Bleacher Report - Articles by Jennifer Johnson

Washington's Roster Shaping Up As Deadline Approaches

Jennifer Johnson — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 12:06:42 -0400

Sept. 4, 2009 was a day filled with anxious moments in Redskins Park.

The so-called "on-the-bubble" players took to the global communication network known as Twitter to alert the fans of their apprehension.

Former Missouri QB Chase Daniel tweeted that now is the "time to wait...and wait...and wait." I hear you Chase. Your position is not an enviable one.

The competition for the No. 3 spot behind starter Jason Campbell and backup Todd Collins has come down to the wire. Last year's preseason star out of Hawaii, Colt Brennan has been less than impressive in his second year wearing the burgundy and gold.

His performance in Thursday's preseason finale at Jacksonville was forgettable. He led the Skins' impressively down the field late in the second quarter only to see an errant pass towards the end zone go the opposite way for an 99-yard interception return by the opposing defense. Instead of cutting the lead to 13-7, the score was 21-0.

I know, I know it does not count right? Tell that hot mess to Colt. He certainly will care if it costs him a roster spot.

Fifty-three players make the final NFL roster, with eight suiting up on the practice squad.

"I tried to make the team tonight," said sixth-round draft pick Robert Henson also via Twitter. "I left it all out there. I love the DMV area." (referring to the D,C., Maryland, Virginia area)

Washington must cut 22 players to meet today's afternoon deadline.

Most of the team's starters became spectators for the Jaguars game so the level of intrigue of who stays and who goes looms large.

Here's a peak into some of the more closely watched battles between the haves and the have nots.

K Shaun Suisham competed with journeyman placekicker Dave Rayner for mixed results. He nailed a 48-yard field goal versus the Jaguars that could be enough to save his job for another season. However, the previous week he missed wide left on a 52-yard attempt versus New England.

Suisham made 26 field goals out of 36 attempts in 2008. His career field goal percentage is 72.2.

Verdict: Suisham wins the job, because of his locker room presence and team leadership. Teammates have nicknamed him Shaun Shazam.

Retired NFL wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson unceremoniously wrote several years back, "Just give me the damn ball." The Washington Redskins need that kind of attitude from their much-maligned unit heading into the 2009-2010 season.

It is a virtual lock that Antwaan Randle El, Malcolm Kelly, and Devin Thomas will make the team. But who will secure the No. 2 position behind Santana Moss?

Randle El has improved his route running and has the experience to give him the edge over Kelly and Thomas. In my opinion, Randle El is best suited to be the Skins' possession receiver. On third down situations with less than six or seven yards to go, Jason Campbell could hit Randle El in the slot to keep the chains moving.

The key is for the offense to keep it simple. Let Campbell use Moss and Kelly for the deep routes.

With that being said, I love Malcolm Kelly's potential. He spent last season nursing sore knees after having an operation to clean out loose cartilage. Kelly needs to use his big frame as a weapon versus the smaller defensive backs who will oppose him.

Management has a tough decision here if they are judging on stats alone. Kelly finished the preaseason with seven catches for 69 yards. Thomas finished with seven catches for 67 yards.

Verdict: Kelly grabs the No. 2 spot and the coaches rotate in Randle El, Thomas, and this preseason's most consistent performer Marko Mitchell in the No. 3 spot.

The biggest concern for the Redskins coming into the offseason was the health of the starting offensive line. Major injuries curtailed what was a promising start to last season. The Skins' went 6-2 through the first eight games. Jason Campbell looked comfortable in the pocket, and threw no interceptions.

And then the injury bug bit the team hard. RT Stephon Heyer and RG Randy Thomas nursed shoulder injuries and missed significant playing time.

Heyer came into camp as an undrafted rookie out of Maryland. He promptly supplanted Jon Jansen (currenlty in Detroit) as the team's starting right tackle.

Then Heyer went down, and was replaced by Jansen.

Jansen showed flashes of his former self, but had problems pass blocking. His footwork and stamina were called into question in the local media.

Things went from good to bad in a hurry. The Skins' finished 2-6 in the last eight games of the season ,and missed the playoffs for the third time in five years.

Washington went out and picked up a familiar face to bolster the left side of the offensive line. LT Derrick Dockery returned to D.C. after a three-year stint in Buffalo. The front four gave up 38 sacks last year.

Protecting the quarterback's blind side is the hardest job on the field period. To be successfull, Campbell has got to have the time to find open receivers.

The team also brought in former first-round pick Mike Williams to increase depth and add some girth to the unit. Williams was pushing the scales at 430lbs, and ate himself out of the league when the Skins' front office gave him a call.

Now he is 100 lbs lighter and hopes to earn the respect of the fans and his teammates one snap at a time. Coach Zorn offered this upbeat statement about Williams' performance.

"He made it compelling for him to be a part of this football team."

Verdict: Williams replaces Pete Kendall (not re-signed) and works primarily as a second-string tackle for the Skins.'

Running backs in Washington have done well in the past, so it is fun to see two backs duke it out for playing time behind Pro Bowl runner, Clinton Portis.

Portis rushed for 1487 yards last season, and needn't worry about job security in 2010. It's Ladell Betts that should be looking over his shoulder at Marcus Mason and Anthony Alridge.

Mason is this preseason's leading rusher with 28 carries for 88 yards and a touchdown. He missed most of the Jacksonville game with sore ribs. Coach Zorn likes his toughness saying, "He's very willing to strike a blow."

Both Mason and Alridge can provide the change-of-pace running that Betts has done in previous years, Both are speedy, versatile backs that can fill in on special teams...something that Betts has never done consistently. Rock Cartwright has a pulled quad muscle and has not seen a lot of action as of late.

The writing is on the wall for Mason and Alridge. One will make the final roster and one will not.

Verdict: Mason beats out Alridge (first quarter fumble in the Jacksonville game hurts him in the end) and Alridge is relegated to the practice squad.

By 4:00 pm, we will find out which guys will travel to the Meadowlands to face the New York Football Giants on Sept. 13.

What time is it?

Game Time.

Orakpo Tackles New Role in Washington

Jennifer Johnson — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 23:52:02 -0400

With the 13^th overall pick in the 2009 NFL draft, the Washington Redskins select Brian Orakpo, defensive end from the University of Texas.

The transition from the college game to the pros can be a daunting task for any unseasoned rookie. Despite the pressures of the media spotlight, one young man appears to be embracing his new role in the professional arena.

After completing his first month of OTAs (Organized Team Activities) Brian Orakpo has quickly learned to think on his feet. Hard work and remembering to stay mentally focused will lead to success in his mind.

Orakpo has been asked by second-year coach Jim Zorn to put in time at strong-side linebacker. He will also be called upon to line up at his natural position of defensive end on passing downs. Zorn was emphatic about this point in a post-draft interview on April 27.

“We expect Brian to earn a lot of playing time on first down and second down from the linebacker slot,” said Zorn. “However, he most certainly will get a chance to show his athleticism as a pass rusher when the situation presents itself.

"It all depends on how he masters the playbook… learns the schemes his coaches want him to learn.”

He finished his stellar senior season at UT with 11 ½ sacks and 40 total tackles, while playing primarily from the defensive end position. Scouts have said his best physical characteristics are his quick feet and relentless pursuit of the play.

These are intangibles that can be polished, but not taught.

For his part, Orakpo intends to show Zorn and Co. that he has the drive to excel on the field at both key positions.

“I’m feeling the difference, but it is still football,” said Orakpo. “If you know what you’re doing you can play fast. If you don’t that’s when you kind of get left behind. But what I try to do is go in and know what I’m doing, study my playbook, study the plays that we put in that day and try to play fast.”

The Redskins might not have the luxury of taking their time with getting Orakpo acclimated to this level, because of the departure of long-time outside linebacker Marcus Washington.

Washington was also a well-received locker room motivator.

Leading tackler and current middle linebacker London Fletcher is getting older (34) and his best years could be behind him. Rocky McIntosh is still recovering from a major knee injury suffered two seasons ago.

McIntosh and Orakpo are going to be heavily scrutinized as the Redskins look to improve on a dismal 2007-2008 season, where they managed to give up 18.8 points per game. Last year’s defense also relinquished an average of 295 yards per game.

The other three starting quarterbacks in the NFC East must fear the defense when they line up under center. Eli Manning, Tony Romo, and Donovan McNabb are excellent at checking down to their second or third option. McNabb is still a threat to run. It is imperative that the Redskins exploit the opposing team’s vulnerabilities in pass blocking.

Stats don’t lie. Washington has missed the playoffs three times in five seasons.

It will take a little bit of luck, the ability to stay healthy, and a consistent balance of scoring and defensive pressure for the Skins’ to end their lack of solid team play.

Jim Zorn is on a short leash in DC. A young talent like Orakpo just might be the player that defines his legacy for better or for worse.

Notes:

Several starters did not attend minicamp for undisclosed reasons.

Notable names missing in action were RG Randy Thomas, MLB London Fletcher, and CB Carlos Rogers.

Thomas has missed most of the last two seasons with a torn pectoral muscle and a severe neck injury.

Jason Taylor Re-Signs with Miami for Second Chance at Success

Jennifer Johnson — Wed, 13 May 2009 18:32:50 -0400

Former Redskins defensive end Jason Taylor re-signed with the Miami Dolphins late this afternoon. The deal is reported to be for one year worth $1.5 million.

The Dolphins traded the 11-year veteran to the Washington Redskins last summer after he and Bill Parcells clashed over his absence in the club’s offseason activities.

Taylor became a television mainstay on ABC’s hit reality show, “Dancing with the Stars.” His accomplishments earned on the football field became secondary to his new hobby, and that was apparently too much for the “Tuna” to stomach.

The Redskins were also disappointed in Taylor’s lack of commitment to their offseason conditioning program and promptly released No. 55. Taylor cited personal reasons for his decision to stay in Miami, where he has family and a home in the suburbs.

In his one season in DC, Taylor recorded just three-and-a-half sacks in 13 games played. He started eight games for the 'Skins, spending some time at linebacker later on in the 2008-2009 campaign.

For the first time in his solid pro career, he faced a major injury. He suffered a severe calf injury that forced him out of the lineup for three games. Taylor experienced a terrible complication in which blood pooled inside his leg, causing excruciating pain. The injury was life-threatening as his leg swelled so bad, surgery was needed to save his life.

Still, Vinny Cerrato and Daniel Snyder were trying to set a precedent this year for keeping the team chemistry intact. So when Taylor informed the team of his decision to workout in Miami, they acted swiftly.

Jason turns 35 this September, but believes there is plenty of fuel left in his aging tank. “My heart has always been in Miami, so I am truly excited to become a Dolphin again,” Taylor said in a written statement submitted by his agent.

“I was presented with a number of different opportunities, but in the end the combination of this being the best situation for my family, my love for this community, and my tremendous loyalty to a great organization made this an easy decision.”

As a Redskins fan, I was not surprised he didn’t come close to the 11 sacks he recorded in 2007. However, his attitude leaves something to be desired, and I am glad the Redskins management team made the best decision for their organization.

Note to Jason:

Jazz hands won’t help your tackling skills. Good riddance Mr. Metrosexual.

Alexander Ovechkin Named Finalist for Hart Trophy

Jennifer Johnson — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 18:53:46 -0400

In four professional seasons in the National Hockey League, Alexander Ovechkin has proved he is an elite player.

And this afternoon, the league recognized his talent for the second straight year.

Ovechkin joins fellow nominees Evgeni Malkin of the Pittsburgh Penguins (the players will meet in the second round of the playoffs, which starts in Washington, DC on May 2) and Pavel Datsyuk of the Detroit Red Wings, as the three finalists for the NHL’s top individual honor.

This is the first time in league history all three Hart finalists are Russian-born.

Ovechkin has been a scoring machine since his arrival in the nation’s capital. In the last two seasons, he has amassed 121 total goals, and was the youngest Capital to reach 200 career goals scored. This year he led the NHL with 56 goals.

Malkin is the Penguins’ chief enforcer. He finished his regular season winning the scoring title (113 total points), beating out Ovechkin (110 points), who had won the title last year. Teammate and Ovechkin rival, Sidney "The Kid” Crosby finished with 103 points.

“It means a lot to me to be up for this award,” said an appreciative Ovechkin, “I always want to be the best, so this is a great honor. It’s special too with three Russians nominated. It’s a great thing for our country and our sport.”

If the “Great Eight” wins the coveted trophy, he will be only the second player to win back-to-back awards since goaltender Dominik Hasek accomplished the feat in 1997 and 1998, as a member of the Buffalo Sabres.

No forward has claimed the honor in consecutive seasons since Wayne Gretzky won eight straight MVP’s from 1980 to 1987.

The winner will be announced on June 18 in Las Vegas.

Mike Green, Ovechkin's teammate and the league’s top-scoring defenseman, was named a finalist for the Norris Trophy. Green led NHL defensemen with 31 goals scored on the season. He set a record for a defenseman by scoring a goal in eight straight games. He also led the league with 17 power play goals scored.

It is hard to say Ovechkin had a down year from a season ago, but stats-wise that was the case. “Ovie” netted 65 goals last year—making him the first player to do so in a dozen seasons.

Still, to argue with his production would be fool’s gold when you break down all he’s accomplished in 86 games played this season. (He missed two games to visit his ailing grandfather back in Russia, and sat out a late season game after taking the puck hard off of his ankle courtesy of assistant coach Dean Evason in practice.)

Alex led the league in many offensive categories other than just goals scored. He topped everyone in goals at even strength with 36, points per game with 1.39 average, shots on goal with 528, and points on the power play with 46.

Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux are the only other players to reach 200 career goals and 200 career assists in their first four seasons.

Ovechkin is a player that causes a commotion wherever he goes. He drew the ire of hockey commentator Don Cherry when he pretended his stick was on fire during a celebration of his 50th goal scored.

The Tampa Bay Lightning briefly took exception to Ovechkin’s antics because he did his dastardly deed in front of their net.

Without a doubt, Alex likes to play a high-octane game. He’ll deliver the wicked one-timer on one offensive series, and in the next sequence he is popping the opponent in the mouth with a timely hit.

To imply he is a “vicious goon,” like Cherry proclaimed after the Lightning game, is incredulous to me.

I am a homer, and proud of it. But I will remind the velvet-red wearing pseudo-hockey guru that this is a contact sport. Hangnails are not a valid excuse to miss the puck drop.

Get over yourself, sir. Your audience is bored with the complaining. Every team wants an Ovechkin-type player on their roster, whether they admit it or not.

There is stiff competition from the other two finalists. Drafted No. 2 behind Ovechkin in 2004, Malkin, in addition to leading the league in points, had the most assists (78).

Malkin is a locker room leader, and is the versatile stud that will cause problems for the good-guys-in-red on Saturday. He can line up on the wing or play center with no hesitation.

Datsyuk is Detroit’s most consistent scoring threat. On a team full of stars, he plays a solid game every night. He finished fourth in points, with 97 (23 goals, 65 assists).

Pavel deserves a lot of credit for also being nominated for the NHL’s top defensive forward (Selke Trophy), and for being recognized for a player who best combines sportsmanship with performance (Lady Byng Trophy).

The professional hockey league boasts supreme talent that transcends the globe.

The players share a common goal: To be the best that has ever played the game. Join me in congratulating three worthy men on a job well done.

Washington-Boston: The Wizards End Their Horrid Season With 115-107 Loss

Jennifer Johnson — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 19:19:35 -0400

Oh the humanity!

The Washington Wizards (19-63) finished their dismal 2008-2009 season on a sour note last night at TD Banknorth Garden in Boston. They tied a franchise record with the fewest wins ever in a season, and have little hope for making serious strides to improve in the coming months.

Without the services of vocal leader, and crowd pleaser Gilbert Arenas for most of the season, the "Wiz" were left a broken organization. Familiar faces like Antawn Jamison, Brendan Haywood and Arenas were in street clothes, and watched the finale from the Wizards’ bench.

Boston (62-20) rested their all-stars, as their only goal for this game was to stay healthy. Minus Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce, the Wizards still could not overcome their youthful inexperience.

Caron Butler led all scorers with a game-high 39 points, but his performance was not enough to earn his team their 20th win. Injuries hampered the Wizards’ ability to be competitive in the increasingly tough Eastern Conference.

Second-year man Nick Young was the only player to play in all 82 games. Jamison was forced to sit out his first game, due to bone spurs in his right ankle. He initially got hurt during the Wizards’ most significant win versus the Cleveland Cavaliers on April 2.

This game was the only time that he, Haywood and Arenas were all on the court together. Jamison has played all 82 games five times in his career. According to Jamison, this latest setback could require surgery. “I feel fortunate enough to make it except for one game,” Jamison said. “Hopefully I can rest it and take it from there. If it does [require surgery], it’s just another bump in the road.”

This final loss also marked the end of Ed Tapscott’s tenure as head coach. He was placed in a difficult position the moment he replaced former coach Eddie Jordan on Nov. 24. Last night’s lineup of Javaris Crittenton, Dominic McGuire, Darius Songaila, rookie JaVale McGee and Butler was the 21st starting rotation utilized by the team.

Eight bodies dressed for the game, but were down to seven, when Crittendon was forced to leave with a sprained right ankle, with the Wizards leading 71-70 at the 3:45 mark of the third quarter.

Tapscott will be replaced by former Timberwolves and Pistons coach, Flip Saunders. Various reports have Saunders agreeing to a four-year approximately 18 million dollar deal.

“What’s done is done,” said Tapscott, in his final postgame interview as coach of the Wizards. “You live with the verdict of history. When you have a record like that, you have it for a reason and we are all of that reason. We have to face that. Now it will be someone else’s task to put those pieces up and reassemble them so we’re better than that.”

Saunders has an impressive coaching history. He has been to the conference finals four times, and has the seven highest winning percentage amongst coaches with at least 900 games coached. He inherits a team that is struggling to find cohesion amid the revolving door of players that come through DC each year.

The Wizards lack consistency at the four and five position. Brendan Haywood is a streaky performer. One night he will give you 20 points and 10 rebounds. And the next night, he’ll score six points and foul out.

Fellow center Etan Thomas had a near-death heart ailment that could have ended his career, and was never a consistent threat inside the paint either. It will be interesting to see what Saunders does with JaVale McGee.

The rookie finished his season averaging 6.2 PPG, 1 block in 15.2 MPG. He appeared in 75 games total. He is raw, but I see potential if he hits the weight room, and works on his foot work.

He earned the respect of his teammates by never quitting. The word from the locker room is that he is highly coachable. Give him another year under a reputable coach, and McGee might become a solid enforcer down on the block.

So rejoice Wizards’ fans! Rejoice! For this season is mercifully over. Let it be said I wish them better luck in 2010.

Baltimore-Tampa Bay: Melvin Mora's Big Hit Leads the Orioles to 6-0 Win.

Jennifer Johnson — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 11:51:17 -0400

Baltimore's ace, Jeremy Guthrie improved to (2-0) on the 2009 season as the Orioles won for the second straight game versus World Series, runner-up Tampa Bay.

Third baseman Melvin Mora provided the offensive firepower, notching his first grand slam of the season, and Guthrie pitched six strong innings in the 6-0 shutout victory.

After ending a 12-game losing skid against the Rays on Friday, the Orioles clinched their first series win over their divisional opponent since August 3-5, 2007.

Baltimore is 4-1 through its first five games of the season. This equals their best start since the 2000 season. The Orioles took two-of-three from the New York Yankees, before being blown out in that series' final game, 11-2.

Mora made sure game No. 2 in this matchup would go in the favor of the Birds. Mora capped a five-run first inning when he sent Tampa Bay starter's, Jeff Niemann's offering over the deep left field seats at Camden Yards. Adam Jones, Nick Markakis, and Aubrey Huff scored on the "grand salami". Mora went 1-for-4 with 4 RBI.

The Orioles have a modest lineup on paper, but have utilized their team speed and ability to get on base to their advantage.

Many preseason baseball analysts had Baltimore finishing either fourth or fifth in the AL East. With 157 games left in the regular season, the team knows this is only the beginning. Guthrie credited Mora's big hit with giving him the confidence to settle down. Nervous pitchers tend to miss their targets. Guthrie wanted to establish his control against the opportunistic bats of the Rays' top hitters.

"I expect the big hits from Melvin and everybody else," Guthrie said. "He came through tonight and got us that big lead."

Baltimore's bullpen shined tonight as well. Matt Albers, Jamie Walker, and Chris Ray made sure the Rays' offense would stay silent on this gorgeous spring evening. They pitched three innings in relief of Guthrie, giving up three hits combined and recorded three strikeouts.

Rays' third baseman Evan Longoria and catcher Dioner Navarro were the only hitters who had moderate success against the Orioles' pitchers. Both finished the game going 2-for-4. Tampa Bay left 19 men on base. They went 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position. Something manager Joe Maddon addressed in the postgame interview.

"We had some chances to get back into it, but we did not," said Maddon. "(Guthrie) made some good pitches when he had to. He pitched well. He had everything going on."

Jeff Niemann was making his fifth major league start. He pitched a solid game minus the first inning. Brian Roberts led off the game with a double and Niemann (0-1) hit Adam Jones to put the two men on the base pads. Then, right fielder Nick Markakis doubled in Roberts. The Orioles went ahead 1-0.

Aubrey Huff then walked to load the bases. Mora saw two pitches in his first at-bat. The second pitch was the one he liked the best. He tattooed Niemann's 0-1 delivery to record his first grand slam since June 2005 at Detroit.

Ty Wigginton followed Mora' blast with a single, before Niemann got his first out. "It was a rough start," Niemann said. "I had to go out there and keep trying to get guys out and let the defense work for me. I battled back, but I put us in the hole from the get-go."

Baltimore went up 6-0 as Niemann was chased after surrendering two consecutive walks to start the bottom of the sixth inning. He went 5-and-one-third innings allowing six runs on six hits, struck out three batters and walked four men.

Orioles Notes:

The Orioles have scored 16 runs in Guthrie's two starts.

After the game, relief pitcher Matt Albers was optioned to Class AAA Norfolk to make room for RHP Adam Eaton.

Eaton is expected to start the series finale.

Jeff Niemann made four starts last year, going 2-2 with both wins coming versus Baltimore.

Washington Mystics Select Maryland Star Marissa Coleman in the WNBA Draft

Jennifer Johnson — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 17:28:38 -0400

The Washington Mystics have upgraded their roster in a big way by selecting Maryland Terrapins star forward Marissa Coleman with the No. 2 pick in today’s WNBA draft.

For a team that has lacked a true inside presence since the retirement of Vicky Bullet, the Mystics have added the most explosive player to come out of the college ranks this year.

The Atlanta Dream grabbed Louisville sensation Angel McCoughtry with the first overall pick.

The Mystics were weighing many of their options in pre-draft scenarios according to Vice President/General Manager Angela Taylor. But it was Marissa’s mix of offensive production and strong rebounding ability that won over management.

“We are excited to add a standout player like Marissa Coleman to the Washington Mystics roster with the second overall pick,” said a beaming Taylor.

“Marissa was an integral part of building a championship program at Maryland and has consistently demonstrated an ability to elevate her game at crucial times during the game. Her size, versatility, and her ability to score from anywhere on the floor makes her a very special player.”

Her passion for the game and competitive nature won over her teammates throughout her career in College Park. Coleman and former teammate Kristi Toliver combined to average more than half of the Terrapins’ points, during a fifteen game winning streak that began back in early February. (Maryland’s streak was snapped by Louisville in the NCAA regional final)

Chicago drafted Toliver immediately upon seeing Coleman go off the board with the No. 3 overall pick.

Coleman is one of the more prolific scorers entering the WNBA in 2009.

She averaged 18.1 PPG and 8.6 RPG. For the ACC tournament, she averaged slightly under 24 PPG to earn MVP honors for the second time in her storied career. Coleman is the first player in the ACC to record over 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, 400 assists, 200 steals and 100 blocks.

Her athleticism never stops. She can pull up quickly and drain a 15-foot jump shot, before the defense has a chance to get in position. And then she can dictate the physical play inside the paint to hurt her opponent. Many times during Maryland’s season, it was Marissa who held the ball to close out the waning seconds of a Terrapins’ victory.

If you lose sight of No. 25 beware of the consequences. She is every bit the dominant player that Sheryl Swoopes was when she led the Texas Tech Lady Red Raiders to the 1993 NCAA championship trophy.

I argue that she will be a tougher matchup than Swoopes was in the pros. Swoopes relied primarily on her scoring ability to help her team. She attacked the basket in the same fashion as Coleman did at Maryland, but fell short when it came to handling the ball off the boards.

I am excited for the Mystics’ chances of securing a playoff spot this season.

With the maximum number of players on an active WNBA roster, cut down from 13 players to 11 this season, the battle for starting spots will be something to watch in preseason.

Mystics Notes:

Washington signed 10-year veteran Chastity Melvin on February 9, 2009. This will be her second stint in DC, as she played for the Mystics in parts of four seasons before being traded in 2007 for Monique Currie.

Melvin is expected to be the backup center, and help guide inconsistent second-year starter Nakia Sanford.

Marissa Coleman joins former Maryland teammate Crystal Langhorne who was selected in the first round of last year’s draft.

Capitals-Thrashers: Simeon Varlamov Cools Down The Competition

Jennifer Johnson — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 22:49:45 -0400

In two previous meetings between the Southeast Conference winning Washington Capitals and the Atlanta Thrashers, the games were hardly indicative of the talent that permeates on the DC squad.

Both teams were paired up for the thrid time last night at Phillips Arena.

The Thrashers were certainly the more aggressive team in their earlier 7-4 and 5-1 victories in this building.

So to expect anything less than another tough road test from the cagey youngsters would be a mistake on the playoff-bound Capitals' part.

Luckily for the fans of the good guys in red, the results of this final challenge went in the Capitals' favor. Rookie netminder Simeon Varlamov turned in a dominating performance in just his fifth NHL start.

He stopped 29 of 31 shots faced, and improved to 4-0-1 on the season. Using his glove hand like a veteran, Varlamov corralled the puck in the waning moments of a late Atlanta power play to secure the 4-2 win.

With just two games left to go in the regular season the Capitals need one more point, to secure the second seed in the Eastern Conference. Washington (49-23-8) is four points ahead of New Jersey (49-27-4, 102) in the standings.

Leading goal scorer Alexander Ovechkin (55) registered two assists, but had a goal taken away when it was later revealed his fellow Russian forward, Sergei Federov, had actually scooted the bouncing biscuit past Thrashers' goalie Ondrej Pavelec at the 9:18 mark of the third period.

"The Great Eight" trails Pittsburgh's Evegeni Malkin in the race for this year's scoring title. Malkin also notched two assists in his team's 6-4 win at Tampa Bay. He retains a two point cushion over Ovechkin (110-108). But as Capitals fans know, Ovie is more concerned with getting that second spot behind Boston locked up.

He was happy with the "ugly" win, but was disappointed in the overall performance of the revamped first line. Coach Bruce Boudreau promoted Sergei Federov to the top line, shifting Nicklas Backstrom down to the second line. Here are some of Ovechkin's thoughts on how his linemates and himself finished.

"There were no emotions, no good crowd, you know?" Ovechkin said. "It was hard to play hockey here. It's a hard situation for Atlanta right now. It's only two games in the season and they go on vacation. We're in the playoffs. Our minds are in the playoffs."

For the second straight year, Ovechkin and Co. are headed to the postseason on a high note. The Capitals have amassed 106 points this season, and won on the last day of the regular season last year to finish with 94 points. That gives the Caps an average of 100 points in Boudreau's short NHL coaching career.

Plucked from the the ranks of the AHL Hershey Bears' organization, Boudreau has answered the prayers of many in the DC area since his hiring back on November 22, 2007. Owner Ted Leonsis asked us all to be patient, as he rebuilt the Capitals' roster into the juggernaut it is today. He can claim good riddance to all those haters in the media that dismissed Washington as a "lightweight" in a mid-range market.

Active players like Eric Fehr, Boyd Gordon, Tomas Fleischmann, and Jeff Schultz all played for Boudreau in Hershey. And with the emergence of defenseman Karl Alzner, the blue line looks to have a perennial All-Star in the making to complement stud Mike Green for a number of years to come.

Boudreau was encouraged by Simeon Varlamov's play, despite the ho-hum type of hockey atmosphere. "Varly played really really good," said Boudreau. "We left him out to dry a few times."

Boudreau's strength is that he does not play favorites. Case in point, the tinkering of the top line.

The second line in tonight's game performed much better than the All-Russian top line. Winger Tomas Fleischmann scored for the second time in as many games, netting the game's first tally at 8:20 in the first period.

He carried the puck in below the goal line, then passed back through the crease between Ondrej Pavelec (22 saves) and the goal post. Thrashers center Marty Reasoner fumbled the puck, and watched it sail past his defenseless goalie. The Capitals' took the 1-0 lead.

Rich Peverley evened the score 68 seconds later, thanks to a breakdown defensively in the Washington zone by Milan Jurcina. But goals by Viktor Kozlov and Alexander Semin (on a nice give-and-go from Fleischmann) gave the Capitals a 3-1 advantage at the first intermission.

And not much in the way of good, clean action occurred after the game's first twenty minutes. Reasoner made up for his first period miscue, and redirected a shot that slid between Varlamov's pads to cut the Caps lead to 3-2.

Then Varlamov became a stone wall. He stopped the Thrasher's final eighteen shots to help the Capitals try and fend off the Devils from wrestling the No. 2 seed in the East from their grasp.

Capitals Notes

Defenseman Donald Brashear accompanied the team on their final road trip, but missed his 12th consecutive game with a sprained knee.

The Capitals' last two games are against divisional opponents. (Tampa Bay on Thursday and Florida on Saturday)

Capitals' Fans Catching The Fever For Season Tickets

Jennifer Johnson — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 19:15:41 -0400

If you live in the D.C. metropolitan area and haven’t been to a Capitals’ game, then man, you are missing out!

The Capitals are enjoying their second consecutive winning season under long-time AHL coach Bruce Boudreau.

The good-guys-in-red edged out the Carolina Hurricanes for the NHL's Southeastern Division title on the last game of the 2007-08 regular season by defeating the Florida Panthers 3-1.

Despite a sub par March this season, the Capitals (46-23-7) sit atop the Southeastern Division standings with 99 points through 76 games played.

Along with the surging New Jersey Devils (47-25-4, 98 points), the Caps have been chasing Eastern Conference-leading Boston (49-17-10, 108 points) for a solid two months.

Tonight the Caps go head-to-head with the New York Islanders at Verizon Center with just six games left to prove they deserve the second seed in the 2009 NHL playoffs…and the greatest accomplishment that is lost on the national media is how the team’s talented squad has increased the ticket sales by 40 percent.

For a "non-hockey" town, the eager fans sure have been buying tickets at an exciting rate to see their men lace them up.

Owner Ted Leonsis is anticipating selling out the 12,000 allotted tickets for season tickets for next season.

When this happens, the sales staff will be forced to put additional ticket buyers on a waiting list. “I really think we’ll enter next season without a ticket to sell,” Leonsis said. “I always thought it was up to us. I never once said this is a bad market. I always believed that if we put out a good product, and the team played well, it was possible.”

So far this season, the Capitals have sold out 25 home games.

This is a franchise record and their average attendance will dwarf the numbers set the year they went to the Stanley Cup Finals (1997).

The team has sold 3,800 new full-season tickets since Feb. 17, and with less than two weeks remaining in the regular season there are fewer than 100 full-season tickets available for next season.

Jan Van Stone, Vice President of Ticket Sales, attributes the high demand for Capitals tickets on the team’s drafting of Alexander Ovechkin and the family friendly packages that include souvenir Caps gear, food and beverages, and a chance to meet a Capital at a future game.

No social, economic, or racial bias applies to the Capitals’ marketing approach when it involves keeping the fans entertained. “We offer fans an interest-free, 12-month payment plan for season tickets, a program used by 80 percent of our customers,” Van Stone said.

The increased fan support has allowed management to raise ticket prices an average of seven percent during these winning seasons. However, the average ticket price of $41.66 still ranks the team in the bottom third of the league.

In a building that holds 18,277, the 12,000 regular season tickets sold would rank the Capitals in the top third of the league by next season.

“The focus now is about retention,” Tim McDermott, the Capitals’ senior vice president said. “A couple of years ago, I remember hearing Ted telling some prospective ticket holders, ‘Get in now. It’s like buying Google stock at 36 cents.’ Ted was right on. Our meteoric rise has been very Google-like.”

More bodies planted in the movie-theater style lower level seats means an increase in television exposure as well.

Comcast SportsNet broadcasters, Joe Beninati and Craig Laughlin, make hockey an interactive experience.

During intermission sessions, a trivia question is given to both men, and sometimes their good-natured cajoling is better than the actual on-ice affair.

I love it when Joe uses hockey jargon like “corralling the bouncing biscuit” or “Ovechkin just whizzed a howitzer past the outstretched goalie’s glove that sailed wide by inches folks.” Together, they have the knowledge and engaging personalities needed to keep viewers involved in the action.

Merchandise sales have also risen 30 percent from a year ago. Ovechkin’s No. 8 sweater is the most popular jersey followed by defenseman Mike Green (No. 52).

This is a brand new experience for the entire Capitals organization.

Being a hot commodity has its benefits and Leonsis is well aware that in order to keep the fans around for many years to come, he has to make it worth their hard-earned money.

“There are higher expectations and people who are unhappy because they can’t come in,” Leonsis quipped. “It’s a whole new experience for us, a whole new stage in our development. I told everyone it could all go away in a heartbeat. So, we have to stay humble and over-service people.”

Notes: Defenseman Donald Brashear remains out of the lineup with a sore knee, but is expected to play this weekend.

Jose Theodore gets the nod in net tonight for the home team.

Terrapins' Sights Set On Women's Final Four Berth

Jennifer Johnson — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 10:50:22 -0400

If Terrapins’ fans missed Maryland’s last tournament game against Vanderbilt in Raleigh, N.C., then shame on you.

The wild contest was a nail-biter from beginning to end.

Fabulous forward Marissa Coleman finished the game with a career-high 42 points and 15 rebounds, and the 78-74 victory was Maryland’s sixteenth win in a row, capping off another monster effort by a true leader in the locker room and on the basketball court.

If Maryland (31-4) is to advance to their third Final Four is four years, they will need to re-establish their offensive rhythm and protect the basketball.

Today, top-seeded Maryland is slated to hoop it up with fourth-seeded Louisville. In order to avoid the hole that they dug themselves into in the Vanderbilt game, Maryland must take high percentage shots, and get the ball inside more often against Louisville.

The secret is out—Seniors Kristi Toliver and Coleman are phenomenal players.

These athletic angels have bailed out their team countless times, but might be pushing their luck as the competition heats up in the southern region of the NCAA Tournament.

Coleman, however, remains confident her team is not becoming complacent with each win.

“The feelings that we have now are great. We’re so confident coming into this game,” said Coleman. “Even against [Vanderbilt] when we were down, I didn’t think we were going to lose. Kristi and I are so determined right now not to let our careers end. I don’t think there’s a coach in this country, honestly, that can devise a plan or can have some defensive strategy that can stop that because that’s all will and determination.”

Believing in yourself is a remarkable elixir when adversity comes knocking at your door.

Louisville forward Candace Bingham was sitting in the stands, and saw just how vital Marissa Coleman’s senior leadership is for her team.

“When they had a timeout, I saw her sitting on the coach’s stool, talking to the team,” said Bingham. “That tells you she was wanting her team to win really, really bad. She showed that in her performance, too. And why not? She’s a senior; she didn’t want it to be her last game.”

Louisville (32-4) also relies on a pair of determined seniors with excellent leadership skills. Bingham and Angel McCoughtry double-teamed second-seeded Baylor in a 56-39 victory on Saturday.

Bingham was the top-scorer for the Cardinals, and finished with 22 points and 12 rebounds. McCoughtry finished with 15 points and 15 rebounds.

The Cardinals used an 18-2 run over the last 8:50 of the game in which the duo combined for 11 points and seven rebounds.

The game was tight most of the way, until Louisville’s go-to-girls came up big at the perfect time.

McCoughtry has got roots to the metropolitan area. She is a Baltimore, Maryland native that decided to sign elsewhere, once Marissa Coleman chose Maryland over several other Division I programs.

She and Coleman are the post-season gems for their respective teams.

Coleman and McCoughtry are both 6'1" with offensive versatility. Coleman’s a hard girl to defend because she can take the ball off of an offensive rebound and go coast-to-coast in mere seconds.

Before an opponent can breathe, Maryland has established the game’s tempo.

McCoughtry is a gym rat, and she recently told Sports Illustrated, "On a scale of 1 to 10, I’m a 50."

Their competitive desires fuel the fire within them to keep moving forward.

Maryland is looking to be mentioned in the same breath as the great Tennessee teams of the mid 90’s.

Louisville, meanwhile, is the dark horse in the tournament that would love to upset a squad who hasn’t lost since early February.

The Terrapins are extremely deep, and with coach Brenda Frese’s guidance, have surpassed the expectations for a program that could have collapsed after the retirement of long-time play-caller Chris Weller.

Louisville is the underdog in this game and have never played in a regional final, and Coleman and Toliver are the lone ladies to have won a national title left in this year’s tournament.

“Here is the difference that I see in Marissa Coleman and Kristi Toliver this year, more than in the last two,” women’s college basketball national broadcaster Doris Burke said.

“There is a single-minded approach with both of them that seems to say, whether in body language, in words and attitude, and also translated to what they’re doing on the court, 'I will do whatever it takes to get myself to a national championship game'.”

With the Final Four looming ahead, will the Terrapins get their wish and move a step closer to perhaps one of the great all-time matchups against the undefeated Connecticut Huskies?

Or will the crafty Cardinals swoop down to steal one in Raleigh?

Prediction: Maryland 83, Louisville 71

Gary Williams' Worth Is in His Players' Words

Jennifer Johnson — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 02:03:10 -0400

After the conclusion of this weekend’s NCAA men’s tournament games, there will be four teams left standing.

To earn a championship trophy takes sound coaching, a high level of productivity from a core group of talented athletes, and of course a great deal of luck.

Maryland Terrapins head honcho Gary Williams has certainly experienced the highs and the lows of life as a college basketball coach.

The ultimate achievement in his illustrious, 20-year career occurred back in 2002. Maryland went on to knock off the underdog Indiana Hoosiers 64-52 on April Fool’s Day of that year. The last laugh was on the losing team, as the Terrapins completed their most glorious season in Garyland’s history.

Since the day Williams rescued Maryland from its haunting, NCAA recruiting nightmare past, the Terrapins have heeded his tutelage.

The man is a constant stream of anxiousness, and can be seem on the sidelines at Comcast Center, spewing verbal assaults on anybody within earshot. His players are used to it by now.

In fact, most of them forgive him instantly for any four-letter words that get hurled in their direction.

“That is just Coach being Coach,” said senior guard Juan Dixon, after the Terrapins’ celebrated victory seven years ago.

Gary Williams is as intense as it gets. His abrasive style might rub some basketball snobs the wrong way, but one cannot argue with his results.

His career at Maryland began in 1989. He guided the Terrapins to a respectable 18-13 record and an NIT berth.

More importantly for the Terps fans, he turned the focus from the negative (the death of Len Bias in 1986, his predecessor’s misdeeds) back to the hardwood.

Bob Wade left a terrible taste in Terps’ fan’s mouths when he left in disgrace. Williams picked up the pieces, but still had to rebuild the basketball program one brick at a time.

Maryland was hit with a two-year postseason ban in 1990. They were removed from the national television circuit for one year, and scholarships were cut.

Williams had the difficult task of making Maryland competitive amidst the penalties, with which he was not a party to. One of his best players during his opening tenure was also named Williams.

Walt Williams played for the Terrapins from 1988-1992. Nicknamed “The Wizard,” the sharpshooting guard/forward decided to stay with the university and play for Gary, much to the delight of the success-starved, college basketball community.

Walt Williams finished on the All-American second team in his senior year, averaging a school-record 26.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 2.1 assists.

He scored 20 or more points in 19 straight games and broke Len Bias’ single-season point total record at Maryland by chalking up 776.

Gary Williams praises Walt to this day for giving him his leadership and support, even though he couldn’t bring the big ring to Maryland, until 10 years after the younger Williams had graduated.

“Walt deserves more of the credit than I do for keeping things from completely imploding here,” said a resolute Williams. “He took charge of that '92 team for me, and we started the comeback without anyone’s true belief we could do it. I will always respect him for letting me prove my worth.”

From 1993-2005, Maryland has remained a consistent, top-25 Associated Press performer. Six notable Maryland alums have gone onto to have continuous NBA careers.

Former ACC player of the year Joe Smith is still hanging around pro basketball, even though college is where he made his mark.

Guards Juan Dixon and Steve Blake are carving out pro careers with the Washington Wizards and Portland Trailblazers. As seniors these two scrappy players combined to give Maryland an elusive back court attack that never heard of the word stop. When the ball was in play, they were on the move.

With forwards Lonny Baxter, Bryon Mouton and center Chris Wilcox rounding out Maryland’s fab five, the Terrapins were the No. 1 team in the nation, from the preseason to the final game of the season.

Gary Williams became the first coach to direct his alma mater to a national title since Norm Sloan accomplished the feat with North Carolina State in 1974. After the Terrapins achieved elite status by hoisting college basketball’s highest prize, they hit a run of mediocre play.

After the 2004-2005 season, Maryland failed to make the NCAA tournament three out of the next five years. Coach Williams, in all his rough language, cannot be accused of making excuses for his team’s poor play. He will openly discuss why he is sometimes misrepresented in the fine print.

“I get emotional on the court,” said Williams. “My players know it is nothing personal with them. We are in this fight together. If a player disagrees with the decisions I make, let him come and talk to me about it. When you win, you have no problems. So I try and win as many games as possible, so you guys will give me some time off.”

Imagine that! Scary Gary has a sense of humor.

Maryland made the NCAA tournament this year for the 13th time in Williams’ 20-year career. They lost in the second round game to the No. 2 Memphis Tigers 89-70 to end another tumultuous season for the hot-and-cold crew.

Leading scorer Greivis Vasquez (16.1 PPG) might head to the NBA in the offseason, which would leave Maryland without a proven leader yet again.

Not to worry, Terps’ fans. There’s a bright tomorrow ahead as the players believe that coach Williams' philosophy is right for their program.

“Coach goes over every detail,” said forward Landon Milbourne. “He yells a lot, but I like his intensity. I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

Kristi Toliver and Marissa Coleman Are Maryland's Go-To Girls

Jennifer Johnson — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 11:38:23 -0400

When we think of Tennessee women’s basketball, we immediately think of one name. Pat Summitt is the winningest coach in women’s basketball history. She has guided the Volunteers through the most NCAA tournament appearances (18) and will remain the true matriarch of one of sports’ most enduring legacies.

With that being said, her 2008-2009 team lost its opening game in the NCAA tournament, marking the first time a Summitt-led squad was ousted in the first round. Tennessee (22-11) will be sitting at home for the rest of March Madness.

This stunning turn of events has given hope to the 16 teams that remain in this year’s highly competitive field. My thoughts today, NCAA bracket busters, are to analyze one team's rise from diaper dandies to serious to championship contenders.

I will argue with anyone who can prove to me that the Maryland Lady Terrapins are not the hottest team in college basketball today.

“Are you serious Johnson?”

“The Connecticut Huskies are 33-0 and have beaten opponents by an average of 31 points per game.”

To the non-believers, I say turn on the Terps’ game versus Vanderbilt (26-8) on Saturday.

The Terps’ boast two of the best college players in the nation—seniors Kristi Toliver and Marissa Coleman. This terrible twosome has punished their opponents with a wide-open offensive attack.

Coleman especially has been a hard player to defend.

In the Terps’ first round game versus Dartmouth, Coleman managed just nine points but lassoed 18 rebounds. There is no quit in her game. If she’s not scoring in double figures, she is hitting the boards.

And with Toliver leading the charge at point guard, this talented forward continues to add to her impressive career totals.

Her basketball resume is rich with accomplishment. In 2006, as a freshman, she was the ACC rookie of the year and made the first team all-ACC tournament team.

The Terrapins shocked the world later that year, defeating the heavily-favored Duke Blue Devils team 78-75 in overtime to seal the Terrapins' first NCAA championship.

In the last minute of overtime, Coleman knocked down two big free throws and grabbed the game’s final rebound. The celebratory cheers from the faithful fans, who believed in them from day one, could be heard cascading down from the rafters at the Pitt in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

The 2008-2009 season is shaping up to be a Terps’ supporter’s dream.

Maryland has put together a phenomenal run that began after a February 89-81 loss to then No. 19 Virginia.

Since that surprising defeat, the Terrapins have won 15 straight games, using an opportunistic offensive approach, which gives the team more chances to score off of their opponents’ mistakes.

Coach Brenda Frese leans on Toliver and Coleman to jump start the Maryland offensive game plan but knows she has other weapons in her arsenal for defensive purposes. I have heard ESPN analysts gripe about Maryland’s lack of defensive effort.

They accuse Maryland of being one-dimensional at times, which boggles this amateur reporter’s mind.

Freshman center Lynetta Kizer earned ACC rookie of the year honors, not by her offensive prowess, but by her outstanding defensive presence in the paint. She averaged 11 points and 13 rebounds a game. Maryland has had three players receive this award since 2005.

This is not a team who waits for something good to happen. These women go for it on every play. To watch them blossom under extreme scrutiny from so-called basketball geniuses has been a gift in itself. The Terrapins want to be better than good; they want to be great.

The evidence is in the words of their fearless leaders.

After the Utah game, Coleman was asked this interesting question. “When you signed your letter-of-intent, did you ever imagine you and Kristi would go [65-3] at home and become a part of Maryland’s history like this?"

“To be honest, I think we were overconfident when we came in,” said Coleman. “Kristi and just thought we could win all of our games. And then we won a national title our first year, it almost gave us a false sense of how easy it is. We really had to work to get back to where we are. Right now we feel like we are on a mission.”

Toliver spoke of her ignorance after tasting early success. “When I signed to play at Maryland, I believed we could win four championships,” said Toliver. “Both Marissa and I expected that.

"We didn’t have a clue as to how unrealistic that idea was. But Risa and I know we haven’t done anything yet. We want a second NCAA title. Not for us but for the fans.”

Connecticut and Maryland have to make it to the championship game to determine which team reigns supreme. Good luck to both teams, as the NCAA tournament battles wage on.

Maryland-Utah: Maryland's Forwards Are the Focus Versus No. 9 Utah

Jennifer Johnson — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 09:24:34 -0400

The Lady Terrapins are tearing up the basketball court in record numbers.

Their 82-53 opening round NCAA tournament win over No. 16 Dartmouth highlighted the many weapons that Maryland brings to each contest. Maryland (29-4) held a 52-34 rebounding edge, and scored 20 points off of fast breaks.

Few teams can stop the Terrapin train when it starts going full speed.

Utah coach Elaine Elliott is aware of the challenge her team faces at Comcast Center tonight. “Maryland’s transition game is really more like you’re not ready to defend that soon, and they’re ready to shoot and go at you that soon,” said Elliott.

Utah (23-9) prefers a more methodical approach to the game. Their offensive style is to play keep away, work the ball from side to side, and keep the defenders on their heels.

The Terrapins are opportunistic. Senior Kristi Toliver uses her quick hands to disrupt her opponent’s passing lanes. She is savvy, and knows when to take some chances that lead to fast break opportunities. Maryland knows what to expect from this fearless lady.

Maryland Coach Brenda Frese would be wise to utilize her taller, albeit less experienced front court players to keep the Utes under pressure. 6-foot-6 true freshman center Yemi Okefuwa began her playing career on the streets of London, England. She is raw, but has the lanky frame that makes her hard to clear out of the middle. Her long arms could spell trouble for the Utes, if starting center Lynetta Kizer gets in early foul trouble.

I would like to see Frese throw some new kinks her offensive rotations, especially if Maryland finds its transition game starting slow.

Depth is not a problem for Maryland. Reserve guard Marah Strickland is a defensive stopper, and draws her opponent’s best shooters.

In the ACC championship game versus Duke, Strickland held top Blue Devils’ scorer, Abby Waner to 11 points. Waner rarely shot the ball without a hand in her face.

Utah had the same type of performance in their first round game versus Villanova. Junior forward Kalee Whipple shadowed the Wildcats’ Laura Kurz all game. She held Kurz to 11 points on 5-of-19 shooting. Whipple expects to draw the ACC player of the year, Marissa Coleman to start tonight’s game.

It was scary that the Terrapins were able to take such a huge lead over Dartmouth, because Coleman was held to nine points. She averaged over 23 points per game in the ACC tournament. The senior forward found other ways to contribute in Maryland’s 14th straight win. She grabbed 13 rebounds, and notched fuve assists to keep Maryland rolling into the second round.

“She’s an all-around great player. Not only does she score, she gets offensive rebounds for them, she gets putbacks," said Whipple. “You can never take time off against her.”

The home town College Park crowd has been extremely supportive of their Lady Terrapins all year. The last game was no exception.

Comcast Center drew the most fans (10,847) of any of the 16 first round NCAA games, and another monster crowd is expected tonight.

According to senior Utes’ guard Morgan Warburton the noise won’t bother her team. “We played in front of big crowds at the Pit in Albuquerque and won,” said Warburton. “We have to execute our game plan, because if we play at Maryland’s pace we won’t move on.”

Notes:

Tonight marks the final home game for Maryland’s talented tandem of Kristi Toliver and Marissa Coleman.

In their career, Maryland is 64-3 at the Comcast Center.

Prediction: Maryland -76 Utah -68

Brooks Laich Likes To Do The Capitals' Dirty Work

Jennifer Johnson — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 16:22:30 -0400

25-year-old Washington Capitals forward Brooks Laich has proven he is no hockey slouch.

It is not easy to stand out on team that features two former MVPs and the reigning one.

Yet, Laich deserves a lot of credit for creating scoring chances for the goal-happy Capitals.

He uses his body as a shield for the 95-mile-an-hour slapshots that routinely come directly at him.

And instead of complaining about the bumps and bruises, he says, “Give me more.”

The third-line forward is a weapon the Capitals can use to make this last stretch of games in the 2008-2009 season successful.

Washington (44-22-6, 94 points) holds a 13-point lead over second place Carolina (37-28, 81 points) in the Southeastern division.

They are in no danger of missing the playoffs, but have had a difficult March so far.

Their record in March is 4-5-1.

Before Tuesday night’s 3-0 victory versus the Florida Panthers, the Capitals looked like a team without fresh legs.

Now is the time for someone other than Alex Ovechkin to provide team leadership. Show the fans they are going to go deep into the postseason, because they are more than one player, they are a unit of offensive-minded skaters, mixed in with the blue collar work ethics of a strong checking line.

Coach Bruce Boudreau speaks highly of Brooks Laich’s ability to keep the opponent back on their heels.

“It is his determination that is most impressive,” said Boudreau. “But I still don’t think we’ve seen the best of Brooks. I think he’s going to be a 25-30 goal scorer for a while in this league.”

Laich’s best character trait was on full display against Florida.

Laich was killing off a penalty when he saw the puck end up on the stick of defenseman John Erskine.

Without hesitation, Laich bolted through center ice, knocked down Erskine’s pass, raced into the Panthers’ zone and netted his third game-winner this season.

It was his sixth short-handed goal of the past three seasons, the most of any Capital during this span.

His 18 goals (41 points total) put him on pace to join Ovechkin, Alexander Semin, and Chris Clark as the only Capitals since the lockout to record 20 or more tallies in back-to-back seasons.

“I think I can score more consistently,” said Laich. “Sometimes I get in too much of a rush. I try too hard. I try to do too much.”

“I talked to Bruce about it the other day and he told me: ‘Just read the play and relax. Have fun.’ Before, I was trying to score so badly that I was taking myself out of position and I was rushing things instead of relying on instincts.

"I know I can take my offensive game to another level. But if you look at the top goal-scorers, they never look they are they are in a rush. Everything just slows down for them.”

Laich was rewarded last July with a three-year, $6.1 million dollar contract extension.

His response to the sizable pay raise was to get hungrier.

He is the Capitals’ hardest working man. He has played in 175 consecutive games, the longest streak on the team, and he can play all three forward positions if asked.

Coach Boudreau is convinced he can make captain someday if he keeps up the steady play.

“Brooks’ dad was a teacher and then a high school principal for 34 years,” said Boudreau. “Brooks told me he is inspired by him every time he hits the ice, and understands that to stay consistent in this league, you can’t take a night off.”

The elder Laich missed three days of work in his life, two of which were to take care of his ailing mother.

Along with defenseman Mike Green, Laich has become a fan favorite.

One of his signature plays came at Verizon Center came last November against the Los Angeles Kings. The Capitals were attempting to kill off a five-on-three power play when Laich lost his stick.

There was no panic in Brooks’ reaction, as he went immediately to the ice and blocked a slap shot with his leg. Then he used his his hand to knock down another screamer seconds later.

Washington eventually lost the game 5-2, but the seed had been planted. Laich was praised by his teammates for his quick thinking.

NHL hockey can be a tough sport for the guys who don’t like to sweat. Thankfully, the Washington Capitals know No. 21 likes to dial it up a notch in every game.

Maryland Terrapins Land No. 1 Seed in Women's NCAA Tournament Raleigh Region

Jennifer Johnson — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 13:44:08 -0400

A crowd of about 200 people gathered at Comcast Center in College Park, MD last night.

It was NCAA Tournament selection show time.

To no one's surprise, the Lady Terrapins were assured a No. 1 seed in the Big Dance.

They will lead the pack in the Raleigh Region.

Maryland players were seated in the front row of Heritage Hall.

Proud friends and family were directly behind these talented ladies, shouting congratulations for a job well done.

Maryland (28-4) also was a No. 1 seed in last year’s tournament.

The Terps are heading into familiar territory.

Their recent postseason success has been predicated by the outstanding play of two tremendous women.

Seniors Kristi Toliver and Marissa Coleman have dominated the field this year, and are both chomping at the bit to extend their careers all the way to their second NCAA Championship.

They were true freshmen in 2006 when Toliver made the biggest shot of her career so far, nailing a buzzer-beating three-point shot in overtime to knock out their rival, the Duke Blue Devils.

Maryland has earned the right to host the first two games of the tournament in College Park.

They open the first round against No. 16 Dartmouth (18-10).

Dartmouth won the Ivy League Championship in the South Region.

Maryland coach Brenda Frese feels the two games at home are a stepping stone to building momentum as they march onward to Raleigh.

“Best-case scenario, you’re playing at home, you can take care of business,” she said. “It’s one game at a time, but I just love the fact that if we’re able to take care of that, we’d be able to travel to a location where the best fans in the country can follow this team.”

Also, joining Maryland as top seeds in the NCAA Tournament are the undefeated Connecticut Huskies (33-0, East Region), Oklahoma (28-4, Midwest Region), and the Duke Blue Devils (26-5, West Region).

Perennial National Championship contender Tennessee (22-10) is the fifth seed in the West Region, their lowest seed in team history.

The Volunteers open action versus MAC Champion Ball State.

UConn earned the overall No. 1 seed.

This offensive juggernaut beat their opponents by an average margin of 31.5 points per game.

The Huskies are heavily favored to win the tournament.

ESPN analysts Trey Wingo and Kara Lawson both concurred that the women’s field is stocked with potential spoilers for the mighty Huskies.

But they still believe UConn will finish a fabulous season with their sixth NCAA Championship.

Maryland will meet the Huskies only if both teams make it into the final game.

The Terrapins finished right behind UConn for the second overall seed.

“UConn is not in my thoughts right now, right now it is Dartmouth,” Toliver said. “UConn could choke and lose to whomever in the second round. It’s all about who you have coming up, and for us right now it’s Dartmouth.”

The ACC will have six teams going to the Show.

North Carolina, Florida State, Virginia, and Georgia Tech join Maryland and Duke, with Boston College left out of this year’s tournament.

Duke has the most challenging path to the Final Four.

They could face No.9 seed Michigan State in a second-round game in East Lansing, MI.

If they get through to the West Region Finals game, they could play the Pacific-10 Champion Stanford Cardinal in Berkeley, CA.

That would be the equivalent of a home game for the Cardinal.

Duke’s last loss was to Maryland in the ACC Final.

The Terrapins are not as familiar with the Big Green but are ready to go for the grand prize.

“What time is it?”

“It’s game time.”

Notes

Five Maryland players are participating in their first postseason.

Junior college transfer Dee Liles, red-shirt freshmen Kim Rodgers, Anjale Barrett, Lynetta Kizer, and Yemi Oyefuwa round out the Terrapins' youthful roster.

Maryland Makes Case for NCAA Berth with Quarterfinal Win Versus Wake Forest

Jennifer Johnson — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 10:00:18 -0400

Coming into their quarterfinal ACC tournament game against the No. 8 Wake Forest Demon Deacons, the Maryland Terrapins were determined to attack the basket.

Four players reached double figures as the Terrapins (20-12) marched through the Demon Deacons’ zone defense for a stunning 75-64 win at the Georgia Dome.

Junior guard (and NBA prospect) Greivis Vasquez led the Terrapins with a game-high 22 points.

Vasquez can be a streaky performer. In past games, he has stepped up to answer his team’s prayers, and in others, he has let them down.

Thankfully, the Terps have lived another day with him leading the charge.

Maryland’s most impressive stat of the night was their allowed field goal percentage; they held Wake Forest (25-6) to their lowest shooting clip of the season.

Wake shot just 29.7 percent from the field, making 22 of 74 of their attempts.

And to make matters worse for the Deacs, they could not contain Maryland’s drives into the offensive zone.

Maryland took advantage of their 36-31 halftime lead and increased their advantage to double figures early in the second half.

Terrapins coach Gary Williams believes these back-to-back wins (a first-round 74-69 victory over N.C. State preceded this game on Thursday) should convince the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee that his gutsy squad deserves an at-large bid.

Jokingly, he had “Win 2” t-shirts made up before the ACC tournament began. The garments' real purpose was to provide motivation for his players and to help them understand that their mission for postseason success is not over.

“I just wanted our players to understand that if we won two, we would be in pretty good shape,” said Williams. “Now, if we don’t win tomorrow, it’s not because we came with 'Win 2' t-shirts.”

Maryland moves on to play ACC rival Duke on Saturday.

In Friday's contest, James Johnson led the Demon Deacons with 20 points, but the team’s poor offensive showing overall may have hurt their chances at making a solid run in the Big Dance.

“This was a wake-up call for us,” said Johnson. “We deserve to be in the tournament, and we can prove ourselves there. I know our guys our going to bounce back.”

Easier said than done, James.

Having confidence and believing in yourself is paramount during March Madness. Whether you are a nationally ranked powerhouse or a small school out of the Midwest, it is anybody’s game once the whistle blows.

For the Terrapins, it's must-win from here on out to keep hope alive. They learned their lesson in a game ten days ago versus this same Wake Forest team: They must attack the boards and force their opponenets into taking rushed shots.

The idea was to make Wake Forest play the game at the Terrapins' speed. Maryland watched, pleased, as Wake Forest missed shot after shot. They then punished the Deacs from beyond the arc on the other side.

Maryland used a pair of three-pointers during a 14-2 second half run and never relinquished the lead after that.

After Wake Forest guard L.D. Williams missed a long-range shot from the corner, Greivis Vasquez answered with a three-pointer on Maryland’s next possession.

James Johnson was impatient and forced an ill-advised three-pointer that missed badly on when Wake next had the ball, and the Terrapins' true freshman Sean Mosley made him pay with a long-range bomb of his own on the next play in the series.

And off Maryland went to make their healthy crowd very happy for making the trip down south.

Perimeter shooting was a major problem all night for Wake Forest. Their starters’ shooting woes were the difference between winning and losing tonight.

Al-Farouq Aminu was 2-of-12 shooting. Outside specialist Jeff Teague made 3-of-13 from the floor, Williams went 3-of-9, and Chas McFarland missed all four of his shot attempts. Johnson made half of his 18 attempts, but the "non-Fab Five" finished a pitiful 17-of-56 for the game.

Wake Forest made 3-of-25 three-pointers, including 1-of-15 down the stretch, as they tried in vain to cut the Maryland lead to single digits.

Maryland gambled that Wake Forest would have a bad shooting performance. Their forwards did a great job of sealing off the lane, when Teague and Williams tried to get the ball into Johnson. No quick baskets were allowed by the strong pressure defense.

Wake Forest coach Dino Gaudio has to be perplexed as to why his team was in such a hurry against Maryland. They were the taller, more aggressive squad, according to the submitted pre-game analysis..

Of course, when you try to shoot your way out of a hole, the results tend to go in the opponent’s favor, and that's what happened to the Demon Deacons here.

Johnson was a one-man show for his team; he grabbed 12 rebounds to go along with his buckets, but no other Deac had more than seven boards.

“We have guys who can get in the lane, but it didn’t happen tonight," said Johnson. “Maryland just played good defense.”

Notes:

Maryland reserve guard Eric Hayes responded to the death of a long-time friend with 21 points in Maryland’ first round ACC win versus N.C. State.

He had several key assists in Maryland’s big win over Wake Forest and is now averaging just over 12 points per game since becoming the Terrapins’ top reserve.

Maryland- N.C. State: Terrapins in Must-Win Situation

Jennifer Johnson — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 18:35:29 -0400

The Maryland Terrapins (18-12) have nearly driven their exasperated fans to an early grave this season.

Their early victory over then-No. 5 Michigan State gave us fearless freaks some renewed faith in our mighty Terps.

Then, we were rudely awakened from our pleasant dreams to a cold, harsh reality.

Since that convincing 80-62 shellacking of the Spartans, the Terrapins have managed just one win against a nationally-ranked opponent.

Granted, this was a monster triumph against ACC rival North Carolina, ranked No. 3 at the time.

Junior Greivis Vasquez scored a career-high 35 points on 13-of-24 shooting in the 88-85 upset on Feb. 21.

But instead of solidifying after that hard-earned win, the Terrapins have firmly entrenched themselves in the ranks of “bubble” teams, those hoping to impress the NCAA selection committee with a meaningful run through a conference tournament.

Maryland recently lost another tough game, this time to conference bottom-feeder Virginia (10-17) on Saturday.

Virginia’s Mamadi Diane hit a tie-breaking three-pointer with time running down, and it proved to be the game-winning basket in the Cavaliers’ 68-63 win.

To add insult to injury, Diane has been a bench player for much of the season.

But here, he went 3-of-4 from three-point range and finished the game with 23 points on 7-of-12 shooting.

The most troubling trend for the Terrapins has been their lack of aggressive play against the zone defenses instituted by their opponents in recent games.

Senior forward David Neal does not want his potentially last game in a Maryland uniform to end in disappointment again.

“The object of a zone defense is to make you stand still and not want to move,” said Neal. “I think we fell into that trap the last couple of games. The basic thing is getting the ball movement, penetrate and kick, and attack the zone. You can’t be passive against the zone; you have to attack it the same way we did our man defense.”

The Virginia Cavaliers slowed Maryland down by effectively clogging the middle of the lane. Maryland’s guards were harassed while driving towards the basket.

The chance to create scoring opportunities in the open court is taken away when a team cannot see past the swarming 3-2 zone defense.

In Maryland’s next game, versus the Wake Forest Demon Deacons (24-5), the 1-3-1 zone defense stifled their offensive groove as well.

Wake Forest plugged 6'9" forward Al Farouq-Aminu in at the top of the key, and Vasquez and reserve guard Eric Hayes felt the pressure immediately at mid court. Maryland ended up losing the game 65-63.

Coach Gary Williams changed things up in practice this week.

He had the team work against both the 1-3-1 and 3-2 zone, preparing set counter-plays for both schemes.

In the recent losses, Maryland has settled for long-range jump shots instead of pursuing high percentage, close-up buckets.

Against Virginia, the Terrapins jumped out to a 13-point first half lead by attacking the lane with authority. They shot 46.1 percent from the field in the first half, but dwindled down to 37.5 percent in the second.

Coach Williams believes the best way to break down a zone defense is by making sure all the players are moving without the ball, not just the ball handler.

“When the ball goes somewhere against the zone, you have to react to that,” said Williams. “If you don’t have the ball, you have to get in better position to receive the pass or rebound or whatever. All of a sudden they go zone, and there’s a tendency to stand around because there’s nobody in your face all the time in a zone. We’re really stressing away-from-the-ball movement in our zone offense.”

One advantage the Terrapins might have in their first round ACC Tournament game against N.C. State is the knowledge that the Wolfpack will be working to avenge the 71-60 loss they suffered on Mar. 1.

In that loss, the Wolfpack stuck to a man-to-man defense, so don’t be surprised, Terps’ fans, to see the zone from N.C. State, early and often.

Maryland needs to relax, and stop pressing in their offensive execution. Take open shots as they become available. If the Terps remain patient, the Wolfpack will end up the team who blinks first. Frustration will be like the sixth man in what amounts to a one-game playoff for the Terrapins.

Win, and you press on to your next opponent. Lose, and you are a spectator for the rest of March Madness.

Final Score Prediction:

Maryland 72, N.C. State 66

Terrapins-Blue Devils: Maryland Wins First ACC Title Since 1989

Jennifer Johnson — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 17:20:19 -0400

It appears the only thing that will stop Maryland's winning ways is a natural disaster. No team can feel confident with these ladies looming on their radar.

Yesterday proved to me that the Terrapins have all the right moves to take their second NCAA title back to College Park.

ACC rookie of the year Lynetta Kizer secured the game’s most important rebound for the Lady Terrapins. After the Duke Blue Devils tied the game in regulation, on a three-pointer, all Kizer could think about was boxing out and holding onto the ball.

Mission accomplished.

The Lady Terrapins (28-4) completed their remarkable run through the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament and defeated the Duke Blue Devils, 92-89, in overtime at Greensboro Coliseum.

More importantly, this glorious win gave Maryland its first ACC title since 1989. Their winning streak is now at a mystifying 12 games in a row.

Spectacular seniors Marissa Coleman and Kristi Toliver hugged at center court. This was their first ACC championship. It was in 2006, as freshmen, that the awesome duo guided the Terps to the NCAA Title. Perhaps these fine and fearless superstars have one more trophy to add to their case in 2009.

An always demonstrative Toliver had this to say about the day’s events:

“Shoot, all these freshmen just won an ACC tournament. So they’re going to think it’s easy!” said Toliver. “They haven’t necessarily had the same battles as Marissa and I have had. We knew what it was going to take. We are glad we finally did it.”

Toliver was informed late last week that she would be anointed the ACC Player of the Year.

Marissa Coleman was named MVP of this year’s tournament.

North Carolina and Duke have dominated this tournament in years past. The Tar Heels or Blue Devils have won the past nine titles. North Carolina had knocked Maryland out of contention two out of the past three years.

Maryland was not going to let it happen again.

They beat Wake Forest, North Carolina, and Duke on consecutive days and in dramatic fashion. Two out of these three games came down to the wire.

Wake Forest fell short of a first round upset of the Terrapins, 72-70.

Then, UNC made a valiant effort, but could stop the Maryland train of high-octane offense. The final score in this game was 95-84.

A major shout-out should go to all the red-clad supporters that traveled from the Washington DC Metro area to root for the hottest team in the country.

Despite playing with a cold all week, Toliver played every minute of the tournament final. Coleman did the same, and led the Terrapins with 28 points and 15 rebounds. Her average for the tournament was 23 ppg, 9.7 reb, and 4.3 assists.

Toliver scored 24 points, including the first nine points in overtime for her team.

Coleman hit the game’s decisive shot with 2:53 left to play in the extra period. She found wiggle room off a screen and nailed a three-pointer to put Maryland in front 88-87.

Maryland has incredible depth this year, and the young bloods have shown they can play under pressure too.

Kim Rodgers was sidelined last year with a devastating knee injury. She was not supposed to factor into this year’s tournament at all, but she fooled us all with her tremendous resolve. Rodgers scored 12 points and made two clutch free throws with 12.9 seconds left in overtime.

She averaged 10 PPG in the Terrapins’ three games. Coleman dubbed her the “hero of the tournamen.t"

Sophomore guard Marah Strickland missed 14 of her first 15 shots attempted at Greensboro Coliseum. She redeemed herself by sinking three three-pointers during a 21-9 run to increase Maryland’s second half lead to 10 points.

Junior Dee Liles grabbed 12 rebounds for the game, a stat usually reserved for Lynetta Kizer. Kizer was hampered by foul trouble, but still held Duke’s leading scorer, senior center Chante Black, to 11 points on 3-of-11 shooting.

Maryland uncharacteristically turned the ball over 19 times in this final fury.

They sustained their lead by shooting 46.9 percent from the field. The Terrapins finished 23 of 24 from the free throw line. Duke (26-5) held the Terrapins without a field goal over the final 2:10 of regulation.

The Blue Devils cut the lead down from six points, and were saved from elimination by Chante Black’s layup, with two seconds to go to tie the score at 81 apiece.

Kristi Toliver led Maryland to its first NCAA title win under Brenda Frese with a game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer in overtime to stun the Blue Devils in 2006.

The setting for this feat was in Boston, Massachusetts.

Here, a championship was earned on enemy territory.

“Going into overtime, they were probably thinking the roles were reversed,” said an exuberant Coleman. “But Kristi and I knew different. What a better way to win another championship than against Duke in overtime? It’s definitely a fitting way to end this chapter of our careers.”

Note

Maryland is expected to be given a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament when tournament bracket is announced on Mar. 16.

Capitals-Penguins Preview: Will Washington's Offense Wake Up Versus Sid the Kid?

Jennifer Johnson — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 09:17:16 -0400

It has been two weeks since the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins last played each other.

The Capitals (40-21-5, 85 points) were triumphant in a 5-2 home victory, but now find themselves trapped in an offensive rut.

In their last three games, Washington has been outscored 11-5. Washington’s latest loss tied their longest losing streak of the season at three games.

Coach Bruce Boudreau has never lost more than three games in a row as the Caps’ head honcho.

Today, they face their arch non-conference rival on their home turf.

The Capitals must have more spring in their step, and protect their zone against Pittsburgh’s key enforcers. Forwards Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby are the leaders of the scrappy Pittsburgh (34-26-6, 74 points) team.

Malkin is tops on the team with 94 points scored. (29 goals, 65 assists)

Sidney Crosby is the NHL’s premiere media darling. His play is often overshadowed by his marketability. The girls just love to swoon over Sidney.

Washington will counter the terrible twosome with plenty of firepower of their own.

Alexander Ovechkin likes to hit people in the mouth, and he can shoot with pinpoint accuracy. He is the current NHL goals-scoring leader with 46 goals. He has 83 total points on the 2008-2009 NHL season. In the last two seasons, he has netted 101 goals for the upstart Capitals.

Without a doubt, “the Great Eight” has enormous talent.

For all the accolades Ovechkin has amassed in is four-year career, it is Crosby who continues to get the most national media coverage.

Do not misunderstand me here folks. I admit my bias towards the home team.

However, it is not be overlooked that Crosby has not let his hockey skills do the talking. In fact, Crosby has not played much hockey in the last week and a half. He returned to the ice for Thursday's game versus the Florida Panthers after missing four games with a groin injury.

Crosby was injured in the Feb.22 game versus the Capitals.

Pittsburgh’s godsend has missed five games due to injury.

Pittsburgh’s record without him is 5-0.

They are riding a five-game winning streak heading into the rematch versus the Capitals today.

The Penguins gained two critical points in the Eastern Conference standings, as they push to get into the playoffs.

They do not want to miss the postseason after making it to the Stanley Cup Finals in the previous year.

Marc-Andre Fleury made 31 stops to give the Penguins their fourth victory on this five-game road trip.

The Penguins would love to make it five-for-five against Ovechkin and Co. Ovechkin missed his team’s 2-1 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday.

Assistant Coach Dean Evason nailed “Ovie” on his right heel with a wicked slapshot in the team’s morning practice. He was given the night off to rest the sore foot, but left the team without its go-to-guy.

By no means is Washington a one-man show. Puck-handling defenseman Mike Green is a fan-favorite in Washington DC. He is deadly on the power play. Green leads the NHL with 16 PPGs on the season.

Joining Ovechkin on the Caps’ first line is second-year Swede Nicklas Backstrom. Backstrom is the team’s best puck handler. He leads the Capitals with 52 assists. For his career, he has registered an impressive 107 assists.

When he and “Ovie” are in sync, there is no better tag team on the ice than them. Backstrom feeds the puck based on feel.

Ovechkin is skating away from the action, and Backstrom is circling the net like a hungry shark.

Patiently he waits for the scoring opportunity to emerge.

Out of nowhere comes Ovechkin to take the puck to the goalmouth.

What the Capitals have to remember is that one mistake can change the course of the game. Keep attacking the net, and maybe a bouncing biscuit will slide its way onto Ovechkin’s stick for a quick score. Standing around with your stick up means you are not ready to play hard-nosed hockey.

If the Capitals intend to stop this losing streak at three games, they need to play with passion. Force Pittsburgh into a quicker pace than they would like.

Do not let Malkin drive to the net without a poke check. Give your netminder some help, and consistently clear the puck.

Wake up the demon in you and get down with the sickness.

Maryland's Usual Suspects Navigate Past North Carolina For 11th Straight Win

Jennifer Johnson — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 19:46:12 -0500

Marissa Coleman and Kristi Toliver are women on a mission.

Their quest to bring home the Atlantic Coast Conference title got a little easier with today’s 95-84 win in Greensboro, N.C.

If you like the run-and-gun style offense, then this game was a must-see affair.

No. 1 Maryland (27-4) rebounded from a near-upset by the Wake Forest Demon Deacons with a balanced team effort against the No. 4 North Carolina Tar Heels (26-6).

Coleman led all scorers with a dominant 29-point performance.

Toliver was no slouch either, pouring in 25 points of her own, as these fearless ladies scored 54 of their team’s total points.

ACC freshman of the year Lynetta Kizer finished with 15 points, and Kim Rodgers scored 11 points.

Maryland had four players score in double figures.

The Atlantic Coast Conference tournament has been North Carolina’s baby, especially when held in Greensboro.

Chapel Hill is less than an hour’s drive from the Coliseum.

North Carolina has advanced to the final round in eight of the previous nine tournaments.

They have knocked Maryland out two out of the last three years.

The last four championships have been awarded to the Tar Heels.

Maryland is on a winning streak too.

They have won 11 straight games, last losing to Virginia in Charlottesville.

That loss seems so insignificant, now that the Terrapins are one game away from securing their first ACC title in 20 years.

The Terps are hungry.

And their enthusiastic fans were ready to make some noise.

Twenty minutes before tip-off, Maryland’s players ran onto the court to loud cheers.

They gathered at mid-court to dance around the ACC logo.

North Carolina fans bristled at the bold display of confidence Maryland brought to the southern but northern tip of their territory.

Confidence helps build team unity.

Maryland has every right to feel good about their chances tomorrow.

They await either the second-seeded Florida State Seminoles or third-seeded Duke.

Sunday’s final is set for 1 p.m.

Maryland started the game off with an intense focus.

They built an early 21-8 lead, but North Carolina answered this challenged and rallied back in the game.

This was a physical matchup.

Both teams were called for a combined 23 personal fouls in the game’s first 20 minutes.

Maryland’s Kizer, forward Dee Liles, and guard Marah Strickland had two fouls apiece by the end of the first half.

By the game’s final 90 seconds, Toliver and Coleman were accompanied by three freshmen.

Kim Rodgers and Anjale Barrett rarely played during the regular season.

Same story goes for raw freshman center Yemi Oyefuwa.

But there they were, trying to fend off the experienced Tar Heels at the game’s most critical stage.

Maryland has so many weapons to aim at an opponent.

Shutting down Toliver and Coleman only allows for another girl to step up her game.

These three wunderkinds outscored the Heels 8-0.

They did not allow UNC to score during their run.

Rodgers was not anticipated to be a factor in post-season play.

She was nursing a severe knee injury that occurred last season, and was not in game shape.

Or so I thought.

She hit back-to-back three-pointers to give Maryland a 44-38 halftime advantage.

Maryland increased their lead to 52-40, after Toliver fed Kizer for a lay-up with 17:34 seconds remaining.

North Carolina battled back once again.

Junior Jessica Breland countered with a sweet long-range jumper, and singularly kept her team from getting blitzed off the court.

The 6-foot-3 forward made two more buckets to make Maryland work for the “W.”

North Carolina gained a 62-61 lead when Rashanda McCants (sister of Rashad McCants, former UNC men’s basketball star) sparked an 8-0 run.

She made a series of soft jumpers to put the Tar Heels ahead with 13:49 left in regulation.

Following a steal from UNC, Italee Lucas made one of two free throws.

UNC was on top by two points.

Then Toliver and Coleman said “we’re not going to it anymore.”

The Terrapins scored 11 straight points off the outstanding pressure from their dynamic seniors.

Coleman found her self wide open, and nailed an open three-pointer.

Toliver stole the ball and trotted up the court on the next possession.

With 8:41 on the clock, Coleman glided past her flat-footed defender and banked home a pretty one-handed shot off the glass.

Maryland led 72-63.

The Tar Heels closed the gap to 79-78 with 4:28 remaining.

They never got any closer.

The Terps were just too strong down the stretch.

Coleman and Toliver made 6-of-8 free throws to seal Maryland’s berth in the tournament final.

Brace yourself, folks.

The heat is on the Terps to finish this magical fairytale for themselves, and for the fans.

Fear us!

Maryland-Wake Forest: Terps Survive Scare to Win 72-70

Jennifer Johnson — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 18:47:41 -0500

The Maryland Terrapins today figured out a key lesson when it comes to postseason play.

Never underestimate your opponent.

Rallying from twelve points down, the fearless Terps stole a 72-70 win in Greensboro, NC.

Maryland (26-4) carried the No. 1 seed into the ACC tournament, and earned a bye into yesterday’s opening round of games.

Wake Forest (19-11) earned the right to play Maryland after squeaking out a defensive slugfest versus the North Carolina State Wolfpack.

The Demons Deacons held steady, until the midway point of the second half.

They went cold from the field, allowing the Terrapins the window of opportunity to get back to what got them here: when the shots are not there, be patient, and look for your teammates to help.

Maryland’s newly minted rookie of the year, Lynetta Kizer (Potomac (Va.) High School), finished the game with 16 points and 11 rebounds.

Senior guard Kristi Toliver scored 10 of her 15 points in the second half, as Maryland went on a late 19-2 run to escape from disaster.

Wake Forest did not score a bucket for nine minutes during the rally.

Alex Tchangoue and Corinne Groves each scored 16 points for the Demon Deacons before the rim became their arch enemy.

Maryland has now won 10 straight games.

Kristi Toliver is a prime-time performer, and on this occasion, she rose above adversity yet again to rescue her team.

Toliver hit two huge free throws with 4.8 seconds left in the game to push the lead to 72-67.

Tchangoue hit a inconsequential three-pointer at the buzzer, and the worrying was over for the Maryland supporters in the bipartisan crowd.

Her usual partner in crime was defended well all game by the battling Wake Forest bunch.

Marissa Coleman scored 12 points for the game, an almost 10-point drop off from her regular season scoring average.

Maryland trailed 63-51 with 10 minutes in the game.

Toliver knocked down a contested three-pointer to start the game-winning run.

She connected five minutes later on a long-range shot, which was followed by Coleman’s fast-break layup, and Maryland had their first lead since late in the first half.

With six minutes left in the first half, Maryland had a comfortable nine-point lead.

Then Wake Forest unleashed a barrage of long-range bombs on the shells from College Park.

They went on a 16-5 run of their own to put the upset meter in my mind on high alert.

Brittany Waters hit consecutive three-pointers before Camille Collier connected from beyond the arc to put Wake Forest up 38-36 with 1:55 before the break.

Wake Forest shot 52 percent from the field for the game.

Maryland Coach Brenda Frese warned her girls about the let down her team would face if they did not increase their energy level.

“We were playing on tired legs to start the game,” Frese said. “Kristi and Riss had trouble getting into their rhythm early, and give credit to Wake [Forest] for matching our lethargy with great poise. "There is nothing like the pressure of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament to hit you in the face with a reality check.”

I wholeheartedly agree on these observations.

Maryland next’s game is against the North Carolina Tar Heels.

Wake Forest is on the bubble for making it to the NCAA tournament.

They will be anxiously awaiting word from the tournament selection committee for their invitation to the big dance.

Notes:

Wake Forest has not won versus a ranked team since 2007.

They have not won versus Maryland since 2002.

If they make it to the NCAA tournament and win a game, it will be their first 20-win season since going 23-8 back in 1986-1987.

Maryland's Lynetta Kizer Named ACC Freshman of the Year

Jennifer Johnson — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 18:48:27 -0500

The Maryland Lady Terrapins (25-4 12-2 ACC) are the hottest team in the ACC heading into the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament.

They have won nine straight games since dropping an 89-81 decision to the Virginia Cavaliers in early February.

Maryland has arguably the two best guards in the nation playing unbelievable basketball.

Seniors Kristi Toliver and Marissa Coleman have been unstoppable.

Toliver and Coleman possess the strong leadership skills to get Maryland back to the NCAA championship game.

The Terrapins hoisted the championship trophy in 2006, upsetting the Duke Blue Devils 68-65 in overtime.

Kristi Toliver hit an off-balance three pointer with seconds left on the clock to send the state of Maryland into a frenzy thatstill has not died down.

But just in case they come back down to earth, there is one young woman who will be there to back them up.

Freshman center Lynetta Kizer (Potomac, Va) became the sixth player in the program’s history to be named ACC freshman of the year.

A 6-foot-4 clog center who clogs up the middle, she is the inside presence Maryland has needed to hold down their opponent’s top perimeter shooters.

She completed her first season at Maryland averaging 11.7 PPG and 7.4 rebounds.

She finished with a shooting percentage of about 50 percent.

Kizer started 28 of 29 games for the fearless Terps, and was an effective defensive enforcer every game.

Marissa Coleman (2006) and Crystal Langhorne (2005) are also past winners of the award.

This means that three out of the last five years, a Maryland player has accomplished this feat.

I had the pleasure of watching Kizer play AAU basketball when she was 12-years-old.

Even as a neophyte player, she was unselfish, hard-working, and what coaches call “extremely detail-oriented.”

Without a doubt, Kizer deserves this recognition, and I look forward to covering her illustrious career.

Maryland is set to begin their quest for a second trophy when they face the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at 3:00 pm tomorrow.

May the Gods be smiling on the girls dressed in red and black.

Go Terps!

Maryland At Mercy of NCAA Selection Committee After Loss to Wake Forest

Jennifer Johnson — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 00:30:06 -0500

The Maryland Terrapins (18-11, 7-8 ACC) almost pulled off a pivotal ACC upset over the No. 10 Wake Forest Demon Deacons.

Maryland fell short of their goal tonight, and suffered another serious blow to their NCAA tournament hopes, losing 65-63 in front of an enthusiastic College Park crowd.

One does not have to look far, to find out how the Demons Deacons defeated the feisty Terps.

Wake Forest (23-5, 10-5 ACC) killed Maryland on the boards tonight. Maryland was out-rebounded 50-32, and nearly every entry pass inside the painted area was contested by the Demon Deacon big men.

Al-Farouq Aminu had 16 points on 6-of-12 shooting and a career-high 14 rebounds. Jeff Teague scored 17 points on 6-of-16 shooting to lead the Demons Deacons to a huge road win.

March Madness is just around the corner and this game was a true testament to how deep the talent runs in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

With this victory Wake Forest moves into sole possession of third place in the ACC. The Demon Deacons have won six of their last eight games, since dropping three of four games to start the new year. They close out their regular season at home versus Clemson on Sunday.

For the Maryland Terrapins, this loss puts them on the verge of missing the NCAA tournament for the fourth time in five years. I fully expect Gary Williams to be back on the hot seat for his lack of recruiting prowess come tomorrow morning. Most coaches get the blame when their teams fail to get winning results, and the Terrapins have had it rough since their national championship run in 2002.

There is no Lonny Baxter or Chris Wilcox to go to inside on this year’s team. I would say the last legitimate big man Maryland recruited was Ryan Randle. He was limited in his offensive moves to the basket and failed to average ten points for his career at Maryland.

Tahj Holden was a perimeter-shooting big man, but was undersized to go up against the opposing team’s massive post players.

The offensive game plan is simple against the Terps: Feed the ball to the tall guy and shoot over the short guy.

Maryland did bring energy to the floor, and used a second-half scoring spurt from senior Dave Neal to give them renewed spirit. Neal scored a career-high 19 points, including hitting three three-pointers to give Maryland a 54-48 lead to answer Wake Forest’s 16-5 run to open the second half.

Every time Maryland became aggressive, and challenged Wake Forest’s forwards, they would come up with a huge block. Wake Forest led the Terrapins in blocked shots 10-3.

Junior Greivis Vasquez followed up his 30-point performance against North Carolina State with an uneven performance. He lost his shooting touch at halftime, and finished the game making only 7-of-24 of his field goal attempts. He scored 16 points, which was right about his season average.

No other Terrapin besides Neal or Vasquez scored in double figures.

The Demon Deacons came into the game with an ACC-best 49.8 percent shooting percentage. Maryland held them to 39.7 percent for the game. The Terrapins effectively clogged the lanes in the first half, and seized momentum when Dave Neal sank a three-pointer to with seconds left on the clock. They grabbed a 32-25 lead at the break.

Then Wake Forest took offense to the way Maryland was able to control the tempo of the game.

Maryland was complacent in the second half and they stopped moving without the basketball. They let the shot clock go under ten seconds, which led to forced shots.

Still, it took a late 6-0 run from Wake Forest to finally escape College Park with a well-deserved win.

Maryland’s last gasp for a trip to the big dance will take place against Virginia in Charlottesville on Saturday.

Notes:

Gary Williams turned 64 today, and is one game away from finishing his 19th year as Maryland’s head coach.

Wake Forest Center Chris McFarland played only eight minutes due to an ankle injury suffered in the first half.

Maryland Claims First ACC Title In Twenty Years

Jennifer Johnson — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 20:06:46 -0500

Marissa Coleman is the absolute star of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

She was her usual aggressive self today in the Terrapins’ season finale against the Miami Hurricanes.

No. 5 Maryland (25-4, 12-2 ACC) won their last game of the season in another rout of an inferior conference opponent.

Miami (13-16, 2-12) was overwhelmed by the furious pace that Maryland ran, and were defeated 89-64 before a paltry home crowd.

Too bad the Comcast Center crazies could not witness in person this significant moment in Terps history.

Five different players scored in double figures as the Terrapins earned their first ACC title in twenty years.

As if this achievement was not enough, Maryland heads into the ACC tournament winners of nine straight games.

Coleman led the Terrapin attack with 17 points on 8-of-11 shooting.

She brought her “A” defensive game as well by grabbing 16 rebounds.

Guard Marah Strickland wore her best Kristi Toliver hat, and added 17 points of her own.

She finished the game 6-of-16 shooting.

Coleman and Toliver have been the catalysts all season for Maryland’s efficient offensive scheme.

As Toliver noted several games ago, “Marissa knows when to make her cuts, and I know when to dish the ball inside.”

I know I will miss watching the chemistry these two displayed, as if it were child’s play.

Many times on the court Kristi Toliver would be smiling like a Cheshire cat, almost toying with the opposing defense to make a run at her.

When a guard committed to man-to-man coverage, she would shimmy away from her defender so easily.

Poof!

She was gone.

She has the nastiest cross over dribble that stops girls in their tracks.

Her skills are without comparison.

Maryland coach Brenda Frese shared her thoughts on why she thinks her team is experiencing so much success.

“Obviously just a special win for us,” Frese said.

“So proud of this team. With this win, being ACC champions, and like I told them, the chance, the opportunity to leave their legacy and leave their mark and win their first title in 20 years.”

“We did it together, we did it as a team.”

I am positive Maryland is the No. 1 team on the top-ranked Connecticut Huskies’ watch list for a possible NCAA showdown.

Toliver, despite her bottomless talent, scored just 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting.

She did dish out six assists to her credit.

Avid Maryland homers like yours truly, knows she is great at getting her other teammates involved in the action as well if need be.

Freshman center Lynetta Kizer finished her first full season in a Terps uniform averaging 13.1 points per game.

Today she had 10 points to go along with 10 rebounds.

Anjale Barrett scored 10 points respectively to round out the five players who scored at least ten points in the game.

Maryland took a commanding lead after they went on a 16-3 run, over a 4:40 stretch of the first half.

Miami’s Riquna Williams and Lamese James added 17 points and 16 points to lead their team.

James was playing in her final game in a Hurricanes uniform.

Epiphany Williams scored 10 points, but provided little help defensively.

Maryland outrebounded Miami 52-35.

“They’re such a good team,” said James. “You can’t give them any daylight.”

Maryland never trailed in the game, and Miami never got within fourteen points of the lead, after the Terps’ initial run.

Strickland sealed Miami’s fate after sinking a three-pointer to cap a 13-2 run with 11:36 left in the game.

Maryland led 68-43, and knew it was time to celebrate.

Notes:

Miami is 1-8 all-time versus Maryland.

Miami will play their first ACC tournament game against Boston College on Thursday.

Maryland has a bye into Friday’s quarterfinal round, and will meet either North Carolina State or Wake Forest.

Maryland is the No. 1 seed in the ACC tournament by virtue of a tie-breaker they hold with the Florida State Seminoles. (24-6, 12-2 ACC)

Maryland eked out a 72-71 win in Tallahassee to give them the top seed.

The No. 1 seeded team has won the ACC title seven times in the past eight years.

Maryland Beats Boston College in Home Finale 86-74

Jennifer Johnson — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 00:09:07 -0500

The Maryland faithful fans gathered tonight at Comcast Center to cheer on their red-hot women’s team.

I wish I could say the game’s outcome was ever in question, but that would be a bold-faced lie.

This was slated to be a very emotional night for the lady Terrapins.

It was Senior Night in College Park.

Two of Maryland’s best athletes are entering the twilight of their careers, playing perhaps the best basketball this team has ever played.

They did not disappoint their hometown crowd.

No. 5 Maryland (24-4, 11-2 ACC) knocked out the Boston College Eagles 86-74, for their eighth straight win.

Seniors Kristi Toliver and Marissa Coleman have been phenomenal during this winning streak.

Entering the game, Toliver had averaged 19.6 points per game on 50.3 percent shooting.

Her partner-in-crime Coleman had averaged 21.3 points per game on 54.3 percent shooting.

It was more of the same showing from this dynamic duo, as they combined to score 59 of their team’s total points.

Coleman scored a career-high 32 points, and Toliver added 27 points.

The victory ties Maryland atop of the ACC standings with the Florida State Seminoles. (23-6, 11-2 ACC)

The Terrapins have not lost a game since dropping an 89-81 decision to the Virginia Cavaliers on Feb. 2.

Maryland head coach Brenda Frese demonstrated her appreciation for her seniors’ leadership skills.

“They continue to put this team on their back,” said Frese. “We needed to get a quick start and needed to be ready from the tip. We’ve been able to ride the hot hand of these two.”

Toliver and Coleman were freshman on the National Championship squad that upset Duke 68-65 in 2006.

If they keep performing like they have to end the regular season in 2009, another NCAA title might be on the horizon.

Maryland has one more game left against the Miami Hurricanes (13-14, 2-10 ACC) on Sunday.

And then it is on to the ACC tournament.

Comcast Center will host two postseason games on March 22 and March 24.

Maryland’s first 30 points were scored by Toliver and Coleman.

Coleman went 12-of-19 from the field, and was perfect from the charity stripe.

She drained all six of her free throw attempts.

Toliver sank eight of her 16 shot attempts, and was eight of nine from the free throw line.

Boston College Coach Slyvia Crawley christened them college basketball’s hottest players.

“They’re incredible players,” said Crawley. “They have unbelievable instincts, they know where the other is going to be on the court before the defense can get set up. That’s what makes them special.”

The Eagles (18-10, 6-7 ACC) were a formidable opponent this evening.

Three players scored in double figures.

Mickel Picco led the way for her team, netting 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting.

Lauren Whitehurst finished the game with 16 points, and Stephanie Murphy added 15 points respectively.

Boston College hung tough, and kept Maryland from going on a big run.

However as the game wore on, the fouls began to mount.

Senior players make big plays.

Coleman iced the victory with that sweet stroke of hers, while the Eagles grabbed the backs of their shorts in pure exhaustion.

Maryland center Lynetta Kizer (Potomac, VA High School) was the only other Terrapin player to score in double figures besides Toliver and Coleman.

She finished the game with 10 points and four rebounds.

Notes:

Kristi Toliver and Marissa Coleman had their jerseys raised to the rafters at Comcast Center in a pre-game celebration.

Crystal Langhorne had her jersey raised in her senior year on Feb. 24, 2008.

Toliver, Coleman, and Langhorne are the only players in Maryland history to be honored while still active.

Maryland Loses Game, Possible NCAA Tournament Bid to Duke 78-67

Jennifer Johnson — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 11:20:53 -0500

It was a valiant effort turned in by the once-dormant Maryland Terrapins’ offensive attack last night, but the Terrapins (17-10, 6-7 ACC) fell to their ACC rival Duke Blue Devils 78-67 at Comcast Center.

Their NCAA tournament hopes have taken a serious blow, and the Terps will have to sweat it out to see if by some miracle their strength of schedule swings the pendulum their way.

Let me interject to say, though, how gratifying it was to watch two expertly-coached teams fight for supremacy among their peers.

They have earned my respect for a job well done.

This game was a true testament to the depth of talent that exists in this competitive college basketball environment.

Maryland’s Greivis Vasquez followed up his nearly-flawless performance against then-No. 3 North Carolina with just 10 points on 5-of-11 shooting.

Kudos to the rest of the Maryland team for regrouping after Vasquez fouled out of the game with more than three minutes left in regulation.

Greivis missed nearly 10 minutes of action in the second half due to his lack of discipline. He owes his teammates a big thank you for showing some resolve, despite losing their leading scorer at a crucial stage of the game.

Maryland forward Landon Milbourne awoke from his offensive slumber to net 19 points on 6-of-8 shooting.

Also, scoring in double figures was guard Adrian Bowie with 14 points and top reserve Eric Hayes added 10 points.

Duke (23-5, 9-4 ACC) had a specific game plan and found it hard to find the proper execution due to Maryland’s relentless pressure defense.

The Blue Devils wanted to keep Maryland on their heels and bury them with long-range perimeter shooting.

It was not until they made a game-changing 16-5 run with just under seven minutes remaining that their three-point shooting become a factor.

Duke shot 42.1 percent from beyond the arc for the game.

During their second half run, they nailed three of four three-point attempts to take the lead for good. The well-rounded Blue Devils persevered through the Maryland press in the end.

They had four players score in double figures.

Sensational standout player Gerald Henderson played 37 minutes of gritty basketball.

He finished the game with 19 points on 7-of-18 shooting, including making several key shots as the lead changed hands seven times in the second half.

It was a coming out party for freshman guard Elliot Williams. For the season, he has averaged 3.7 points per game. In this matchup, he poured in 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting.

Forward Kyle Singler and guard Jon Scheyer added 13 and 12 points, respectively.

Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski expected this game to be highly competitive and prepared his team for a gladiator-type battle in the beltway.

“The last time we played, they were really going in a different direction,” said Krzyzewski. “We knew it would be a vintage Maryland crowd. This is a tough place to win.”

Maryland dropped their home record to 14-3 on the season. The Terrapins’ support system was dressed and ready to provide energy for their fearless team.

Fans held up signs with taunting messages (one camera caught a Maryland fan holding a sign that read “Duke Hates Puppies”), but for the most part the crowd behavior was refreshingly respectable.

This game was intense from start to finish. Maryland, in all honesty, will likely make their fourth trip out of the last five seasons to the NIT once the regular season is concluded.

Last night they came together and lost to a worthy opponent.

I cannot wait for next year’s class to make all the Maryland faithful come back to College Park with renewed energy.

Till then, we have March Madness to keep us on the edge of our seats.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

Eric Hayes Embraces New Role with Terps

Jennifer Johnson — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 11:00:46 -0500

I don’t know about you other Terps fans out there, but this year’s team wears me out.

Tonight is the rematch against the hated Duke Blue Devils (22-5, 8-4 ACC). Any fanatic who witnessed the first embarrassing 85-44 defeat at Cameron Indoor Stadium is hoping for a more competitive outcome the second time around.

Maryland (17-9, 6-6 ACC) is suddenly back into NCAA tournament contention, having scored a major upset on Saturday versus No. 3 ranked North Carolina.

Greivis Vasquez regained his old familiar form in the Terrapins’ 88-85 overtime victory at Comcast Center. He earned Maryland’s third triple-double in team history, finishing the game with 35 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists.

But it was not lost on a key member of the Terrapin attack how significant this win proved for his psyche.

Junior guard Eric Hayes grabbed the basketball and flung it as high as he could when the final buzzer sounded in College Park.

He was pumped.

For the last several games, Hayes has had to watch his other teammates go through their pregame warm-ups, knowing he would not be on the court for the tip-off.

Maryland coach Gary Williams had made a tough coaching decision and benched Hayes a month ago. This was a significant blow to the young man’s ego, as he was a four-year starter at Potomac High School in Dumfries, Virginia.

The Panthers were 100-9, while Eric was on the team. Understandably, he was not happy about Coach Williams’ move.

However, just as he deferred to older players back in high school when times were difficult, he has now accepted the situation for better or for worse.

In Maryland’s case, it certainly has not hurt. Hayes played 35 minutes against North Carolina, scoring 17 points on 5-of-10 shooting.

Terrapin forward Dave Neal praised the maturity that Hayes has shown, since he was removed from the starting rotation.

“I think he’s accepted his role of coming off the bench, and he’s totally fine with that,” Neal said.

"He’ll be in there in crunch time when we need a big shot or a solid possession, because he knows the offense, he’s very composed and he doesn’t get frazzled out there. He just kind of plays within his own game without doing anything extraordinary.”

That is exactly the kind of player he needs to be for Maryland. Leave the creativity to Greivis Vasquez and play the patient game.

As a starter, Eric’s play was decent but erratic. He had lapses in judgment in the late stages of losses to both Florida State and Virginia Tech, throwing an errant pass or picking up his dribble in traffic. Turnovers are momentum killers.

The protruding vein in Williams’ forehead grew increasingly larger during these tense moments, because Hayes’ miscues were the source of his frustration.

Both coach and player are learning to work together, in hopes of reviving the program’s potential push into the postseason.

In the six games since Hayes was benched, he has shot 45.8 percent and averaged 11.3 points per game.

Experience is irreplaceable, and that is what Hayes has to his advantage.

In the Feb. 8 game versus the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, he started in place of Adrian Bowie, who was out with a stomach illness. And he responded with 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting.

“I’ve done it before,” said Hayes of his mature, steady performance.

He returned to the Maryland sidelines the very next game.

The Terps will need all that Hayes can give them against the “Dukies.” If Maryland can go off from three-point land, they can establish a lead on the Blue Devils and force them to play catch up—beating Duke at their own game.

Join me in cheering the Terrapins on to another ACC upset.

Maryland's Twin Towers Trounce Duke for Seventh Straight Win

Jennifer Johnson — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 09:37:07 -0500

The energy in the air was electric at the Comcast Center in College Park, Maryland last night.

On Saturday, the Maryland Terrapins’ men’s basketball team scored a huge upset of No.3 North Carolina, 88-85 in overtime.

With the 16, 344 Terps fans screaming wildly, the women’s team put together a worthy performance to make it a clean sweep in the divisional matchups for both programs.

Maryland (23-4, 10-2 ACC) played unselfish basketball, and notched their seventh win in a row, dropping the No. 7 Duke Blue Devils 77-59.

The Terrapins star seniors Kristi Toliver and Marissa Coleman combined to score 58 of Maryland 77 points, and continued the torrid winning streak started by this red-hot squad, after a loss in Charlottesville to the Virginia Cavaliers.

I have a feeling the Lady Terrapins are not going to taste defeat anytime soon.

Toliver finished with 34 points, one short of her career-high.

Coleman scored 24 points, which gave her exactly 2,000 for her career.

She is the eighth woman in Atlantic Coast Conference history to have at-least 2,000 points, and 1,000 rebounds.

She now has 1,035 rebounds in her dubious career.

Their 23rd victory of the season means that this class is the winningest in school history.

Duke coach Joanne P. McCallie praised these two dynamos for their offensive prowess.

“You have to compliment Toliver and Coleman,” said McCallie. “I don’t think I have ever seen a stat sheet with 34 and 24 from two guard spots. That’s pretty remarkable.”

Kristi Toliver washed away a painful memory for herself in the process.

She missed a potential game-winning three-pointer in Maryland’s 68-65 loss at Duke (22-4, 9-3 ACC) on Jan. 12.

In this first meeting of the season, Toliver’s teammates did not deliver.

She scored 17 points in the first half on 7-for-12 shooting, while the rest of the Terps finished 2-for-20 shooting.

The first half of last night’s second game between Maryland and Duke was no indication of how the game would end.

Duke led at halftime 33-31.

But Maryland started the second half on a 10-0 run.

Coleman drained a pull-up jump shot, and Toliver sank a long-range shot with her toe cradling the line at the top of the key.

Then Toliver capitalized on an inbounds pass, to swish a three-pointer in front of a nervous Duke bench.

She stole the ball on Duke’s next offensive possession, and found a waiting Coleman for a three-pointer.

Before Duke could catch their breath, Maryland had opened up a 43-31 lead.

The Blue Devils never recovered after this game-changing sequence of events.

When Coleman drove to the land and hit a running layup, the score was 58-46 with 10 minutes 17 seconds left in regulation.

Toliver and Coleman had scored all of Maryland’s 27 second-half points.

Maryland coach Brenda Frese’s fears that her team would come up flat tonight, were put to bed by her go-to-girls.

“These guys have done this all season long at different times,” said Frese. “I thought it was great—in the second half [Toliver] got Riss going, and we just started clicking on all cylinders. That’s what great players do; they make great plays and they understand when they have to get their teammates involved. She was patient and Marissa was able to come around.”

Despite getting little offensive production from their three other starters, Maryland held Duke down defensively.

Lynetta Kizer, Dee Liles, and Marah Strickland combined to score a measly 14 points, but harassed the Blue Devils into shooting 33.8 percent for the game.

Strickland had drawn the tough defensive assignments this year.

She was asked to guard Duke stand-out shooter Abby Waner in this contest.

Waner could not find the lanes open very often, and was forced into off-angled shots.

She finished 2-for-11 shooting, and her backcourt teammate Jasmine Thomas missed 14 of her 15 shots.

Thomas finished with six points.

Senior leadership for the Maryland Terrapins won over the crowd, and buried the hopes of a rival’s wish to seize control of the game.

Loud cheers could be heard throughout Comcast Center, as Kristi Toliver and Marissa Coleman left the game for good with 1:43 left on the game clock.

“I was sitting there during starting lineups, and I saw all these glow sticks waving around,” said an energized Coleman. I just wanted to make it a special night. Kristi and I almost outscored them. I think that’s a pretty special evening.”

Notes:

Senior guard Sa’de Wiley-Gatewood has left the team for personal reasons.

Since being named the 2004 Parade All-American player of the year, she has transferred from Tennessee to Maryland, and sat out her sophomore season with knee problems.

According to Brenda Frese, she will remain in school and graduate in May.

Maryland now has hosted the 10 biggest crowds in ACC history.

Nine out of 10 were at Comcast Center.

Greivis Vasquez's Triple-Double Thrills Maryland Fans at Comcast Center

Jennifer Johnson — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 08:46:27 -0500

Admittedly, junior Maryland Terrapins guard Greivis Vasquez has had a rough year.

In his own words, he has not been the kind of player for the Terps that he was expected to be for a while now.

“I have no excuses for my struggles,” said Vasquez. “I haven’t been shooting well for about a month. It was nothing I wasn’t doing right. The ball sometimes just feels heavy on me. But yesterday I felt like I had my game face on. I was ready for the team to look to me to answer the challenge in front of us.”

Whatever motivation Vasquez needed to get out of his recent funk worked to perfection.

Maryland (17-9, 6-6 ACC) shocked the college basketball world yesterday by defeating No.3 ranked North Carolina, 88-85, in OT in front a raucous Comcast Center crowd.

Maryland skipper Gary Williams was fired up in his pregame walk to the bench.

He visibly urged the crowd to clap their hands, and get the support going early, as if he knew something everyone else did not.

Emotions were running high for the fearless group, as this divisional matchup was just seconds away from starting.

Here we go again folks.

Down nine points with a little under two minutes left in regulation, Maryland got angry.

Without hesitation, it was Vasquez that saved his team’s season.

He poured in 35 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists to record the first triple-double in 22 years in College Park.

“I will never give up,” said a defiant Vasquez, after the celebration spilled onto the court.

Vasquez outdueled his counterpart Ty Lawson with so many knifing drives to the basket.

With defenders glued to his jersey, Vasquez stepped up at almost every instance to hit a huge shot when his team needed him. He scored Maryland’s first 16 points in the game’s first six-and-a-half minutes.

Only to see UNC go on a scoring run, to build a 16-point lead with 15 minutes left in the second half.

North Carolina (24-3, 10-3 ACC) was uncharacteristically flat, and several players insisted they did not play very well as a team unit.

“Greivis had a heck of a game,” North Carolina guard Wayne Ellington said. He made shots and got his team going. On the other hand we were flat out there. We were being selfish.”

North Carolina recorded a season-low in assists, registering five for the entire contest.

Led by Ty Lawson’s 24 points, UNC was let down by their backups. Maryland outscored the North Carolina bench 41-5.

Big man and former college player of the year, Tyler Hansborough was held by the Maryland press to 11 points on 4-of-12 shooting.

Filling in nicely for the Terps in their undersized frontcourt, was feisty forward Cliff Tucker. He scored a career-high 22 points on 8-of-12 shooting.

Tucker said he used his coach’s pregame speech in the locker room to ignite his competitive spirit.

“Coach wrote something on the board that stuck with me,” said Tucker. He said, “Someone nobody knows needs to step up tonight.” “I just got in my mind the whole night that I wanted to be that guy.”

Maryland launched a comeback with the score set at 52-36, with 14:17 on the game clock.

Cliff Tucker and shooting guard Eric Hayes each made three-pointers in a 12-2 run, that cut the Tar Heel lead to six points.

After North Carolina went ahead 62-55, Hayes then made two foul shots, Tucker hit another three-pointer, and added two points on a layup.

Maryland closed the gap to a maddening 64-62.

In the next offensive series, North Carolina’s Ty Lawson hit a jumper, to start his team on an 8-0 run. North Carolina led 76-70 with 1:24 left to go in the game.

But it wasn’t enough.

At the 1:24 minute mark “game Greivis” scored on a nifty layup.

Then, Hayes made a layup with 1:05 to go, and Vasquez shook off the steely defense for a game-tying basket with eight seconds left on the clock.

These two juggernauts battled it out for 40 minutes, and fittingly the game would go into an extra period, with the scored knotted at 76-76.

North Carolina scored the first basket in overtime, but their score was answered quickly by Vasquez and Tucker.

Tucker made a layup, and Vasquez nailed a three-pointer to give Maryland their first lead since 18-17.

Ty Lawson buried a three-pointer of his own to tie the score again.

Like a broken record, Vasquez came up huge for the Terps. He coolly drained a three-pointer to put Maryland back up again 84-81.

Lawson was fouled on the other end of the court, and made two free throws.

The pressure was back on Maryland. The Terrapins played keep-away until Eric Hayes was fouled with 11.3 seconds left. Hayes made his two foul shots to extend his team’s lead to a tight 86-83.

North Carolina’s last points were scored by Wayne Ellington, as he made two foul shots.

Vasquez received the ball in the game’s waning seconds, and was fouled. He hammered the nail in the Carolina coffin, and netted his 34th and 35th points of the game.

Pandemonium erupted in College Park when the buzzer sounded. Gary Williams praised the Comcast Center crazies for helping their team stay hungry. “This was a Cole Field House crowd here tonight,” said an appreciative Williams.

Despite all the day’s drama, once thing is for certain.

North Carolina has no worries about making the NCAA tournament.

The national championship still might be in their future, when March Madness is over.

However, the win means everything to the Maryland Terrapins.

This upset victory puts the Terps back on the selection committee’s radar, and further fogs the postseason playoff picture, at least for one more week.

Fear the turtle!

Lynetta Kizer Knocks Out Georgia Tech in Maryland's Sixth Straight Win

Jennifer Johnson — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 14:46:50 -0500

I had a sneaking suspicion that the No. 9 Maryland Terrapins (22-4, 9-2 ACC) would need a solid outing from someone other than Kristi Toliver or Marissa Coleman to keep their winning streak alive.

My prediction was almost right, as freshman center Lynetta Kizer wracked up a career-high 22 points in Maryland’s 87-79 victory over the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets last night at Alexander Memorial Coliseum.

Go-to-girl, Marissa Coleman, notched her fifth 20-or-more-point performance in six games to guide Maryland past a team that has played them tough in recent seasons.

Much to the delight of Maryland’s bench, Kizer stole the spotlight from her talented teammate tonight.

The rookie was sensational from the opening minutes of this pivotal ACC matchup.

The 6'4" enforcer grabbed an offensive rebound, spun past a defender for an easy layup, and cut to the basket without breaking a sweat to add two more points for her surging team.

She also blocked a shot, and stole a pass.

Her energy lifted the Terrapins when they needed it the most.

“If I can bring anything to the team, it’s energy,” said Kizer, a former All-Met at Potomac (Va.) last season. “That’s what I like to do.”

Clearly emotional, Kizer let out a roar when she was fouled after taking the ball strong to the hoop in the second half.

Kizer punished the Yellow Jackets inside the paint, with 10 rebounds, (six offensive) and three blocks.

Senior Marissa Coleman has been the energizer for the Terrapins in recent games.

Coleman used her athletic ability to help complement Kizer’s outstanding play to have another fine day herself.

She finished the game with 23 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists. I believe her foul shooting made a big difference is Maryland’s win as well. She nailed all 11 of her free throw attempts.

That is leadership, folks.

The ACC tournament begins on Mar. 5.

There is an adage in the sports world that goes like this.

You want to be heading into the postseason playing your best ball.

I think that is what Maryland is accomplishing right now. They are well prepared, and execute with regularity despite good competition.

Georgia Tech (18-8, 5-6 ACC) is not one of the “power” teams in the ACC, having never finished above fourth place in the conference’s history.

The Terrapins knew better than to underestimate them, because they remember falling to the Yellow Jackets, 77-72 two seasons ago in Atlanta.

Maryland likes to get out and generate fast breaks, and Georgia Tech’s strength is holding teams down with physical interior post movement.

It was important that Maryland establish their game plan early, and avoid the costly turnovers that plagued them in previous games versus Georgia Tech.

Maryland had averaged 24.3 turnovers in the teams’ past three meetings.

During their five-game winning streak, Maryland had cut their turnover average from 17.9 to 10.8.

Fundamental basketball is simple.

Stay in control of the ball, and the scoring opportunities will increase.

The Yellow Jackets are great at playing the role of spoiler, claiming wins against No. 21 Michigan State, and following up with an upset of No.2 North Carolina on their home court.

In fact, Kristi Toliver and Marissa Coleman had never won in Georgia.

“Kristi and I talked about it, how our sophomore year we lost that tough one here and that left a bad taste in our mouth,” said Coleman.

“It feels like every game we’ve had the last couple of weeks is one of those game where we’re coming in saying we’re not going to lose it. We’ve got another one on Sunday, another revenge game.

Maryland goes for their seventh straight win, but will have to go through a hated rival to do it.

The Duke Blue Devils (22-3, 9-2 ACC) come to Comcast Center with an almost identical record as the Terrapins.

The two teams are currently tied for second place in the ACC. No. 11 Florida State (22-5, 10-1 ACC) is in first place. Georgia Tech could not stop Maryland’s strong passing game.

The Terps spread the ball around. Movement without the ball, especially by Lynetta Kizer led to easy buckets. They hit high-percentage shots, such as layups and short jumpers off of offensive rebounds.

Maryland’s 87 points were the most Georgia Tech had given up all year.

The Terrapins had 18 assists, and 19 of 29 field goals came via the layup.

Maryland led by 23 points, before Georgia Tech was able to go on a 15-2 run with 8 minutes and 22 seconds to play.

The Terrapin lead was cut to 10 points, with just under five minutes to play.

The score was 77-67, but there was no need to panic if you were a Terps fan.

Sophomore guard Marah Strickland (15 points) swished her fourth three-pointer of the game to win back control of the contest.

None of this would matter if it weren’t for Maryland’s burgeoning star center.

She leads all rookies in the ACC in points (13.2 per game) and rebounds. (7.5 per game)

Coach Brenda Frese credits Lynetta Kizer with sparking the rest of the team’s fire.

“She just gave us tremendous post presence,” said a proud Frese. “You could tell she was ready from the tip; she was active, she was aggressive...This is what we need from our big girl, this kind of energy.”