Jan. 16, 1998

Terps Travel to Wake Forest as ACC Slate Continues

Have Won Six of Last Seven on Tobacco Road

Terps Defeated No. 1-Ranked North Carolina Wednesday Night; Fifth All-Time Victory Against A Top-Ranked Team; Williams Ties For Maryland Lead With Two No. 1 Wins

Maryland Terrapins (10-5, 3-2 Acc)
At
Wake Forest Demon Deacons (8-6, 1-3 Acc)
Saturday, January 17, 1997; 7:00 P.M.
Lawrence Joel Memorial Coliseum/14,407
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Learfield/Maryland Radio Network
ESPN National Broadcast

Maryland travels to Wake Forest to take on the Demon Deacons in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The Terps bring a three-game Atlantic Coast Conference winning streak into the game having defeated then No. 13 Florida State (Jan. 7, 81-74), N.C. State (Jan. 10, 68-65) and current No. 1 North Carolina (Jan. 14, 89-83). The Terps three-game conference winning streak is the Terps' longest since last season when the team opened up the ACC schedule with victories over Georgia Tech, Virginia, North Carolina and N.C. State. The Terps have a 1-1 record in conference road games with its most recent victory coming at N.C. State last Saturday. The Terps opened the conference slate on the road at Clemson. Maryland has won two of the last four games played here in Winston-Salem.

Junior Laron Profit scored six points in overtime as Maryland outscored No. 1 North Carolina, 13-6, in the extra period to lead the Terps to an 89-83 victory over the Tar Heels on Wednesday night in Cole Field House. It marked the fifth time in school history that the Terps had defeated a No. 1 ranked team and the fourth time in school history that the Terps had defeated North Carolina when it was the nation's No. 1 ranked team.

The Terps have now beaten the nation's No. 1 team five times in the history of the program. Maryland has defeated North Carolina four times and Notre Dame once when they were ranked No. 1 in the nation. The Terps 1986 victory over the Tar Heels was the first in the newly opened "Dean Dome" in Chapel Hill. The school's first victory over a No. 1 ranked team came during the 1958-59 season when the Bud Millikan coached Terps defeated North Carolina, 69-51. Millikan coached current Terps' head coach Gary Williams from 1965-1967.

Associated Press
Top-25
January 12, 1998
1.  N. Carolina 17-0
2.  Duke    14-1
3.  Kansas  19-2
4.  Utah    13-0
5.  Arizona 13-3
6.  Kentucky    14-2
7.  Stanford    14-0
8.  UCLA    12-2
9.  Purdue  14-3
10. Connecticut 14-2
11. Mississippi 12-1
12. Princeton   13-1
13. Iowa    13-2
14. South Carolina  10-2
15. New Mexico  11-2
    Syracuse    14-1
17. Florida State   12-4
18. Xavier  10-3
19. Michigan    13-4
20. Rhode Island    10-2
21. West Virginia   14-2
22. Arkansas    13-2
23. Marquette   10-2
24. Hawaii  11-2
25. Oklahoma State  12-1
ARV - Maryland (28th place)
ESPN/USA Today
Top-25
January 12, 1998
1.  N. Carolina 750
2.  Duke    718
3.  Kansas  667
4.  Utah    660
5.  Arizona 622
6.  Kentucky    593
7.  Stanford    581
8.  Purdue  520
9.  UCLA    491
10. Connecticut 480
11. Mississippi 429
12. Princeton   387
13. New Mexico  369
14. Iowa    361
15. Syracuse    309
16. Florida State   279
17. South Carolina  278
18. Michigan    249
19. Xavier  206
20. West Virginia   154
21. Marquette   135
22. Arkansas    111
23. Rhode Island    110
24. Clemson 52
24. Hawaii  52
(ARV - Maryland 28th place)
Upcoming Milestones
Laron Profit
Career Steals
144 (current)
+ 27 (needs)
171
(to move into 4th place 
all-time in school history)
Laron Profit
Career Points
808 (current)
+ 192 (needs)
1,000
(to become the 33rd player in school history to score 1,000 career points)
Terrell Stokes
Career Assists
283 (current)
+ 64 (needs)
347
(to move past Ernie Graham into 10th place all-time in school history)
Terrell Stokes
Career Steals
103 (current)
+12 (needs)
115
(to move into 10th place 
all-time in school history)
Sarunas Jasikevicius
Career Three-Pt. Shots Made
102 (current)
+ 29 (needs)
131
(to move into 4th place all-time in school history)
TERPS VICTORIES OVER THE NO. 1-RANKED TEAM

Maryland has defeated the No. 1 ranked team in the nation five times. 
 
Date                Opponent        Score
February 14, 1998   North Carolina  89-83
February 7, 1995    North Carolina  86-73
February 20, 1986   North Carolina  77-72
January 27, 1979    Notre Dame      67-66
February 21, 1959   North Carolina  69-51

Head Coach Gary Williams is ranked third among current ACC coaches with three victories over No. 1-ranked teams. Williams has now defeated three top ranked teams during his coaching career -- two while at the University of Maryland and one while at the Ohio State University. Williams's Terps have defeated North Carolina during the 1994-95 and 1997-98 seasons and his Buckeye squad defeated then No. 1-ranked Iowa during the 1986-87 season.

Rank    Wins    Coach,          School
T1.     4       Bobby Cramins, Georgia Tech
        4       Mike Krzyzewski, Duke
3.      3       Gary Williams, Maryland

• ...Senior Sarunas Jasikevicius needs 6 minutes played for 1,800;
• ...Senior Sarunas Jasikevicius needs 1 field goal made for 250;
• ...Senior Sarunas Jasikevicius needs 2 defensive rebounds for 175;
• ...Senior Matt Kovarik needs 7 points for 200;
• ...Senior Rodney Elliott needs 1 field goal made for 250;
• ...Senior Rodney Elliott needs 6 assists for 100;
• ...Senior Rodney Elliott needs 4 points for 700;
• ...Junior Terrell Stokes needs 3 three-point shots for 50;
• ...Junior Obinna Ekezie needs 8 free throws made for 200;
• ...Freshman Terence Morris needs 2 points for 100;
• ...Freshman Mike Mardesich needs 6 points for 100.

Maryland has won six of their last seven games on Tobacco Road, including the Terps' 54-51 victory over Wake Forest at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum last season. The streak includes three wins at Reynolds Coliseum and two at the Dean Dome. The streak dates back to February of 1996 and includes wins over Duke and Clemson in Greensboro.

Junior Laron Profit scored a team-high 19 points against North Carolina as the Terps defeated the No. 1 ranked Tar Heels Wednesday night in Cole Field House. The 19 point outburst marked Profit's highest scoring total since he scored 22 points against UNC - Asheville on December 22. Profit enters tonight's game versus Wake Forest averaging 17.0 points and 5.3 rebounds in the last three games. In addition, he blocked a season-high tying three shots against the Tar Heels.

• ...Win its fourth consecutive ACC game for the second time in two years. Maryland defeated Georgia Tech, Virginia, N.C. State and North Carolina in succession last season;
• ...Win two consecutive ACC games in the state of North Carolina for the second time in two years. The Terps won at N.C. State and at Wake Forest in consecutive conference road games last season.
• ...Win two consecutive games while visiting Wake Forest for the 1984-85 and 1985-86 seasons.

2 Maryland has won two consecutive games (Florida State and N.C. State) when it has trailed at halftime.

2 Maryland has defeated two ranked opponents (No. 1 North Carolina and No. 13 Florida State) in the last three games.

3 Maryland has won three consecutive games entering tonight's game versus Wake Forest -- matching its longest winning streak of the year.

4 Junior Obinna Ekezie has shot 80 percent or above from the free line in four consecutive games.

5 Senior Matt Kovarik has played five consecutive games with a positive assist to turnover ratio.

9 Junior Terrell Stokes has dished out multiple assists in nine consecutive games.

11 Senior Sarunas Jasikevicius has made at least one three-point shot in 11 consecutive games.

15 Freshman Terence Morris has scored at least two points in 15 consecutive games.

15 Junior Laron Profit has made and attempted at least one free throw in 15 consecutive games.

15 Freshman Mike Mardesich has scored at least two points in 15 consecutive games.

50 Junior Obinna Ekezie will make his 51st consecutive start versus Wake Forest tonight.

Maryland became the first team in the nation this season to defeat two teams which were ranked in the nation's top five at the time of the game. The Terps have defeated No. 1 North Carolina and then No. 2 Kansas, 86-83, on December 7 at the MCI Center in Washington, D.C.

Winner,     Rank    Loser, Rank Date                    Score
Gonzaga (NR/NR) Clemson (#7/5)  November 23, 1997       84-71
Duke (#4/3) Arizona (#1/1)  November 26, 1997           95-87
N. Carolina (#3/4)  Purdue (#5/6)   November 29, 1997   73-69
Kansas (#3/2)   Arizona (#4/4)  December 2, 1997        90-87
Kentucky (#7/7) Purdue (#5/6)   December 3, 1997        89-75
Maryland (NR/23)    Kansas (#2/2)   December 7, 1997    86-83
Michigan (NR/NR)    Duke (#1/1) December 13, 1997       81-73
Florida State (#18/17)  Arizona (#5/5)  December 23, 1997   84-79
Michigan St. (NR/NR)    Purdue (#5/5)   December 30, 1997   74-57
Hawaii (NR/NR)  Kansas (#2/2)   December 30, 1997       76-65
Maryland (NR/NR)    North Carolina (#1/1)   January 14, 1998    89-83
ESPN/USA Today Poll Listed First/Associated Press Poll Listed Second
PROBABLE STARTERS FOR MARYLAND....
F   #25 Rodney Elliott (15.7 ppg, 7.1 rpg; 6 pts, 4 rebs. vs. WFU 2/1/97)
C   #54 Obinna Ekezie (13.8 ppg, 6.8 rpg; 9 pts, 2 rebs vs. WFU 2/1/97)
G   #3  Laron Profit (16.1 ppg, 5.9 rpg; 11 pts, 4 rebs vs. WFU 1/19/97)
G   #12 Terrell Stokes (5.8 ppg, 3.7 apg; 3 pts, 4 asts vs. WFU 1/13/96)
G   #13 Sarunas Jasikevicius (12.6 ppg, 4.0 apg; 19 pts, 3 ast vs. WFU 1/19/96)
....AND TOP SUBS
F   #44 Terence Morris (6.5 ppg, 3.3 rpg; First career game vs. WFU)
G   #11 Matt Kovarik (3.5 ppg, 1.7 rpg; 5 pts, 1 ast. vs. WFU 1/15/94)
C   #33 Mike Mardesich (6.3 ppg, 5.0 rpg; First career game vs. WFU)
F   #21 Laron Cephas (0.6 ppg, 2.3 rpg; First career game vs. WFU)

Tonight's referee is Frank Scagliotta and the umpires are Mike Wood and Tom Lopes.

MARYLAND VERSUS WAKE FOREST - THE SERIES BY THE NUMBERS

TERPS VS. WAKE FOREST - THE LAST FOUR GAMES
Feb. 1, 1997    Jan. 19, 1997   
Feb. 15, 1996   Jan. 13, 1996
Wake 74 Maryland 54 
Wake 85 at Wake 77
at Maryland 69  at Wake 51  
at Maryland 78  Maryland 64

Wake Forest, 74 - Maryland, 69; February 1, 1997; Cole Field House Tim Duncan scored 25 of 29 points in the second half as second-ranked Wake Forest avenged its first loss of the season with a 74-69 victory over fifth-ranked Maryland in an Atlantic Coast Conference battle. Wake Forest rallied from a 43-31 half-time deficit to earn its fifth straight win since a 54-51 loss to Maryland on January 19th. Keith Booth led Maryland with 22 points, but was held to just six in the second half. Terrell Stokes had 12 points for Maryland.

2 Junior center Obinna Ekezie has pulled down 100 or more rebounds in two consecutive seasons.

2 Senior Matt Kovarik has committed only two turnovers in his last 31 minutes played.

2 Freshman Terence Morris tied his career-high with two blocked shots.

3 Senior Rodney Elliott has 11 blocked shots entering tonight's game versus Wake Forest - he needs only three to tie his single season personal best of 14.

10 Maryland is undefeated, 10-0, when its outscores its opponent.

24 Junior Obinna Ekezie has dished out a single-season career-high 24 assists.

43 Junior Terrell Stokes has committed only two turnovers in the last 86 minutes - an average of one every 43 minutes played.

60 Senior Sarunas Jasikevicius has more assists this season (60) than he had combined during his freshman and sophomore seasons (55).

64.2 Freshman Mike Mardesich is shooting 64.2 percent (9-14) from the field in the last two games.

217 Senior Sarunas Jasikevicius enters tonight's game with 217 career assists.

283 Junior guard Terrell Stokes enters tonight's game versus Wake Forest with 283 career assists.

Maryland handed the Tar Heels their first loss of the season as Laron Profit scored six points in overtime to lead the Terrapins to an 89-83 victory Wednesday night in Cole Field House. Profit clinched the win by making two foul shots for an 87-82 lead with 18 seconds left. It was the second time in three years the Terrapins beat No. 1 North Carolina.

In Maryland's 89-83 victory over No. 1 North Carolina, the Tar Heels were held without a second chance field during the entire game. The only second chance points the Heels got came from four free throws and Maryland held North Carolina to seven offensive rebounds.

Redshirt senior Matt Kovarik returns home to the Greensboro, N.C. area for the fifth time as a collegian today as the Terps play at Wake Forest. Kovarik is averaging 2.0 points in six games versus Wake Forest. On his first trip to Winston-Salem on January 15, 1994, he ignited the Terps comeback with a first-half three-pointer and hit two free throws down the stretch to lead the Terps to the 61-58 victory.

Junior Laron Profit tied his career-best as he was perfect from the free throw line (six for six) against North Carolina. During the Terps' current three-game winning streak, Profit has hit 16 of 18 shots from the free throw line.

Games   FTM FTA Pct.
Last 1  6   6   1.00
Last 2  7   8   87.5
Last 3  16  18  88.9
Last 4  23  28  82.1

Senior Rodney Elliott enters tonight's game against Wake Forest with career-high percentages in all three shooting categories.

Season  FG%     3PT%    FT%
1997-98 51.3    48.3    72.9
1996-97 48.3    24.0    72.8
1995-96 50.0    33.3    69.2
1994-95 50.0    20.0    51.9

Senior Rodney Elliott enters tonight's game against Wake Forest with 17 steals in 15 games this season. His 17 steals ties his single season personal career-high. He did not record his 17th steal last season until the 32nd game of the season last year.

• ...Scored the basket that sent Wednesday's game into overtime with 46.2 seconds remaining in regulation;
• ...Played a career-high 34 minutes;
• ...Scored a career-high tying 12 points;
• ...Grabbed a career-high 7 defensive rebounds;
• ...Dished out a career-high tying 3 rebounds;
• ...Scored a career-high tying five field goals;
• ...Scored a career-high tying two free throws made.

1) "This new, big kid, 7-foot Mike Mardesich, knows how to move around the basket and has a nice touch. And freshman Terence Morris, who came off the bench to score 10 points and shake off a case of rookie jitters to hit a key free throw down the stretch, is in the same raw talent class with Antawn Jamison and Vince Carter."

Michael Wilbon
Washington Post
January 14, 1998

2) "I could see in Terence Morris' and Mike Mardesich's eyes that tere was no fear. Mardesihc stepped up for us big time. He wanted the ball down the stretch."

Gary Williams
University of Maryland
January 14, 1998

3) You also have to like what you've seen of Morris, a 6-8 forward out of Frederick, Md. He's a great leaper (the Terps lobbed the ball in to him twice against Carolina for dunks), he can step back and shoot the three -- what more could you want."

Dan Daly
Washington Times
Janauary 16, 1998

4) The Terrapins won by outrebounding North Carolina by a 39-32 margin. They won by shooting 51 percent (75 percent in overtime) the first North Carolina opponent to shoot better than 50 perent in 37 games. And they won with the help of a 3-2 zone that slowed the Tar Heels' high flying offense."

Josh Barr
Washington Post
January 15, 1997

Senior Sarunas Jasikevicius is enjoying a strong season shooting the basketball. He has shown improvement from both the field and from the free throw line.

Season      FG%     FT%
1997-98     48.2    72.5
1995-97     42.4    71.5
Improvement +5.8%   +1.0%

Junior Terrell Stokes has nine assists and only two turnovers in the last three games. He committed zero turnovers against Florida State and one each against N.C. State and North Carolina.

Opponent            Assists Turnovers   Steals  Minutes
#13 Florida State   3           0       0       24
N.C. State          2           1       2       29
#1 North Carolina   3           1       1       33

Junior Terrell Stokes started the first seven games of the season and has started the last two games of the season.

Span    FG% FT% PTS/AVG REB/AVG AST/AVG MIN/AVG
Last 2  66.7    80.0    6.5 2.5 3.0 31.0
Last 7  48.3    83.3    6.8 2.3 2.8 29.1

Junior Obinna Ekezie has started 50 consecutive games over parts of the last three seasons. He will start his 51st consecutive game against Wake Forest tonight.

Season      Games   Starts
1997-98     15      15
1996-97     32      32
1995-96     3       3
Totals      50      50

Junior Obinna Ekezie has made 27 of his last 31 free throw attempts from the free throw line. He was a perfect 1.00 pecent against North Carolina (2-2) and N.C. State (4-4).

Games   FTM FTA PCT
Last 1  2   2   1.00
Last 2  6   6   1.00
Last 3  14  16  87.5
Last 4  27  31  87.0

Junior Laron Profit was credited with four steals against North Carolina and two against N.C. State to bring his season total to 47. His 47 steals this season ranks him tied for the second best single season by a Terp junior in school history.

Rank    No.     Player,         Years
1.      85  by Johnny Rhodes,   1994-95
2.      47  by Laron Profit     1997-98
        47  by Kevin McLinton,  1991-92

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    970
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

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.

Junior Laron Profit has 144 career steals entering tonight's game versus North Carolina. His 140 career steals ranks him fifth all-time at Maryland.

Rank    No. Player,             SPG, Years
1.      344 by Johnny Rhodes (2.8 spg; 1993-1996)
2.      193 by Keith Booth (1.53 spg; 1994-97)
3.      175 by Walt Williams (1.7 spg; 1988-92)
4.      170 by Dutch Morley (1.4 spg; 1978-82)
5.      144 by Laron Profit (1.95 spg; 1995-96 - Present)

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.

Career 360-234 .606    (20th season)
at Maryland 153-106 .591    (9th season)

TERPS BY THE NUMBERS IN 1997-98
Overall Record: 10-5    When Outrebound Opponent:   8-2
ACC Record: 3-2 When Outrebounded by Opp:   2-3
Home Record:    8-1 When Rebounds are Equal:    0-0
Road Record:    1-2 When Leading at Half-time:  8-1
Neutral Site Record:    1-2 When Trailing at Half-time: 2-3
Day Games:  3-1 When Tied at Half-time: 0-1
Night Games:    7-4 When Shoot Better from Field:   8-3
In Home ACC Games:  2-1 When Shoot Worse from Field:    2-2
In Road ACC Games:  1-1 Versus a Ranked Opponent:   2-3
When Score At Least 80 Points:  8-0 When Score 100+ Points: 4-0
When Score Under 80 Points:     2-5

Maryland became the first team in the nation this season to defeat two teams which were ranked in the nation's top five at the time of the game. The Terps have defeated No. 1 North Carolina and then No. 2 Kansas, 86-83, on December 7 at the MCI Center in Washington, D.C.