It's Official

This shouldn’t come as any big surprise, since it’s been more than two months since we last posted on this site. (Life happens.) But given that tomorrow is the 7th Anniversary of the launch of the DCBasketCases, perhaps this is a fitting time to make it official: The BCs are now retired from the basketball blogosphere.

It’s been quite a ride! When we published our first post on May 11, 2006, we didn’t really introduce ourselves to our readers because, quite frankly, we weren’t sure we would ever have any. We certainly never anticipated that – in time – the two of us would come to be known collectively as “The BasketCases.” We never expected our blog would be mentioned in the Washington Post or on ESPN.com. And we certainly never anticipated that our blog would allow us to make the acquaintance of so many wonderful people . . . fans, coaches, GMs, journalists, readers near and far, and disembodied heads of former mascots. That was the best part.

The DC BasketCases blog originally grew out of our desire to share our enthusiasm, our humor, some information, as well as, on occasion, some serious opinions about something we both loved, women’s basketball. Before the blog, there were message boards, but not many other options for communicating with those who shared our interest. There was relatively little coverage of women’s basketball in the print or broadcast media, and that hasn't changed.  But in 2006, the social media that we now take for granted mostly didn’t exist. Facebook was literally in its infancy and Twitter was introduced to the cyber-world the same year as the BCs.

Early on in the evolution of our blog, we recognized that many readers were starved for information about their favorite teams. So even in some of our wackier posts, we always strived to pass along accurate reports of games, players, recruiting, human interest stories related to the sport – either things we found written or things that were shared with us by reliable sources – that we then shared with our readers. Now, however (thanks to the advent of social media), teams, coaches and players are able to post information or links about anything that’s happening. Fans no longer need to rely on the Washington Post, or WJLA, or even on the DC BasketCases for news of their teams or favorite players.

In the seven years of our blog’s life, we averaged one new post every other day! That’s a lot of writing, linking, arguing with each other, editing . . . that's a lot of work. Believe it! But sharing our mostly upbeat, usually (but not always) light-hearted take on our two favorite teams with others who cared about them as we did, that was truly enjoyable. And having readers tell us in comments or in person that they liked what we wrote . . . that was always appreciated. We loved that (and will miss it); it never got old.

But, unfortunately, we are getting old. And the cyber-world has changed so much since we launched in 2006 that now, we believe, is a good time to step away from our keyboards. So thank you readers! You’ve made this seven-year-stretch special in a way we never anticipated. And though we won’t be basketball bloggers, we still are, and expect we always will be, women’s basketball fans.

So Thank you, Terps. Thank you, WNBA. Thank you to all the wonderful people (especially our loyal readers) we’ve met along the way. And to quote a famous Looney Tunes character, That’s all Folks.

Feel Good Moments

Today's regular season finale between the Terps and Wake Forest at Comcast was full of feel good moments.  First and foremost, it was Senior Night, and Maryland's Senior Extraordinaire, Tianna Hawkins, left on a high note, notching the umpteenth double-double of her career, with 18 points and 11 boards. All the fans, her teammates, and her coaches felt really good that T-Hawk finished her last ACC game at Comcast the way she's played for four years . . . . simply great! 

The Terps' other departing Senior, volleyball-player-turned-basketball-player Caitlin Adams, entered today's game with about three minutes left, and brought the crowd to its feet -- cheering and shouting her name -- when she scored on two free throws.  Definitely a feel-good moment.

And how 'bout Sequoia Austin?  A career high 15 points (including the play of the game) and 2 beautiful assists. Plenty to feel good about there.  And then there was Maryland's All-American Alyssa Thomas . . .sporting her signature feel-good grin for most of this afternoon's 40 minutes.  Thomas-the-Terrific scored 16 points, grabbed 8 boards, and dished out 7 assists. Good reason to smile!  Alicia DeVaughn and Malina Howard were feeling good as well, as they too finished in double figures (14 and 13, respectively).  In fact, everyone played, and everyone scored as the Terps routed Wake Forest, 88-61.   The only discordant note was that Tierney Pfirman missed today's game . . . she was out sick.  We wish her the best and hope she gets well soon!

After the game, the Rebounders held a "social" with the team. Q & A, laughs, dancing (by the 3-ACLers and Sequoia . . . thankfully, not by the Rebounders), emotional goodbyes from T-Hawk and Caitlin and, as always, nice upbeat remarks from Coach B.   More (and more) feel good moments!

A great ending to the regular season, and a great way to send off the Terps as they (and plenty of their Red Sea of fans) head to Greensboro for the ACC Tournament, which starts this Thursday.

This may have been a season with way more than its share of adversity for Maryland's players and coaches.  But, despite all that, this team always played hard, fought through every obstacle, and never gave up.  If that's not something to feel good about, well, what is? These Terps never let the the problems define them. This was truly a feel-good season, and the BCs couldn't be more proud to be Maryland fans!  

Go Terps . . . Beat Whoever!Georgia Tech/Wake Forest, Friday, 6 PM!

White Out Wiped Out

There's no way to sugar coat today's game.  Duke was the far better team this afternoon.  The Blue Devils played very well, and the Terps did not.  Duke won, 75-59.  It wasn't much fun for the BCs and the nearly 16,000 other Maryland fans who packed Comcast on a beautiful afternoon.  We were hoping for a different kind of game. Sigh.

If the stars align, the Terps might get a third shot at Duke this season in Greensboro, and perhaps the third time will be the charm.  The second certainly wasn't.

Next up for the Terps is their penultimate regular season game, on Thursday against Florida State at 7pm.  The game will be shown on ESPN3.

Go Terps! . . . Beat the 'Noles!

We Hate to Admit It, but we kinda missed "watching" games on Gametracker.  It's been quite a while since we've "seen" one.  Those little triangular icons -- shooting, rebounding, committing turnovers -- have a way of keeping us on the edge of our seats.  Sometimes minutes go by without any "action" . . . so we get anxious about what's going on (live) that we're missing. Gametracker engages our imaginations in a way that real action doesn't.  Weird, we know, but true.

For example, the Terps were playing Boston College tonight on the road in Chestnut Hill.  After seeing an early 10-point lead reduced to just 4 with a little less than 6 minutes left in the first half, Maryland called a time out.  We stared at our laptop, but nothing, nada, zip was happening on Gametracker.  So the BCs had to imagine what we were missing.  In our heads, we "saw" all those little triangular Maryland players sheepishly heading for the bench.  Then we "saw" a little triangular figure with blonde hair, wearing a suit, going berserk telling the players, in a very animated fashion, what she expected them to do once they returned to the court.  And, whatever the little blonde figure said, the players must have heard -- loud and clear -- because when Gametracker next updated (6 seconds after the time out), Alyssa Thomas had begun an 18-4 Maryland run that sent her team to the locker room at the break up 43-25.

The second half wasn't exactly a nail-biter . . . the Terps increased their lead, played their entire bench (short as it is), and cruised to a 25-point win, 86-61.

In truth, the BCs wish we could've really seen AT play tonight.  Her stat line was amazing: 30 points (a career high), 12 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 blocks (with only a single turnover and a single personal foul).  AT is such a special player, we never get tired of seeing her play.  Other Maryland players in double figures: T-Hawk finished with 15 points (and grabbed her 1,000th career rebound, making her only the 3rd woman and 4th player in Maryland history to join that special club), Malina had 11, and Alicia had 10.  In other words, a solid all-around team effort. 

And with Duke coming to Comcast on Sunday (3 PM), the Terps will need an exceptional all-around team effort if they want to split the regular season with the Blue Devils.  That game, unlike tonight's, should be a tough, 40-minute battle.  We can't wait!

Go Terps . . . Beat the Devils!

A Happy Valentine's Day

The last time the BCs saw Maryland play Clemson, we were watching on our netbook via wi-fi in our hotel room in Buenos Aires . . . some 5,000 miles and an entire hemisphere away.  The wonders of modern technology!  Even better, although the wi-fi in our hotel was supposedly behind a paywall, a wormhole opened up for us, and we were able to watch the Terps for FREE!  Does it get any better than that?

Well, yes it does -- getting to watch the Terps in person (something for which we gladly pay).  And tonight, in their second game this season against the Tigers, the Terps bounced back from their loss on Monday to Duke by crushing Clemson at Comcast, 75-45, in the annual Play4Kay Breast Cancer Awareness game. 

T-Hawk, who didn't have a particularly good outing on Monday, was back in form this evening, leading all scorers with 30 points, and notching another double-double with 12 boards.  And despite spending much of the first half on the bench with two fouls, Alyssa Thomas finished with 17 points and 8 rebounds. Two other Terps were also hard at work around the glass, as Alicia DeVaughn pulled down 11 boards and freshman Malina Howard grabbed 10.

The first half of the game left a bit to be desired, as fouls, turnovers, and low scoring percentages combined for a very long 20 minutes, and saw the Terps only 8 points ahead at the break. But things picked up in the second period, as the Terps kicked it into to a higher gear and rolled to a lop-sided win.

Some post-injury good news: Katie Rutan was finally playing without her face mask tonight, and Tierney Pfirman, recovering from her dislocated patella, was dressed and warmed up with the team.  We hope this means Tierney is working her way back into the lineup and that we'll see her in action again very soon.

And in other good news: the Terps were so far ahead in the second half that Caitlin Adams got more than three minutes of playing time, and, last but not least, Coach B was not ejected.

Next up for the Terps: UVA in Charlottesville on Sunday.

Go Terps . . .  Beat the Cavs!

We Hate It when Maryland loses to Duke, as they did this evening at Cameron, 71-56, in a game nationally televised by ESPN.

Tough night for both Tianna and Alyssa.  T-Hawk was held to just 6 points.  And though AT finished with a double-double (14 points and 12 boards), she was only 4-19 from the floor.  Tougher night for Coach B, who was ejected for picking up two technicals during a second half timeout -- while ESPN was on a commerical break, so we can't tell you exactly what happened there, but it couldn't have been pretty.

In any event, the Terps lost by a fairly substantial margin.  And though we give credit to the Devils for being the better team tonight, we can't keep from wondering . . . what if, if only, Maryland, like Duke, had been at full strength -- and healthy.  What a game this would have been.

Not Enough Superlatives

 

In case you’ve been wondering just what the BCs – and Petey – have been up to for the last couple of weeks while taking a break from the blogosphere, the short answer is that we headed South (way, way South) for a bit of “Summer” vacation. And was it ever amazing! Actually, it was more than amazing. Some things in life are really hard to convey in words – just too spectacular – and the trip we just returned from was one of those. We’re truly at a loss to come up with enough superlatives to describe what we saw and experienced in . . . Antarctica!

That’s the short answer as to where we were. The long answer is that after spending a couple of days touring the hot, sunny, and very pretty city of Buenos Aires (our interim destination) and enjoying the sights, food, and wine of Argentina’s capital, it was finally time to meet up with our expedition companions and board our charter flight on LAN even further South – to Ushuaia. (Oosh-why-ah.) Surrounded by the stunning, snow-capped peaks of the Andes Mountains at the tip of South America, Ushuaia is the southern-most city on earth, aptly nicknamed Fin del Mundo. . . the End of the World.   However, for the BCs, Petey, and about 140 other intrepid travelers, it wasn’t the end, it was the just the beginning of an indescribable adventure!

There in Ushuaia, we boarded our ship at last, the 300-foot National Geographic Explorer, and headed out into some of the roughest waters in the world, the Drake Passage. The infamous Drake, which separates Cape Horn at the southern tip of South America from the Northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, is where the Atlantic, the Pacific and the Southern Oceans come together.  That typically makes for a very turbulent mix, especially since there is no landmass to block the winds that constantly circulate around Antarctica.  Handrails in cabins and corridors kept us more or less upright as we walked around the ship, while heavy ropes strung in the restaurant area (serving as grab lines) allowed us to navigate to a table without tumbling headfirst into furniture, buffet stations or other passengers. Fortunately, all the chairs in the dining room were strapped to the deck, so when the inevitable big waves hit, you only needed to grab the liquids on your table to keep them from launching themselves into space or, worse yet, onto someone else’s lap. But as long as you were seated, your chair couldn’t slide more than about eight inches before the strap stopped your motion.  A scopolomine patch was the accessory of choice for BC Eileen and many of our shipmates, while a few on board, including BC Judith, were born with sea legs and enjoyed the rough crossing, spending a great deal of time up on the bridge getting photos of waves breaking over the bow.

After about a day and a half of rockin’ and rollin’ (accompanied along the way by majestic birds, including Wandering Albatrosses and Giant Petrels), we got our first glimpse of “The Ice” and its many fascinating inhabitants . . .

Icebergs!  Everywhere.  Astounding beauty!

No two alike.  Some just floating chunks a few feet on a side.  Some the size of city blocks!

On closer inspection, they are simply more fantastic!

Our ship was an ice class vessel, and our Captain loved nothing better than steering into massive sections of sea ice . . . creating cracks, then using the bow to push the ice away, forming a channel for the ship to pass through.  We loved it, too.  Endlessly entertaining!

Sometimes, though, smooth sailing and calm waters were just as breathtaking.

 ;

There was even more to see on land.  Here, on one of our many landings via zodiac boats, the penguins welcomed us ashore.  (In truth, we happened to pull into one of their favorite beaches, and they were simply going about their business . . . heading out to sea to stuff themselves with krill.)

Petey tried to make friends with the Gentoo penguins, but they were too busy to stop and chat.

On another landing, more penguins going about their business.  These are Adelies . . . all black faces with white around their eyes.

Chicks chasing an Adelie parent. "Feed me!"

Another chick in the colony gets its wish . . . a feeding from Mom or Dad (it's nearly impossible to distinguish the genders from a respectful distance).

A quiet moment for a Gentoo family on their nest.

And another quiet moment as this molting Gentoo enjoys the falling snow.

Sometimes we observed a rookery from land (where we also experienced the unforgettable "aroma" of large quantities of slimy, pink penguin guano).

Other times, we spotted the colonies while cruising in the zodiacs (and if we happened to be downwind of the penguins, we were also treated to their unmistakable "aroma").

On land, penguins are slow and waddling, but surefooted.  In water, they are sleek, porpoising speed demons!

The seabirds who followed our ship were also fascinating, graceful creatures.  Here's a Black Browed Albatross. This bird has a wing span of nearly 8 feet!

. . . here, a Wandering Albatross, with a wingspan of up to 11.5 feet.

. . .  and some Pintado Petrels.

We spotted many seals of several varieties. In the water, they are hard to photograph. But napping on ice floes, they are much easier to capture.   Here's the much-feared (by penguins!) Leopard Seal -- a ferocious mammal with long sharp teeth, weighing more a thousand pounds.  Since humans in red parkas are neither his prey nor his predator, he allowed us to bump right up against his iceberg -- for our photo op -- with nothing more threatening than a few stares and a yawn or two.

Did we mention we saw whales?  So many, we lost count!  Here's a breaching Humpback.

And Minke whales swimming around and under our zodiacs. The naturalist driving our zodiac that day told us that she had rarely seen such a playful display from Minkes.  We saw many Minkes on our expedition, including [cue music from Jaws] . . .

. . . the morning the ship got a 5:30 AM wake-up call that a pod of Killer Whales was spotted off the bow.  Two of the world's leading Killer Whale researchers, John Durban and Bob Pitman, were on the Explorer with us, so, with the Captain's assistance, our ship followed the whales.  The Killer Whales (approximately a dozen) zeroed in on a lone Minke -- breakfast! -- and began the chase.  Experts Bob and John gave the Minke a slim chance of escape.  But, sometimes the underdog -- or underwhale -- wins.  And after 13 miles and 2 hours of open sea chasing, the lone Minke managed (against all odds) to elude the Killer Whales.  Watching this life-and-death contest play out was truly one of the highlights of our trip!

The Minke's unexpected success provided a major opportunity for the Killer Whale research team.  The defeated Killers were tired from the long chase, and in no rush to leave the area around our ship.  So the researchers took to a zodiac, wielding cross-bows fitted with arrows bearing tracking transmitters.  Bob and John managed to "tag" 3 Killer Whales in this pod . . . the first time this type of Killer Whale had ever been tagged with depth-dive transmitters!  Now the researchers can follow the whales' movements and learn more about this species. 

Of course, no "southern" vacation would be complete without water sports.  Here, BC Judith is kayaking in her fashionable Arctic Muck Boots.

And naturally, all that beautiful blue water meant  . . . swimming!  Or at least a "polar plunge."  If you packed your swimsuit and had the nerve, you could jump off the ship's platform into the 29-degree water.  How refreshing!  BC Judith "took the plunge"!  BC Eileen wimped out (and took the picture).  By the way, the woman in the blue parka in the left zodiac is the ship's doctor, a specialist in emergency medicine.  (We're happy to report that all the plungers survived without need for her services.)

After all we saw and did, it was sad to say goodbye to the wildlife.  (These penguins, though, don't seem too broken up about our departure.)

And sad to say goodbye to this incredible continent, more beautiful than we could have imagined.  Words aren't enough.  These photos don't do it justice.  This wild, unspoiled place is, hands-down, one of the most spectacular places on this planet.  The BCs will never forget it.  And we will always feel so very fortunate to have been there.

Photo Credits: DC BasketCases

 

The BCs Are Hitting the Pause Button . . .

Not to worry, nothing's wrong.  We're just taking a little break from the blogosphere -- and basketball -- for a bit.

But we will be back blogging!  (Almost certainly for the Duke game!)

So until we return from our little blogging hiatus . . .

Go Terps . . . Beat Everybody!

The Terps Won the Game Today, but sustained a BIG loss this weekend, when freshman Tierney Pfirman collided with a scout player during practice on Saturday and suffered a dislocated kneecap.  Ouch!  Needless to say, Tierney did not travel with the team to Atlanta for this afternoon's contest against Georgia Tech.  During ESPN's broadcast of the game, LaChina Robinson reported that Tierney's kneecap had slid 90-degrees to the side of her leg after the collision.  Ewww!   Exactly how long Tierney will be out is not yet known; the team is awaiting an MRI report.  The BCs feel so bad for Tierney, who was really starting to come into her own.  We hope that nothing major is wrong and that she'll be back in action soon.

With Tierney out today, the Terps' roster was back to 8, including recent walk-on Caitlin Adams.  But, thankfully, 8 was enough (7, actually, since Caitlin did not play), as the Terps beat the Yellow Jackets on the road, 66-57. 

Georgia Tech is always a tough, physical opponent, and today's game was tough and today's game was physical.  The Terps turned the ball over far too many times (24, to be exact), and trailed for much of the first period.  But thanks once again to the Dynamic Duo of Alyssa Thomas and Tianna Hawkins, aided today by Alicia DeVaughn -- all three of whom had double-doubles -- the Terps managed to take a small lead by halftime, 32-29.  Largely due to an early second half scoring blitz by AT, the Terps built a 16 point lead with about 14 minutes left in the game.  After that, things got a little dicey for a while, as the Yellow Jackets chipped away at the Terps' lead and closed the gap to 5 with only two minutes left.  Fortunately that was as close as they would get, as Maryland rebuilt the lead back to 9 points and hung on for the win.

Alyssa, who played all 40 minutes, had another monster game, leading all scorers with 28 points.  (She also grabbed 10 rebounds and dished out 8 assists, once again flirting with a triple-double.)  Some of AT's buckets were highlight-reel material that made this game great fun to watch. ESPN announcers LaChina and Pam Ward could not say enough good things about Alyssa during the broadcast. They love her!  (As do her teammates, coaches and Maryland fans everywhere.)  T-Hawk scored 16 points and pulled down 14 boards before fouling out (again), and Alicia finished with 11 points and 12 boards.

The BCs want to give a special shout-out to Katie Rutan, who continues to display incredible toughness despite playing with a broken nose that requires her to wear an uncomfortable full-face mask.  Katie, who started today in place of the injured Tierney, not only takes charges from the offense and bounces right back, but this afternoon she was the victim of friendly fire when T-Hawk landed on her chest after a scrum under the basket.  Ugh!  Katie was clearly hurting; she seemed a little dazed, a little bloody, and a lot bruised. She left the court briefly, but was then right back within a couple of minutes.  Katie definitely gets the BC's Purple Heart Award of the day.

This game was a tough one for all of Maryland's starters.  With their bench even shorter than usual, all five starters played 33 minutes or more against a Tech team that used 11 players and pressed them throughout.  That's an exhausting afternoon, even for a very fit group of young women. 

This afternoon's win was the Terps' 5th in a row, improving their ACC record to 6-1.  Next up is a re-match against UNC, at Comcast on Thursday night at 8:30 PM.

Go Terps . . . Beat the Tar Heels! 

(And Tierney . . . Get Well Soon!)

With about 10 minutes remaining in tonight's game, and Maryland leading NC State by roughly 30 points, TV play-by-play announcer Mike Hogewood pronounced the Terps "firmly in control." Of course, immediately after that, the Wolfpack went on a double-digit run.  Thanks, Mike.

But Mike was right. At no point in tonight's contest was the outcome ever in doubt.  The bigger, stronger, faster, more athletic Terps dominated NC State in practically every statistical category. Given the late hour at which this game started, the BCs (who watched from home) even started writing this post before the game ended . . . something we rarely ever do.  That's how confident we were of the final outcome.  For the record, Maryland won, 82-60.

The Terps were led by their senior (soon-to-be WNBA first-rounder), Tianna Hawkins.  Talk about filling up a stat line!  Would you believe 26 points, 17 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and a block?! That's just sick.  (Not sick like the flu that one of the BCs is still struggling with, but sick like amazing.) Great job, T!

Alyssa Thomas and Tierney Pfirman also finished in double figures.  AT, despite a long first half stretch on the bench due to foul trouble, dropped in 18 points, pulled down 7 boards, and served up 6 assists (some of those to Tianna for easy buckets).  Tierney finished with 16 points, 6 of them coming on 2 of 4 shots from beyond the arc.  Tierney also grabbed 8 rebounds, and had 2 assists and 2 steals.  A very good night for this very enthusiastic young freshman.  She's already becoming one of the BC's favorites.

So, Maryland records its 4th straight ACC victory of season (5-1 overall).  Meanwhile, poor NC State drops to 0-6 in Conference play.  Next up, the Terps travel to Atlanta on Sunday for a 3 PM tip-off against their opponent in last season's ACC Tournament final, the always-tough Georgia Tech. Sunday's game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN2.   So no excuses for not watching this one.

Go Terps . . . Beat the Yellow Jackets!

By The Numbers

The BCs were looking forward to listening to the live audio broadcast of Maryland's game at Virginia Tech this afternoon, but thanks to an epic fail by CBSsports.com, all we had was a Toyota commercial. Fortunately, the Hokies had a great live stats page, so at least we got to follow the "action" by the numbers.

Good Numbers: Maryland routed the Hokies, 74-45.  Alyssa Thomas had a monster game: 26 points, 18 rebounds, and 6 assists, notching her double-double with more than 4 minutes left in the first half. Other Terps finishing in double figures: T-Hawk (14), freshman Tierney Pfirman, who had a terrific outing with 11 points (including 2 of 3 from behind the arc) and 7 boards, and Katie Rutan (11, including a perfect 2 of 2 threes).

Bad Number:  22 Maryland turnovers.  Ugh. (And too many first half fouls!)

Interesting Number:  1:47: the time left in the final period when Volleyballer Caitlin Adams entered the game.

The Terps are now 4-1 in the ACC.  Their next game is at home against NC State on Thursday; tip-off is at the (too) late hour of 8:30 PM.

Go Terps . . . Beat the Wolfpack!

* * * * * *

And the Golden Globe Weekly Honors Go To  . . . Alyssa Thomas! On Monday it was announced that AT earned ACC Player-of-the-Week honors!  Congrats, Alyssa!  But, wait, there's more! She was also voted, by ESPN sportswriters, the ESPNW  Player-of-the-Week! Double Congrats to AT!

Fan Appreciation Day . . . $1 tickets, $1 hot dogs, $1 sodas, and a great game.  What a deal!

After not beating Miami at Comcast since 2009, the Terps (despite serious first half foul trouble) ran the #24/25 ranked 'Canes ragged in the second period and coasted to an easy 84-62 win.  Even Maryland's newest addition, Senior Volleyball star Caitlin Adams, got a minute or so of playing time in this evening's blow-out victory.

The BCs were really looking forward to seeing tonight's game in person, but that pesky flu bug had other plans for us.  Instead of a $1 ticket (and hot dogs!), we shelled out (pun intended) $9.95 for a one-month subscription to Terps TV premium events.  So, we did "see" the game on our laptop at home . . . and we definitely enjoyed it.  But we're certain the fans at Comcast had an even better time.  Games like these are just plain F-U-N when you're in the house.  No doubt all the Terps fans headed for home feeling very "appreciated".

And speaking of appreciation, we can't begin to tell you how much we appreciated the play tonight of Freshman PG Chloe Pavlech!  With Alicia, Alyssa and T-Hawk all struggling with first half fouls, Chloe's shooting held Miami at bay until reinforcements arrived in the second period.  Chloe's previous career high was 10 points; tonight she doubled that, finishing with a game-high 20 points, on 8-11 shooting, including hitting 50% (3-6) from beyond the arc.  All this offensive output while still taking very good (veteran-like) care of the basketball for 35 minutes.

The usual suspects, Alyssa and T-Hawk, also played major roles in this dominating win.  Each chipped in 18 points, and Tianna added another double-double to her resume, pulling down a game-high 11 boards. Malina Howard also finished in double figures with 10 points.

The BCs want to mention, too, how much we "appreciated" the spark that Katie Rutan provided off the bench.  What a tough player!  She has a broken nose, she's wearing an uncomfortable face-mask . . . but still she shoots 50% from the field (8 pts), chases down lose balls, plays aggressive defense, and has a couple of dishes and a steal.  Twenty-seven minutes of good, solid play tonight -- a big part of why the Terps finished on the winning side of a very lop-sided score.

A good all around team win.  Two in a row in Conference play. Maryland's record now stands at 3-1 in the ACC.  Hopefully the Terps can build on that when they travel to Virginia Tech on Sunday.

Go Maryland . . . Beat the Hokies!

Question:

Answer: if you're Maryland, Brown can help you shake off a bit of post-holiday rust.

After enjoying a little time away with family and friends -- and more than a week since their last game -- the Terps looked a little rusty in the early going of today's noon-time tip-off at Comcast.

Hosting the Brown Bears in the opening game of this year's Terrapin Classic, Maryland got off to a slow start, falling behind early (but only by a small margin) before shaking off the rust, and then taking a 37-24 lead into the locker room at half time.  The Terps looked more like a well-oiled machine after the break, holding the Bears to a mere 12 points in the second half, while scoring 39 of their own. And that was with minutes being spread very evenly among all 8 active Maryland players. Final score: 76-36. 

The second game of today's double-bill was literally for the birds, as the Lady Hawks of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore took on the Hawks of Hartford.  Speaking of rust, UMES didn't score their first point until 9:39 left in the first half! Ouch. But in all that time, Hartford had only managed to put 10 points up on the board. A real offensive battle. Hartford led at the half 26-15, at which point the BCs decided that we'd seen enough basketball for one day. Hartford eventually won, 53-38, and will face the Terps tomorrow at 4:30 PM in the title game of the Terrapin Classic. 

For those driving to Comcast on Saturday, please keep in mind that the men's team will be playing at 12:30 PM, so don't arrive too early for the women's game or you may have to pay to park!

Go Terps . . . Beat the Hawks!

Due to Technical Difficulties . . .

The BCs confess we didn't get to see, hear or follow via live stats as much of tonight's Terps game against the Delaware Blue Hens as we had planned, or would have liked.  (In fact, there were a few bad words uttered in the BCs' household . . . fortunately, no children were present.)

What we do know is that Maryland was playing on the road, in Newark, in front of a sell-out (record-setting) crowd.  We also know that everybody's All-American pick, Elena Delle Donne, did play tonight for the Hens, after missing several games due to a recurrance of  Lyme disease. 

Maryland led at the break by 7; but, frankly, we have very little idea what transpired in the first half. Technical difficulties!  The second half was a little better.  We actually had a working audio feed for most of it:  The Terps pulled out to a double-digit lead; Delaware closed to 3 on an EDD 3-pointer about 8 minutes into the second period.  But, after that too-close-for-comfort Delaware run, the Terps regrouped and simply continued to create separation (as a top 10 team should) throughout the final twelve mintues.  At game's end, the Terps had won, 69-53.

Maryland was led by their dynamic duo of Tianna Hawkins and Alyssa Thomas. (What else is new?) Both added double-doubles, in more ways than one. T-Hawk finished with 16 points (hitting 50% of her FGs) and pulled down 16 boards.  AT, meanwhile, scored 13 points and grabbed 13 rebounds.  16-16, 13-13, double-double-doubles!  Game-high scoring honors, though, went to EDD, who notched 19 points (pretty impressive for a player just returning to her team's line-up) but she only hit 7-23 from the floor. 

The Terps also got a big bump from Katie Rutan (or "ROO-tin" as the radio announcers called her) off the bench tonight.  Katie was 3-5 from behind the arc (60%, wow!) and 5-8 overall.  She finished with 13 points.  Also, freshman PG Chloe Pavlech had another "veteran" outing: 5 assists, 3 steals, 8 points . . . and only a single turnover!  Talk about "stepping up"!  We know it's a sports cliche, but this kid has really "stepped up" her game since Brene and Laurin were lost for the season.

We know there was a bus-load of Rebounders and a whole lot of other Maryland fans who traveled to Newark for tonight's game.  A 16-point win should make that drive back down I-95 a whole lot more pleasant.  Maybe when they get home, they can add a few words, since we saw and heard so little of this one.  We know it ended well for Maryland, however, and that's the most important thing.

Luckily, next time out, the Terps play at home.  So, barring a traffic issue or some other unexpected problem, the BCs should get to see Maryland's next game . . . live. No technology involved.