March 6, 2009

GAME SIX: Maryland 72, Wake Forest 70

TOURNAMENT NOTES

ACC Player of the Year: Before the game, the ACC named Maryland senior guard Kristi Toliver as its Player of the Year. Toliver ranks second among ACC scorers with 18.1 points per game and leads the conference in assists per game with 5.1.

Battle in the `Boro: A game that featured eight ties and eight lead changes was a battle from start to finish. Wake Forest held a 12-point lead with 9:53 remaining in the game when Maryland went on a 19-2 run that lasted 6:54. Maryland regained the lead with four minutes to play, the team's first lead since late in the first half.

Slim Margin: Maryland's win over Wake Forest was the smallest margin of victory in an ACC Tournament contest between the No. 1 and No. 9 seed. The No.1 seed had won all ten previous match-ups by an average margin of 20.5.

Back in Business: Down by nine with 5:26 remaining in the first half, the Demon Deacons went on a 13-3 run over the next three minutes. The rally gave the Deacons the lead.

Perfect as #1: Maryland is now 6-0 when seeded first in the tournament. The Terps came into the tournament as the top seed two times previously (1979, 1989), winning the championship in both years.

Elite Company: With 6:14 remaining in the game, Marissa Coleman captured the 200th steal of her career. The 200th steal puts Coleman in elite company; she and Clemson's Barbara Kennedy (1979-82) are the only players in ACC history to record 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, 200 steals and 100 blocks in a career.

Multiple double-doubles: The game featured three double-double performances. Maryland's Lynetta Kizer posted 16 points, along with 11 rebounds. Wake Forest's Alex Tchangoue contributed 16 points and 10 boards, while freshman Brooke Thomas had 15 points with 11 assists. Both the points scored and assists were career highs en route to her first career double-double.

#1 Dominance: As the No. 1 seed, Maryland continued previous success by the tournament's highest seed. The top seeded team is now 25-0 against the 8/9 team, having never lost in its opening game.