1995-96 Review
After losing the season opening game against UC-Santa Barbara in the Prairie Lights Hawkeye Classic, the Terrapins went on to win their next four games and recorded a non-conference record of 6-4. In the season opening Hawkeye Classic, junior Lillian Purvis took home all-tournament honors after scoring 35 points and recording 10 rebounds in the loss to UCSB and Maryland's victory over Stephen F. Austin.. Maryland's other non-conference victories came against Rutgers, Howard, Mt. St. Mary's, Towson State and Loyola while defeat was handed to the Terps by Penn State, USC and UCLA.
After a slow conference start which saw Maryland go 2-7 in the first nine games, Maryland came on strong in February to win five of its last seven regular season games and finish with a conference mark of 7-9 and a sixth place finish. Two of those victories came against ranked teams, No. 14 Duke and a buzzer-beater over then No. 18 Clemson. Kelly Gibson lit the Terrapin fire in those two contests, averaging nearly 20 points and 10 rebounds. Gibson netted a personal-best 28 points against Clemson and claimed ACC rookie of the week honors twice in the month of February. Sonia Chase showed consistency throughout the season, staying on top of the ACC in steals throughout the year.
Three Terrapins were recognized by the ACC for their performances last season. Gibson was named to the ACC All-Rookie team while Chase and Stephanie Cross were All-ACC team honorable mention selections.
GIBSON: ACC ALL-FRESHMAN -- Kelley Gibson received ACC All-Freshman honors as the Easton, MD, native averaged 12.2 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. Gibson's career-high 28 point total came against Clemson as Maryland defeated the Lady Tigers 74-72. Gibson led the Terrapins in scoring in five games and her 330 points was second on the team.
SONIA CHASE AWARDED BY ACC -- Sophomore Sonia Chase received ACC second team all-tournament honors in 1996. Chase averaged 8.6 points and 4.5 rebounds per game and led Maryland in assists (97) and steals (90). The Baltimore, MD, native was the only Terrapin to start all 27 games.
DIAL SOAP CLASSIC AWARDS -- For their outstanding play in the Dial Soap Classic, Lillian Purvis and Kalisa Davis were selected to the Dial Soap All-Tournament team. Purvis recorded 27 points, 10 rebounds and five assists while Davis added 24 points, 16 rebounds and three assists.
PURVIS AT PRAIRIE CLASSIC -- Lillian Purvis was a member of the Prairie Lights Hawkeye Classic All-Tournament team. The Jacksonville, NC, native netted 35 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and seven assists in Maryland's two games against UC Santa Barbara and Stephen F. Austin. Purvis was the leading scorer for the Terrapins in both games.
LEADERS ON THE COURT -- Stephanie Cross led the team in average points (13.2), rebounds (6.9) and blocked shots (.5). Sonia Chase led the team in assists, averaging 3.6 per game and Lillian Purvis led Maryland in playing time averaging 34 minutes per contest.
ACC STEALS LEADER -- Sonia Chase led the ACC in steals with a total of 90 thefts for a 3.3 per game average. Chase's career-high eight steals came against both Howard and Florida State.
MARYLAND VS. RANKED TEAMS -- In the second week of February, Maryland played the role of giant-killer as the Terrapins defeated two ranked teams in a span of five days. Maryland defeated No. 14 Duke, 63-52, on February 5 and five days later defeated No. 18 Clemson, 74-72. Clemson went on to win the ACC championship.
END OF THE YEAR RUN -- The Terps had a successful end to the 1995-96 season. Maryland won four of its last six and five of its last eight games. Those five wins came against Duke, Clemson, Wake Forest, Florida State and North Carolina.
HONOR STUDENTS -- Jada Anderson, Kim Bretz and Nina Ohman all received a perfect 4.0 grade point average in the 1996 spring semester. Anderson is majoring in biology, Bretz in business and Ohman in international business and management.
COACH WELLER -- Chris Weller closed the book on her 21st season at Maryland in 1995-96 and has recorded a mark of 414-198. Weller is only the fifth coach in the NCAA to earn 400 victories at a single institution. Among her many honors, Weller has won eight ACC championships at Maryland.
TERP SUCCESS -- Since 1980. every player, with one exception, who finished her eligibility has graduated . -- In the last 19 years, the Terps have: * been in the Top 25 - 14 times * been in the Top 10 - 9 times * been to the Final Four three times -- Maryland has won an unprecedented eight ACC Championships -- 28 Terrapins have competed on international teams -- Five Terps have competed in the Olympics with Vicky Bullett competing twice. -- The Terps have had three Kodak All-Americans in Vicky Bullett, Deanna Tate and Jas Perazic.
