Terrapins

bobp@herald-mail.com COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Another rivalry week. Another crossroad. The Maryland football team stands looking both ways at the intersection of Week 12 Avenue and Future Plans Parkway this week on its way to play Virginia. The Atlantic Coast Conference matchup is another pivotal stop sign leading to the turn that will define the Terrapins' 2002 season. This game - along with some outside circumstances - will tell Maryland whether it will have the chance to tie for and defend its ACC championship, what bowl it might play in and if it can extend an eight-game winning streak which has moved the Terps to No. 18 in the nation.

COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- Greivis Vasquez did something no Maryland player had done since 1987, and the Terrapins pulled off an upset that was almost as remarkable. Vasquez had a career-high 35 points and 11 rebounds and 10 assists - Maryland's first triple-double in 22 years - and the Terrapins rallied from a 16-point deficit to shock No. 3 North Carolina 88-85 in overtime Saturday, ending the Tar Heels' 10-game winning streak. "I just have no words to describe this feeling right now," Vasquez said.

COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) -- Maryland football coach Ralph Friedgen will return for the 2010 season, The Associated Press has learned. Friedgen's job status appeared shaky after the Terrapins lost a school-record 10 games this season. But after meeting for two consecutive days with athletic director Debbie Yow, he has been given the go-ahead to make plans for a 10th season as head coach at his alma mater, according to a school official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the announcement had not yet formally been made.

WASHINGTON (AP) - George Washington coach Karl Hobbs hopes the Colonials' weekend sweep of ranked teams is a beginning rather than a two-day aberration. T.J. Thompson scored 27 points and George Washington upset No. 12 Maryland 101-92 on Sunday in the championship game of the BB&T Classic. "The measuring stick for this team will be at the end of the (season). ... We took a step further to our goal. We took a step further to our dream," Hobbs said after George Washington's fifth straight victory.

Maryland coach Gary Williams wants his Terrapins to play the same on the road as when playing at home. That means get the ball inside to Jordan Williams. Jordan Williams made a strong return to his double-double form to lead Maryland’s relentless inside attack and the Terrapins beat Georgia Tech 74-63 on Sunday night. Williams had 21 points and 15 rebounds for Maryland (14-7, 4-3 Atlantic Coast Conference). The Terrapins improved to 3-1 in road conference games and have won three straight overall.

keller@herald-mail.com COLLEGE PARK, Md. - It worked for them last year, so why not try it again this season. The Maryland Terrapins' 2003 season is following the same path that the 2002 campaign took: Start the season slow, take a couple of losses, then get on a roll that takes you into a major bowl game. The Terps have rattled off four straight victories after an 0-2 start, the latest a 21-7 victory over Clemson in front of a packed house at Byrd Stadium on Saturday.

COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- Under different circumstances, Maryland might have been bitterly disappointed to end its season with a lopsided defeat. The Terrapins displayed no shame Saturday when they walked off court following an 89-70 loss to Memphis in the second round of the NCAA tournament. The setback did nothing to detract from what they had accomplished to that point, and each player knew the situation could have been much worse. After all, their final game didn't take place in the NIT. Maryland seemed destined to miss the NCAA tournament for the fourth time in five years before mounting a late surge that netted a No. 10 seed in the West Regional.

LAHAINA, Hawaii - Maryland may have been playing for fifth place in the EA Sports Maui Invitational but coach Gary Williams wouldn't let his team think that way. "I told them they had to shake off they were in a consolation situation. I told them they were playing great," he said. It worked. Ekene Ibekwe had 16 points and Chris McCray added 15 and No. 23 Maryland beat Arkansas 75-62 on Wednesday to finish fifth in the eight-team tournament. The Terrapins (3-1)

GREENSBORO, N.C. - Using the tip in a pep talk by former Terrapins football star LaMont Jordan, Maryland's players converged at midcourt before the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game Sunday and started to scuff the league logo. "He said every time he went into New York he always went to the 50-yard line and marked his territory," senior guard Kristi Toliver said. "So that's what we were kind of doing in North Carolina. After knocking off four-time defending champion North Carolina and rival Duke on consecutive days, Tobacco Road - and the ACC - belong to the fourth-ranked Terrapins.

COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) -- A year ago, Gary Williams took a small Maryland team with only one senior to the second round of the NCAA tournament. Before he got there, the fiery coach endured a home loss to Morgan State, a 41-point thrashing at Duke and harsh criticism from columnists and fans for supposedly allowing the program to deteriorate since it won the national championship in 2002. Come March, Williams was completely vindicated. "That was one of the most rewarding teams that I've ever coached," he said recently.