Marissa Coleman Leads Maryland Back From15-point Deficit to Beat Vanderbilt

(Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

In a sport still considered to be male dominated, today we saw one of the best single performances in NCAA history.  Maryland came back from an early deficit to beat Vanderbilt and make it to Monday's Elite Eight game against Louisville.

More importantly, we saw one of the most memorable games in Maryland basketball history.  Marissa Coleman led the Lady Terps with 42 points and 15 rebounds. 

On a day when their leader, Kristi Toliver, struggled to find her game, Marissa Coleman single-handedly led Maryland to victory. There was no one on the Vanderbilt squad that could stop her. 

She played so effectively off the dribble and had the best crossover move I've seen in many years. The last time I saw such a crossover, Allen Iverson was leading Georgetown.

Each time I saw Marissa Coleman with the ball, I kept thinking of Len Bias. Len had some big games in Maryland history and took over games where no one else came to play. 

This reminded me of the performance Len had in his junior year at the Dean Dome. He outplayed every player on the court and took over a game that Maryland needed to win so badly.

Marissa's performance will go down in the record books and she will have her jersey in the rafters forever, but most importantly, she gave College Park sometime to smile about in a year where no Maryland team has had any magic.

Thanks for a memorable game. My daughters (7 and 8) and I were glued to your every move and appreciate the performance.  I look forward to the game against Louisville on Monday and can't wait to see what you have in store for us this time.

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