 346 consecutive games.
