March 7, 2009

March 7, 2009

Perfect as #1: Maryland is now 7-0 as the top seed in ACC Tournament. The Terps won the title in the first two seasons at No. 1 (1979 and 1989).

Perennial Powers: Saturday's matchup between Maryland and North Carolina was the eighth consecutive meeting in which both were ranked in the top 15 in the AP poll.

Sensational Seniors: Maryland seniors Kristi Toliver and Marissa Coleman each topped the 25-point mark in this game. The feat has been accomplished by the duo only three times, with all three occurrences in the last eight games.

Toliver on a Tear: Kristi Toliver had a solid performance in the win over the Tar Heels, scoring 25 points and going 13-for-13 from the free throw line, the best performance in the history of the tournament. Several other players had been perfect, of course, but none had done so while attempting more than seven shots. Toliver also had five assists and three steals.

Marissa is Money: Marissa Coleman connected for 9-of-13 field goals to lead the team with 29 pointsColeman contributed seven rebounds to the team's effort along with two blocks. Coleman's two blocks gives her 137 for her career, good for a tie for 4th place all-time in school history.

Roaring Back: After trailing by 13 early in the first period, North Carolina worked to chip away at the Maryland lead. The Tar Heels eventually tied the game at 6:06, with a Cetera DeGraffenreid fast break, layup to make the score 30 all.

Rodgers Rallies: With the scored tied at 38 with 1:22 to go in the opening half, Kim Rodgers hit 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions to send Maryland to the locker room with a six point halftime lead.

Lucas Lights It Up: Italee Lucas led the Tar Heels with 26 points, including five 3-pointers, matching a career high from long distance. Lucas had a rare four-point play with 5:50 remaining in the first half, sinking her 3-point shot and converting on the free throw attempt.

Can't Miss Carolina: The Tar Heels converted 10 straight field goal attempts in the second half, going 5:12 without missing from the floor. The streak gave the Heels a 23-11 run which gave them a brief lead.

Welcome to Bre-Land, Population 23: Jessica Breland was one of two Tar Heel players who topped the 20-point mark in the loss to Maryland. Breland scored 23 points in the contest and added seven rebounds and four assists.

Foul Trouble: Both teams committed season highs in fouls. North Carolina was whistled 26 times, surpassing the previous high of 23. Likewise, Maryland committed 21 fouls; its previous high was 19.

More points: The total of 95 points is the highest UNC has allowed in its 74-game ACC Tournament history. It represents the Terps' biggest output since the 1993 final, the epic 106-103, triple-overtime loss to Virginia.