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The Maryland bench reacts after being defeated by Mississippi, 89-78, in the second round of the NCAA women’s basketball tournament Tuesday. The Terps failed to reach the Sweet 16 only one year after winning the national title.
HARTFORD, Conn. (Map, News) - All season long, the Maryland women's basketball team had a target on its back as the defending national champions. On Tuesday night, Mississippi hit the bull’s-eye.
The Terps are now looking toward next season after getting upset by the Rebels, 89-78, in the second round of the NCAA tournament in Hartford, Conn. With the loss, Maryland (28-6) matches the fastest exit for any defending champion, tying the mark set by Purdue in 2000 and Notre Dame in 2002.
Maryland coach Brenda Frese said she was proud of the Terps’ second-half effort against the Rebels (23-10), who led by as many as 23 points before it was cut to seven. Still, the team is obviously disappointed in how a much-anticipated season ended.
“A gift that Ole Miss gives us tonight is the ability to get back in the weight room and into our conditioning and learn a tough lesson to take into next season, and that's the biggest thing we can take out of it,” Frese said during Tuesday's post-game press conference.
To Maryland’s advantage next season, the core of this team will return. Only seniors Shay Doron and Auriele Noirez graduate this spring.
Among those expected back next year are forward Crystal Langhorne and guards Marissa Coleman and Kristi Toliver. What Toliver's role with the team will be next year remains to be seen. Frese replaced her in the starting lineup with Sa’de Wiley-Gatewood at the start of the NCAA tournament.
Both guards are expected to be back next season, but they will have to do a better job of handling the basketball than they did in the loss to Mississippi. Toliver scored 24 points but had 10 turnovers, while Wiley-Gatewood had no points and four turnovers against the Rebels. The Terps, who defeated Mississippi, 110-79, in November, finished the game with 29 turnovers overall.
“I think the difference was with our team, honestly,” Doron said in the post-game press conference. “It was a complete disregard for keeping the ball in our hands and getting shots. We knew that we had to get shots and we didn't. We shot the ball better than anyone in the country, and we just couldn't get looks, couldn't get shots and kept turning the ball over. They got easy layups off that.”
MARYLAND NOTES
» Senior guard Shay Doron finished her career with 1,878 points, behind only Vicky Bullett's 1,928 on Maryland's all-time scoring list.
» Junior forward Crystal Langhorne finished the season with 508 points, giving her 1,713 for her career. With 549 points as a freshman and 654 last year, Langhorne became the first Terp to score at least 500 points in three different seasons.
» Sophomore guard Kristi Toliver had 161 assists this season, breaking the Terps’ previous record of 158 set by Carla Holmes in 1988-89.
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Jim Steinmetz said:
It's particularly unfair to say that Hurley was a nice college player but a marginal pro - he was in a gruesome accident that essentially destroyed his NBA career. What's next? Are you going to say Jay Williams was a disappointment?
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Examiner Reader said:
I'm still scratching my head trying find any similarities between Kevin Love and Larry Bird. Love is a low post player who can hit an outside shot if he's left unguarded, Larry Bird was a great outside shooter who could penetrate. Love lumbers down the court like a Clydesdale, Bird could run like a quarter horse. Other than the fact that they're both white and both are good, they're as different as could be.
7 agree | 9 disagree
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notme said:
Also, USC playing better as the season progressed? As shown by their 6-4 record in the last 10 games? Or their 12-8 record over the past 20 games? Oh, wait, USC actually was most successful EARLY in the season.
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notme said:
Did Dickey even watch the Pac-10 finals? Only a little help from Love? I guess, if only offense counts. Of course, the real reason UCLA won the game is that Love totally shut down Brook Lopez in the second half.
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Larry Williams said:
How can you talk about a resurgence of college hoops in the area and not mention the only school from Baltimore to win a National Championship ad has the best chance to reach the NCAA Division I tourny this year: Morgan State University!! Is it because Morgan plays in the predominately Black college MEAC. or have you become conditioned to disregard any accomlishments by this great university, just like the rest of the sports journalist in this city?
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Examiner Reader said:
Joe Mclean is like a breath of fresh air,especially in a time when the very life we live seems to be suffocating from the nonsensical stinch that's presently being emitted from a misguided generation of African/american youth that somehow seems insurmountable and even far too complex for the creator Himself to resolve. Joe is one of the most well rounded young brothers I know. He's a possitve role model and a gift to any parent. That's why I'm overwhelmed at the very fact of his existance and forever grateful to my Lord for allowing me to be his POP-POP. Thanks Joe, keep up the good work.
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Great story, Ron!!!! said:
Ron, I love this story on the Terp freshmen WBB players getting ahead, as well as the other tidbits you wove into the story. Thank you very much for writing this one. If you need another idea, how about one on the three outstanding Lady Terps that won gold medals this summer playing for the USA?!? Keep up the great work. Thanks, again.
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Examiner Reader said:
i thank that this is going to be a good thing for mason ,cam is a will rounded player he wiil add big games in the wins .
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