Jan. 27, 2010

Game Notes

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The Terrapins are looking to bounce back as they head to Blacksburg, Va., this week to take on Virginia Tech Thursday, Jan. 28 at 7 p.m. ET. After dropping two close games at home, including a one-point loss to No. 6 Duke, Maryland is itching to get back on top.

Sunday night a season-high 10,000-plus fans watched as the young Terrapins battled with a seasoned No. 6 Blue Devils team. Six of Duke's players were members of last year's squad which competed for the 2009 ACC Tournament Championship title.

Maryland was down by one at the half. The Terps used a 14-2 run in the last 20 minutes of play sparked by two back-to-back three's from senior guard Lori Bjork to take their first lead since scoring the first basket of the game. Duke and Maryland battled back and forth, down to the last second. Sophomore guard Anjale Barrett made the last basket of the night at the buzzer, another three, but it wasn't enough to upset the Blue Devils.

Despite Maryland's last few games being losses, they have showed the tenacity and poise the young Terrapins possess even when put up against big-time opponents. They have battled back against top-10 teams like North Carolina and Duke as well as top-25 contender Miami. All games had the Terps come from behind a 10 or more point deficit.

Virginia Tech recently defeated Miami in Coral Gables, Fla. VT junior Nikki Davis had a career game posting 29 points in the 73-69 win over the Hurricanes. Davis also hit career-high marks in three-pointers, free throws and free-throw attempts. The Hokies made a comeback in the second half after trailing by six at halftime. Prior to ousting Miami, Virginia Tech had fallen to No. 6 Duke by over 30 points.

Tech returns four starters and eight other players from last year's squad while adding five newcomers.

The Terrapins and Hokies have only met 11 times with the all-time series advantage going to Maryland 6-5. The Terps have won the last four games, including a 74-71 overtime victory in 2008. Last year the two teams met in Comcast Center with Maryland taking the win, 96-79. Virginia Tech owns the record when playing in College Park, 3-2, but Maryland has topped VT more times in Blacksburg, 3-2, than on its own home court. The last time the Terps lost at Virginia Tech was Jan. 2, 2005.

Maryland will be taking a quick detour from conference play as they go to Farmville, Va., Sunday, Jan. 31 to take on Longwood. Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m. ET.

The Terps return home to host Georgia Tech on Friday, Feb. 5 at 8:30 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on Comcast Sports Net, Fox Sports South and Fox Sports Florida. Single-game ticket packages are available for purchase online at umterps.com or by calling the Terrapin Ticket Office at 1-800-IM-A-TERP.