A Very Special Night

 

 



When the Terps raced out to an early 18-0 lead against the George Mason Patriots tonight, that was a not-too-subtle hint that the entertainment value of this game was not going to come from watching a tightly contested basketball match.  (Nor, in truth, was that what the BCs expected as we drove to Comcast this evening.)

But that doesn't mean today's game wasn't fun . . . or special.  It was!  Both!  In fact, there were any number of special highlights from Maryland's blowout win, 90-40.  For us, these four in particular really stand out:

1.   Every Terp played double-digit minutes and every Terp scored at least 5 points; 5 of the 8 Terps finished in double figures!  That's called team basketball.

2.  With 16:33 left in the second half, Tianna Hawkins, the ACC's leading scorer, had outscored George Mason all by herself, 24-22.  (At that point, the score was 54-22.)  It's not all that unusual to see a star outpacing the opponent early in a game, but it's quite an accomplishment when it happens this late in the game.  Tianna finished with game-high scoring honors, 27 points in only 26 minutes.  Had T-Hawk played more, who knows, maybe she could've outscored the Patriots solo.

3.  At halftime, the Terps hosted their inaugural Teddy Bear Toss.  Hundreds of adorable new Teddy Bears, thrown by the fans, rained down onto the court, where they were quickly collected and bagged by a very efficient arena crew.  The Teddies collected will be given to children at Johns Hopkins Hospital. What wonderful gifts they'll make for all those kids!  The BCs hope that, with earlier notice to fans next season about this event, the Terps will truly be able to Fill the Floor . . . perhaps with thousands of Teddies! (But no Pandas, please.)

4.  Last, and definitely not least . . . tonight, the extraordinarily talented All-Everything Alyssa Thomas recorded a triple-double (11 points, 12 boards, 11 assists).  WOW!!!   Double-digit scoring, double-digit rebounding, and double-digit assists!  That's simply astounding.  What a performance.  Congratulations, AT!!!

This is only the second time in Maryland history that this amazing stat line hat-trick has been accomplished.   Ironically, the player who earned the Terps' first triple-double, Marissa Coleman, back on December 2, 2006, was in the house tonight as the player who now wears Marissa's old number ("25") joined her in the record books.

Sadly, as much fun as we had this evening, the BCs won't be seeing the Terps again for awhile, since their next home game is not until December 28th against Brown, in the opener of the annual Terrapin Classic.  Before that contest, the Terps play on the road twice: on December 11 at Towson, and on December 20 at Delaware. We're sure many other Maryland fans will be making those roadtrips, but the BCs will follow the action on gametracker.  (We just love those little triangular figures.)

As for the Terps players, in addition to those two away games, they also need to finish their holiday shopping and squeeze in some final exams before they return to Comcast just before New Year's.   A busy, busy December indeed for these young women.  Let's hope it's a successful one.

Go Terps . . . Beat the Tigers!

Photo Credit: DC BasketCases