Maryland Athletics - University of Maryland Official Athletic Site - Men's Basketball
4/9/2013 8:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 27, 1997
Terps Continue Homestand Versus UNC-Wilmington
Williams Shoots for Maryland Victory No. 50
NO. 20 MARYLAND TERRAPINS (6-3, 0-1 ACC) VS UNC - WILMINGTON SEAHAWKS (5-5, 0-0 CAA) SATURDAY DECEMBER 27, 1997; 12 NOON COLE FIELD HOUSE/14,500 COLLEGE PARK, MARYLAND LEARFIELD/MARYLAND RADIO NETWORK "Maryland got an "A" tonight in Basketball 101. That was an "A" right there." Rodney Elliott University of Maryland Following the Terps' victory over UNC-Asheville on Monday night
TERPS PLAY HOST TO UNC-WILMINGTON IN FINAL HOME GAME OF CALENDAR YEAR Maryland plays host to UNC - Wilmington in the third game of a three-game homestand which began on December 13. The Terps hold a 2-0 record during the stretch having defeated UMBC (Dec. 13, 104-66) and UNC-Asheville (Dec. 22, 110-52). Maryland enters today's game versus the Seahawks with a 6-3 overall record (5-0 here in Cole Field House; 0-1 on the road and 1-2 on a neutral court). Following today's game, the Terps will travel to play Missouri on December 30 before returning home to play host to Duke on January 3.
TERPS LOOK TO RUN NON-CONFERENCE HOME WINNING STREAK TO 58 Maryland will look to win its 58h consecutive non-conference home game today versus UNC - Wilmington. The Terps current streak began on December 20, 1989 with a victory over Alcorn State. The last time the Terps were not successful versus a non-conference team here in Cole Field House was December 12, 1989. The 1989-90 season was Gary Williams's first as the Head Coach of the Terps.
LONGEST NON-CONFERENCE HOME WINNING STREAKS
Maryland is looking to win its 58th consecutive non-conference game in Cole Field House as it plays host to UNC-Wilmington today. The Terps' streak is the second longest in the nation.
Rank No. School Date Streak Began
1. 77 Oklahoma State Dec. 10, 1987
2. 57 Maryland Dec. 30, 1989
3. 45 North Carolina Feb. 21, 1989
Associated Press Top 25
December 22, 1997
1. N. Carolina 12-0
2. Kansas 13-1
3. Duke 10-1
4. Kentucky 9-1
5. Arizona 7-2
6. Utah 10-0
7. Purdue 9-2
8. Stanford 7-0
9. UCLA 6-1
10. South Carolina 6-1
11. Connecticut 9-1
12. Arkansas 8-0
13. Xavier 6-2
14. New Mexico 7-1
15. Iowa 8-1
16. Mississippi 7-1
17. Florida State 8-2
18. Princeton 8-1
19. Syracuse 9-0
20. MARYLAND 5-3
21. Clemson 7-3
22. Rhode Island 5-1
23. West Virginia 9-1
24. Temple 6-3
25. Texas Christian 9-1
ESPN/USA Today Top-25
December 22, 1997
1. N. Carolina (30) 750
2. Duke 701
3. Kansas 698
4. Kentucky 651
5. Arizona 636
6. Utah 590
7. Purdue 572
8. Stanford 490
9. UCLA 443
10. South Carolina 437
11. Connecticut 433
12. New Mexico 392
13. Xavier 385
14. Arkansas 369
15. Iowa 333
16. Mississippi 271
17. Princeton 261
18. Florida State 259
19. Syracuse 172
20. MARYLAND 120
21. Temple 110
Clemson 110
23. Georgia Tech 68
24. Marquette 59
25. Texas Christian 58
Upcoming Milestones
Laron Profit
Career Steals
125 (current)
+ 12 (needs)
137
(to move into 6th place
all-time in school history)
Laron Profit
Career Points
732 (current)
+ 268 (needs)
1,000
(to become the 33rd player in school history
to score 1,000 career points)
Terrell Stokes
Career Assists
267 (current)
+ 80 (needs)
347
(to move past Ernie Graham into 10th place all-time
in school history)
Terrell Stokes
Career Steals
98 (current)
+17 (needs)
115
(to move into 10th place
all-time in school history)
Sarunas Jasikevicius
Career Three-Pt. Shots Made
92 (current)
+ 8 (needs)
100
(to become the fifth player in school
history to hit 100 or more career three-point shots.
LOOK FOR MARYLAND TO...
...Be in position to tie a school record with three consecutive games of 100 points or more scored. The Terps scored 100 points or more during three consecutive games, December 3, 5, and 8, 1994 against Bucknell, UMBC and Colgate;
...Shoot for its 58th consecutive non-conference victory in Cole Field House;
...Shoot 60 percent or better for in two consecutive game for the first time since February 18 and 22, 1996 against Missouri and N.C. State;
CAREER HIGHS WERE ESTABLISHED AGAINST UNC-ASHEVILLE BY...
...Senior Sarunas Jasikevicius who was credited with a career-high six steals;
...Senior Matt Kovarik who was credited with a career-high six assists;
...Senior Matt Kovarik who was credited with a career-high-tying three steals;
...Freshman Terence Morris who scored a career-high 20 points;
...Freshman Terence Morris who scored a career-high six field goals;
...Freshman Terence Morris who grabbed a career-high three offensive rebs;
...Junior Norman Fields who scored a career-high tying five points;
...Junior Norman Fields who scored a career-high two field goals;
...Sophomore Matt Hahn who scored his first career three-point field goal;
...Sophomore Matt Hahn who tied his career-high with one steal;
...Sophomore Atman Smith who grabbed a career-high three rebounds;
...Sophomore Atman Smith who had a career-high tying two assists;
...Sophomore Atman Smith who played a career-high seven minutes;
TERPS GAIN IN ASSOCIATED PRESS POLL
Maryland enters today's game against UNC - Wilmington ranked 20th in both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today Polls. For the Terps, their No. 20 ranking in the AP Poll represents a jump up from No. 22 last week and is their second highest ranking of the year. The Terps were ranked 19th during the poll of the week of December 8. The Terps' have been ranked 20th in each of the last two polls by ESPN/USA Today.
TERPS IN THE POLLS
AP ESPN/USA
Pre-Season -- 23
Nov. 16 -- NP
Nov. 23 23 --
Dec. 1 23 --
Dec. 8 19 22
Dec. 15 22 20
Dec. 22 20 20
TERP STARTING FIVE ON FIRE FROM THE FIELD
Maryland's starting five enters today's game against UNC - Wilmington with a combined 52.8 field goal shooting percentage. The starting five led the Terps against UNC - Asheville on Monday night as the team shot a season-high 61.8 percent from the field. It marked the first time since February 22, 1996 (against N.C. State) that the Terps had shot 60 percent or above from the field.
TERPS STARTERS FROM THE FIELD
Maryland's current starting five are shooting a combined 70.0 percent from the field in the last two games, both Terp victories. Both junior All-America candidate Laron Profit and junior All-ACC Candidate Obinna Ekezie are shooting above 70 percent individually in the last two games.
Player FGM FGA FG% Last Two Games
Obinna Ekezie 41 69 59.4 10-14 71.4
Matt Kovarik 17 29 58.6 6-9 66.7
Laron Profit 64 124 51.6 16-21 76.1
Sarunas Jasikevicius 42 83 50.6 12-18 66.7
Rodney Elliott 45 91 49.5 12-18 66.7
Totals 209 396 52.8 56-80 70.0
Terps by the Numbers
2 Senior Sarunas Jasikevicius (4.6 apg) and junior Terrell Stokes (4.3 apg) are averaging more than four assists per game this season.
2 Current Terps who have played in at least 100 career games - seniors Matt Kovarik (106) and Rodney Elliott (100).
4 Players (Sarunas Jasikevicius, 6; Matt Kovarik, 3; Terence Morris, 3; and Terrell Stokes, 3) recorded at least three steals each against UNC-Asheville.
6 Maryland is 6-0, undefeated, when it outscores its opponents.
6 Senior Matt Kovarik dished out a career-high six assists against UNC-Asheville Monday night.
22 Maryland recorded a program record 22 steals against UNC-Asheville on Monday night in Cole Field House.
27 Maryland's +27 rebound margin against Florida International on November 25 is the highest by any ACC team this season.
28 Junior All-America candidate Laron profit has more steals (28) than fouls (27) this season.
29 Maryland's starting five has accumulated more blocked shots (29) than the Terps opponents have combined for (25).
65.4 Junior All-ACC Candidate Obinna Ekezie is shooting 65.4 percent from the field in the last seven games. He shot only 35.7 percent from the field in the first two games of the season.
PROBABLE STARTERS FOR MARYLAND....
F #25 Rodney Elliott (15.2 ppg, 6.6 rpg; Season-high 21 points vs. Kansas)
C #54 Obinna Ekezie (12.2 ppg, 7.2 rpg; Season-high 10 rebounds vs. G. Wash.)
G #3 Laron Profit (18.4 ppg, 6.1 rpg; Career/Season-high 27 points vs. FDU)
G #11 Matt Kovarik (3.9 ppg, 1.9 rpg; Career-high six assists vs. UNC-A)
G #13 Sarunas Jasikevicius (12.9 ppg, 4.6 apg; Career-high 6 steals vs. UNC-A)
....AND TOP SUBS
F #44 Terence Morris (7.8 ppg, 4.2 rpg; Career-high 20 points vs. UNC-Ashe)
G #12 Terrell Stokes (6.6 ppg, 4.3 apg; 12 assists, 3 turnovers in last two)
C #33 Mike Mardesich (6.2 ppg, 4.90 rpg; career-high 12 points vs. UMBC)
F #21 Laron Cephas (0.8 ppg, 2.3 rpg; Career-high 9 rebounds vs. UMBC)
LINEUP NOTES
Maryland's listed probable starting lineup has started the most recent two games and has a record of 2-0. The Terps have scored 104 points (against UMBC) and 110 points (against UNC - Asheville) in the last two games with this starting lineup. In each of the last two games, four starters have scored in double figures.
TONIGHT'S REFEREES
Tonight's referee is Stan Rote and the umpires are Chuck Pitts and Terry Nobles.
MARYLAND VERSUS UNC-WILMINGTON- A SERIES HISTORY
The Series: First Meeting
Last Maryland Win: First Meeting
Last UNC-Wilmington Win: First Meeting
Last Maryland Win at Cole: First Meeting
Last UNC-Wilmington Win at Cole: First Meeting
Maryland vs. UNC-W Current Streak: First Meeting
Gary Williams vs. UNC-W, Career: First Meeting
ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS...
Maryland is looking to win its first scheduled game following Christmas Day for the sixth consecutive season as it plays host to UNC - Wilmington.
TERPS LAST GAME OUT - DEFEAT UNC - ASHEVILLE
Senior Sarunas Jasikevicius scored six of his 17 points when No. 20 Maryland scored 21 straight in the first half to lead the Terrapins to a 110-52 victory over North Carolina-Asheville. The Terrapins never trailed in their 57th consecutive non-conference home victory since 1989. Junior All-America candidate Laron Profit scored 23 points and freshman Terence Morris scored 20 for Maryland. After Maryland won the opening tap and Rodney Elliott scored on a jumper, the Terrapins never trailed. The Terrapins finished with 29 assists and a school-record 22 steals.
TERPS FIRE OFF BACK-TO BACK 100 POINT GAMES
Maryland has scored 100 points or more during each of its last two victories and have surpassed the century mark four times this season. The Terps' four 100 point scoring games is the most in a single season since the 1994-95 season when the Terps scored 100 or more in five games. The school record for 100 point scoring games is eight during the 1973-74 season.
MARGIN OF VICTORY IS FIFTH HIGHEST IN SCHOOL HISTORY
Maryland's +58 point margin of victory (110-52) against UNC - Asheville on Monday night was the fifth highest margin of victory in school history. The school record for largest margin of victory was +66 points against Morgan State on December 23, 1994. Four of the Terps top five highest margins of victory have come under current Head Coach Gary Williams.
Sarunas Jasikevicius by the Numbers
2.1:1 Sarunas Jasikevicius is enjoying his best season ever with a 2.1:1 assist to turnover ratio.
2.6 Sarunas Jasikevicius has made an average of 2.6 three-point shots per game in each of the last five games.
4 Sarunas Jasikevicius enters today's game versus UNC - Wilmington with a 4 consecutive games streak of double figure scoring.
4 Sarunas Jasikevicius tied his career high with four successful three-point shots against UMBC.
4.2:1 Sarunas Jasikevicius has a 4.2:1 assist to turnover ratio in the last five games with 25 assists and only six turnovers.
4.6 Sarunas Jasikevicius averages a career-high 4.6 assists per game entering today's game versus UNC - Wilmington. He is ranked sixth in the ACC.
35 Sarunas Jasikevicius played a season-high 35 minutes against Kansas as Maryland defeated the then No. 2 ranked and undefeated Jayhawks.
39.3 Sarunas Jasikevicius has committed only three fouls in the last 118 minutes - one foul for ever 39.3 minutes of playing time.
57.7 Sarunas Jasikevicius is shooting 57.7 percent (26-45) from the field in the last four games.
58.3 Sarunas Jasikevicius is shooting an incredible 58.3 percent (7-12) from beyond the three-point arc in the last two games.
TERPS ESTABLISH SCHOOL RECORD FOR STEALS
Led by senior Sarunas Jasikevicius's career-high six steals, Maryland established a school record for steals in a game, 22, against UNC-Asheville. As a testament to the success of Gary Williams's pressure defense, the top nine single game team steals performances have all come with Williams at the helm.
STOKES HOLDING ONTO THE BASKETBALL
Junior Terrell Stokes has record 19 assists and only four turnovers over the course of the last three games.
HIDING FROM THE ZEBRAS
Senior forward Rodney Elliott has committed only one foul in the last 42 minutes of playing time and has not fouled out of a game since December 8. Elliott was whistled for only one foul against UNC - Asheville and was not booked at all against UMBC.
Length of Time F FPM FPG DQ
Last 42 Mins 1 1/42 0.5 0
1997-98 Season 33 1/7.5 3.7 5
1996-97 Season 100 1/7.5 3.1 5
1995-96 Season 51 1/7.6 2.4 1
1994-95 Season 34 1/4.9 1.1 0
Career 218 1/7.1 2.2 11
HIDING FROM THE ZEBRAS, PART TWO
Junior All-ACC candidate Obinna Ekezie has not fouled out of a game since November 11, the season opener. He is averaging only 2.7 fouls per game this season while averaging a career-high 26.9 minutes played per game. Ekezie has seen dramatic improvements in many phases of his game including the reduction of his fouls per game and the increase in his points, rebounds and minutes per game.
Season FPG MPG PPG RPG
1996-97 3.3 26.8 10.1 6.6
1995-96 2.6 15.4 4.5 3.7
Career (Entering 97-98) 3.0 21.3 7.4 5.2
1997-98 2.7 26.9 12.2 7.2
Improvement -0.1 +11.5 +7.7 +3.5
TERPS IN DECEMBER HOME GAMES
Maryland has won 33 consecutive games in Cole Field House during the month of December under Head Coach Gary Williams. The Terps winningest home holiday month under Williams was the 1994-95 season when they won seven of the seven games played in Cole.
Season W L Pct.
1989-90 2 1 66.7
1990-91 2 0 1.00
1991-92 6 0 1.00
1992-93 3 0 1.00
1993-94 2 0 1.00
1994-95 7 0 1.00
1995-96 4 0 1.00
1996-97 5 0 1.00
1997-98 2 0 1.00
Totals 34 1 97.1
JASIKEVICIUS DISHING IT OUT
Senior Sarunas Jasikevicius enters today's game against UNC - Wilmington with a career-high and team leading 4.6 assist per game average. His 4.6 apg average places him sixth in the guard-rich Atlantic Coast Conference.
Terence Morris by the Numbers
1 Terence Morris is the only player on the team this season who has reached double figures in steals and blocked shots through the first nine games of the season.
1 Terence Morris is the only Terp freshman to have scored 20 points in a single game over the course of the past two seasons.
1.2 Terence Morris averaged 1.2 points (20) per minute played (17) against UNC - Asheville.
3 Maryland is 3-0 when Terence Morris has more offensive rebounds than defensive rebounds.
9 Terence Morris has at least one blocked shot in all nine games this season.
9 Terence Morris is ranked ninth in blocked shots among all players in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
10 Terence Morris's 11 blocked shots tie him for 10th all-time among Maryland players in their inaugural collegiate seasons.
64.2 Terence Morris is shooting 64.2 percent from the field (9-14) in the last two games.
75.0 Terence Morris is shooting 75.0 percent from the free throw line (12-16) in the last two games.
80.0 Terence Morris shot a career/season-high 80 percent (8-10) from the free throw line against UNC-Asheville.
PROFIT WITH IMMEDIATE CHANCE TO MOVE UP IN THE STEALS RANKS
Junior All-America candidate Laron Profit has 120 career steals entering tonight's game versus UMBC. He needs only 12 steals to pass Kevin McLinton and move into sixth-place all-time at the University of Maryland. Profit needs only 68 steals to move into 25th place all-time in the annals of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Rank Steals Player Profit Needs Career Games
1. 344 by Johnny Rhodes (1993-96) +219 122
2. 193 by Keith Booth (1994-97) +68 126
3. 175 by Walt Williams (1988-92) +50 105
4. 170 by Dutch Morley (1978-82) +45 120
5. 137 by Derrick Lewis (1984-88) +12 127
6. 136 by Kevin McLinton (1989-93) +11 91
7. 125 by Laron Profit (1995-Pres) -- 68
TO REACH A CAREER MILESTONE...
...Head Coach Gary Williams needs only 1 win for 150 at Maryland;
...Senior Sarunas Jasikevicius needs only 3 games played for 100;
...Senior Sarunas Jasikevicius needs only 8 three-pointers made for 100;
...Senior Sarunas Jasikevicius needs only 2 assists for 200;
...Senior Rodney Elliott needs only 7 free throws made for 150;
...Senior Rodney Elliott needs only 18 points for 600;
...Senior Rodney Elliott needs only 2 offensive rebounds for 150;
...Senior Rodney Elliott needs only 12 rebounds for 400;
...Senior Matt Kovarik needs only five rebounds for 150;
...Junior Laron Profit needs only four offensive rebounds for 100;
...Junior Laron Profit needs only 10 assists for 150;
GARY'S RECORDS
Career 356-232 .605 (20th season)
at Maryland 149-104 .589 (9th season)
SHOOTING THE BASKETBALL
As a team, Maryland is shooting the ball extremely well over the course of the last two games. The Terps are shooting above average in both overall field goal shooting and three-point field goal shooting.
Opponents FGM-A 3PM-A
UMBC 43-77 7-15
UNC-Asheville 42-68 8-17
Totals 85-145 15-32
Percentages 58.6 46.8
TERPS' FIELD GOAL DEFENSE IS A FACTOR Maryland is limiting its opponents to 39.3 shooting from the field. Only one team, George Washington, has shot above 44 percent and three teams have shot below 40 percent. Maryland limited Florida International to 28.2 percent shooting from the field.
TERPS SIGN TWO PLAYERS ON FIRST DAY OF SIGNING PERIOD Maryland signed a pair of Blue-Chip high school players, guard Danny Miller and forward Lonnie Baxter, on the first day of the current National Letter of Intent signing period. At 6-6, Miller (Mt. Holly, N.J./Rancocas Valley H.S.) is rated as the 11th best high school prospect in the nation while the 6-8 Baxter (Rockville, Md./Hargrave Military Academy) is rated among the top 50.
LEARFIELD RADIO - THE MARYLAND RADIO NETWORK
All of Maryland's games this season - home and away - will be heard live on the Learfield/Maryland Radio Network.
The Terps will be heard on the flagship stations, WBAL (1090-AM) and WMAL (630-AM) which combine to give Maryland one of the strongest combination of broadcast signals of any collegiate basketball team in the nation. The Terps can now be heard from Maine to Florida.
Johnny Holliday, now in his 19th season, will once again serve as the voice of the Terps. He is joined once again by former Terps all-star Greg Manning, currently in his 12th season with the broadcast team.
Maryland Radio Network
Flagship Stations
WBAL-AM Balt, Md. 1090
WMAL-AM Wash-D.C. 630
WAMD-AM Aberdeen 70
WI00-AM Carlisle, Pa. 1000
WTBO-AM Cumberland 1450
WSER-AM Elkton 1550 930
WFMD-AM Frederick 930
WARK-AM Hagerstown 1450
WMSG-AM Mtn Lake Pk 1050 1050
WKHW-FM Pocomoke Ct 106.5
WTGM-FM Salisbury 960
WTTR-AM Westminster 1470
GARY WILLIAMS MARYLAND'S RADIO SPORTSLINE
John Wagner, University System Radio-TV Director, provides actualities and interviews for radio for Maryland basketball coach Gary Williams. Stations can access these sound bites by calling the Sportsline at (301) 779-6397. Features will be available at noon on gamedays during the week, and Friday evening for weekend games.
TERPS BY THE NUMBERS IN 1997-98
Overall Record: 6-3 When Outrebound Opponent: 5-1
ACC Record: 0-1 When Outrebounded by Opp: 1-2
Home Record: 5-0 When Rebounds are Equal: 0-0
Road Record: 0-1 When Leading at Half-time: 6-0
Neutral Site Record: 1-2 When Trailing at Half-time: 0-2
Day Games: 1-0 When Tied at Half-time: 0-1
Night Games: 5-3 When Shoot Better from Field: 5-3
In Home ACC Games: 0-0 When Shoot Worse from Field: 1-0
In Road ACC Games: 0-1 Versus a Ranked Opponent: 1-2
When Score At Least 80 Points: 6-0 When Score 100+ Points: 4-0
When Score Under 80 Points: 0-3
TERPS AGAINST THE COLONIAL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION Maryland has an all-time record of 62-16 against teams from the Colonal Athletic Association. The favorite CAA member opponent for the Terps is Richmond; the two have met 39 times in the history of the two programs. Maryland holds a 25-14 record against the Spiders. Most recently, the Terps played America University last season, December 21, 1996. Maryland defeated the Eagles, 81-74 in Cole Field House.
