Nov. 9, 2003
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COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
In their collegiate debuts, freshmen Shay Doron and Kalika France combined for 29 points to lead the Maryland women's basketball team to a 58-56 win over the Turkish National Team in an exhibition game on Sunday afternoon at Comcast Center. Doron led the team with 19 points in her first-career game in a Maryland uniform, while France added 10.
Doron (Great Neck, N.Y./Christ the King) hit a jumper at 14:13 that gave the Terps their biggest lead of the first half, 13-4. But the Turks answered with a three-pointer from Saziye Ivegin which ignited a 14-4 run, giving them an 18-17 advantage. Ivegin chipped in nine of her game-high 26 points during that run.
Capped by another Doron bucket, five different Terps contributed in a 12-2 run as Maryland battled back to regain the lead, grabbing onto a 29-22 advantage to match their biggest lead of the period. Another Ivegin layup cut the lead to five points, but, with time winding down, freshman Aurelie Noirez (Vandoeuvre, France/Scaoux) got a layup at the buzzer to push the Terp lead back up to seven, 31-24, at the break.
Eight different Terps scored at least two points in the period, led by Doron with 11. Sophomore Chrissy Fisher (Rumson, N.J./Rumson Fair Haven) led the squad with seven first-half rebounds.
The second half saw the Terps push their lead to 10 points twice at 40-30 and then again at 42-32 with about 10 minutes left to play in the game. Turnovers hurt Maryland and allowed the Turkish National Team to get back into the contest. The Turks reeled in the Terps, going on an 11-1 tear and forcing four turnovers over the next three minutes to make the game a one-point affair, 44-43.
The game remained close in the final 6:55, with neither team leading by more than three points. An Esmeral Ozcelik free throw after a bucket gave the Turks their final lead of the game, 49-48, with 4:06 to go. France (Forestville, Md./Bishop McNamara) scored the ensuing basket, giving Maryland the lead once again. Fisher followed up with a jumper for the three-point lead but Ivegin sunk a three-pointer to even the game at 52-52. It would be the Turks' final bucket of the game.
After a Maryland timeout, Doron scored Maryland's final six points of the game and blocked Ivegin's last-second shot from behind the arc to secure the Maryland win.
France scored 10 points on 5-for-10 shooting, while Fisher led all players with 12 rebounds to go along with her nine points. The Terps ended the game with 20 turnovers, but forced 18.
Two other members of the Turkish National Team besides Ivegin also scored in double digits. Yasemin Horgan was 6-of-11 from the floor for 15 points and Ozcelik had 10 and a team-high eight boards.
Maryland plays one more exhibition game before the official start of the regular season. The Terps host Team Concept on Sunday, Nov. 16 at 7:30 p.m.
-- TERPS --
