April 19, 2010
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - It was a year of many unknowns, especially with so many new faces on the team. But the obstacles and adversity which the Terps faced in the 2009-10 season only made the team and program that much stronger and resilient. They extended the program's home winning streak, had the team's sixth straight 20-plus win season, head coach Brenda Frese earned her 250th career win and the Terrapins took their 24th trip in to the post season.
Maryland had just graduated two of its all-time greats in Marissa Coleman and Kristi Toliver. The roster now consisted of nine freshmen and sophomores, and two seniors, one competing for the first time in a Maryland uniform and another who had been sidelined by injury. Sophomore Lynetta Kizer was the only returning starter and was forced to take on the leadership role.
As one of the youngest squads in the nation, the Terrapins embraced the challenges of their grueling schedule while also upholding the traditions of Maryland Women's Basketball. The Terps carried on a string of home wins from the previous two years which they extended to 48, a Maryland basketball record. The run was broken by Miami, who slid past the Terrapins by three points in the final seconds to avoid overtime.
One of the Terps' biggest wins this season came on the road against No. 19 Virginia. After the score was knotted at 32 during halftime, the Terrapins defeated the Cavaliers, winning by one point, after three Terps shut down AP All-America first team selection Monica Wright as the final seconds ticked off the clock.
The Terps battled in every contest this season while many games came down to the final seconds, a situation experienced players are more familiar with. During the ACC Tournament, Maryland notched a big win over North Carolina in the first round, 83-77, to advance. They had held the Tar Heels to under 10 points in the first eight minutes of play. The Terrapins dropped their next game to Duke, but only two points had separated the Terps from the veteran filled top-10 Blue Devil squad. The experience Maryland lacked at the start of the year was undoubtedly gained and will make for a bigger, faster and stronger team next season.
Many obstacles were faced this past season, but the Terrapins helped give Frese were 250th career victory while on the road at Wake Forest, as they defeated the Demon Deacons 70-65. All of the wins from the season propelled Maryland in to their 24th post season appearance and its seventh consecutive showing, the most since 1984. While competing in the 2010 Women's National Invitation Tournament, the Terps hit a season-high 13 three pointers in the first round and achieved a season-high in points with 88 against Iona College.
As always, Maryland remained a crowd favorite with a season-high 10,432 fans attending senior night. The Terps also topped the 10k mark when they hosted Duke in January. The Terps had the best home attendance in the ACC during the regular season, just shy of the 100,000 mark. The next closest attendance rate was over 20,000 fans behind Maryland.
The Terrapins' hard work earned them multiple awards throughout the year. Freshman
Diandra Tchatchouang was a three-time ACC Rookie of the Week and was named to the ACC All-Freshman team and the ACC All-Academic team. Classmate
Tianna Hawkins was also named a Rookie of the Week and joined Tchatchouang on the All-Academic team. Kizer was listed All-ACC third team, ACC All-Tournament second team and as the MVP of the Terrapin Classic in the fall. Senior
Lori Bjork garnered not only ACC Honorable Mention and All-Academic awards, but was named to ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America second team.
The youth on the team produced big numbers for the Terps. The five freshmen combined for 45 percent of the team's total points this year. In seven games Maryland started three freshmen and first year player, Tchatchouang, was the only Terp to start every game. The freshman from La Courneuve, France, also led Maryland in blocks with 44, ranking third amongst the freshmen record books.
Sophomore Kizer led the squad in points this season, averaging 12.9 and posting 21 double-figure point performances. She is on pace to reach 1,000 points next year, averaging 419 points per season. Kizer also led in rebounding with 7.8, but Hawkins wasn't far behind averaging 7.5 boards per game. The Clinton, Md., native led all ACC freshmen in that category.
Several Terrapins etched their names in the record books this season. Hawkins' 256 rebounds rank top-5 in the Maryland freshman record book. She also ties for fourth in blocks with 33. Freshman Dara Taylor is the all-time freshman assists leader with 171. Tchatchouang is top-10 in points (392), rebounds (183), field goals made (155), three-point field goals made (32) and attempted (103). She is second in field goals attempted (371) and third in blocks (44).
In the sophomore record books, Anjale Barrett is eighth for free throws attempted (100) and 10th in assists (101). Kim Rodgers, a straight shooter from the three-point line, is fifth in threes made (46) and sixth in treys attempted (133).
The lone competing senior, Bjork, left her mark on the program, ranking second in three pointers made with 85 and third in threes attempted with 208. Bjork's beyond the arc efforts also tapped in to the single season record books. Her threes rank No. 2, her attempted threes are fourth and her three-point field goal percentage is eighth (.409).
None of what was achieved this year could have been obtained without the efforts put in by the entire team. Every second counted on and off the court and the players, coaches, staff and loyal fans of the Maryland women's basketball program made sure that it did.
For more information and up-to-date news on your Maryland women's basketball program visit www.umterps.com and www.MarylandWomensBasketball.com.
-Go Terps-
