Dec. 28, 2002
Box Score
CORAL GABLES, Fla. -
Led by 16 points and 15 rebounds from freshman Angel Ross (Midlothian, Va.), Maryland downed Cleveland State 76-62 to open action at the Gatorade Holiday Classic at the University of Miami. The Terrapins (6-4) will meet Miami on Sunday at 7 p.m. in the championship game. Cleveland State (1-7) will play in the consolation game versus William & Mary beginning at 5 p.m.
The Vikings led by as many as four points in the opening half until a 16-0 run gave the Terps a 12-point advantage that they would never relinquish. The run, keyed by five points from senior guard Terri Daniels (Ellicott City, Md.), extended Maryland's lead to 24-12 with 10:03 remaining before the break. Ross scored eight of her career-high 16 points and grabbed nine rebounds before the teams headed to their locker rooms with the Terrapins up 38-25 at the half.
In her first action since coming to Maryland after her All-American career at Cincinnati State, junior transfer Delvona Oliver (Euclid, Ohio) exploded with 12 second-half points. Oliver unleashed offensively, scoring eight points midway through the second half in a 3:42 stretch to stave off a potential Cleveland State run. Oliver came one rebound short of a double-double in her Terps' debut, corralling nine rebounds to go with her career-high 16 points.
The Vikings tried one last run at Maryland in the waning minutes, but good free throw shooting preserved the victory for the Terrapins with Maryland hitting six-of-eight from the free throw line in the last 1:18 of the game.
The double-double was the third of Ross' young Maryland career. She posted new career highs for both points and rebounds. Five Terrapins reached double-digits in the scoring column for the second time this season. Terps' guards Vicki Brick (Timonium, Md.), Anesia Smith (Alexandria, Va.) and Daniels each netted 10 points, while Ross and Oliver canned 16 apiece. Smith and Brick both added five assists, with Ross dishing four assists and blocking two shots to go with her career night.
For Maryland assistant Erica Floyd, the victory was a sweet one as she was an assistant with the Vikings before joining Terps' head coach Brenda Frese on the sideline at Minnesota.
Cleveland State senior guard Erika Roudebush led all players with a game-high 19 points. Sophomore forward Jill Barnbrook added 10 points, while junior forward Ashley Schrock paced the Vikings with eight rebounds and six assists.
