Burlington, VT.- Junior midfielder Scott Hopmann (Annapolis, Md./St. Mary’s) led visiting UMBC with three goals and eight other Retrievers hit the nets as UMBC never trailed in an 11-8 America East Conference victory over Vermont.

UMBC improved to 2-0 in league play and 4-5 overall, while Vermont slipped to 0-2 in America East and 1-9 overall. The Retrievers have won their first two league games for the first time since 2009.

Hopmann added an assist for his second consecutive four-point game. Senior midfielder Rob Grimm (Black River, N.Y.), who scored a goal and added an assist, and junior attackman Joe Lustgarten (Wading River, N.Y.), who contributed a pair of assists, were the other multiple-point scorers for the Retrievers.

Vermont junior attackman Drew Philie led all scorers with five goals and one assist for the game.

The Retrievers led, 6-3, late in the second quarter, but Vermont scored twice in the final 41 seconds of the stanza, including a score by Drew Philie with three ticks remaining and Vermont trailed, 6-5 at halftime.

The Catmounts forged the only tie of the game as Philie recorded his fourth goal with 6:50 to play in the third quarter.

But the Retrievers made the contest’s pivotal run of 4-0 and took command at 10-6 with 8:05 remaining. Hopmann started and ended the surge, giving UMBC the lead for good on an unassisted score with 1:13 to play in the third. Just 45 seconds into the fourth quarter, freshman midfielder Derek Bertolini (Madison, Conn.) recorded an unassisted goal, and after Retriever face-off speclialist Phil Poe won the ensuing draw, Vermont was called for a slashing penalty. UMBC converted on that opportunity, as Grimm (Black River, N.Y.) converted a feed from Lustgarten 38 seconds after the Bertolini score.

Hopmann finalized the run to give UMBC its first four-goal lead of the game and the Retrievers kept the hosts from closing with three goals down the stretch to defeat Vermont for the ninth time in nine total meetings.

UMBC junior goalkeeper Adam Cohen (Arnold, Md./Severn) made eight of his ten saves in the second half as Vermont outshot the Retrievers, 34-26.

Poe won 16 of 23 face-offs and corralled a season best nine ground balls.

UMBC led, 3-2, after one quarter, a stanza which was highlighted by the first career goal by sophomore LSM Nathan Klein. Klein gave the Retrievers a 3-1 advantage 16 seconds after Philie scored his first goal of the game, scooping up a Poe face-off win and beating Vermont netminder David Barton with 6:55 to play in the quarter.

After scoring five points in his first five outings of the season, Hopmann now has eight goals and 11 points in his last three. Lustgarten has eight assists in his last three contests.

UMBC returns home to face America East rival Stony Brook on Saturday, April 14.

OWINGS MILLS, Md. - Stevenson men’s lacrosse senior Justin Lea (Elkridge, Md./Mount Saint Joseph) scored all four of his goals in the first half as the sixth-ranked Mustangs built an 8-2 halftime lead before holding off a late rally by No. 8 Denison for their sixth-straight win Saturday, 12-9 at Mustang Stadium.

Stevenson (11-2) outshot the Big Red 32-13 in the first half, including 19-5 in the first quarter while scoring seven second-quarter goals.

The Mustangs improved their record to 8-0 at home this season and 3-2 against teams ranked in the USILA Division III Coaches’ Poll.

Denison (9-1) was one of just four remaining undefeated teams in Division III entering Saturday, joining No. 1 Salisbury, No. 2 SUNY Cortland and Lyndon State.

Lea finished the game with a career-high six points while tying his career-high with four goals for the second consecutive game. In three games since returning from a broken hand that forced him to miss eight of the team’s first 10 games, Lea has totaled 10 goals and 13 points.

Lea scored four of Stevenson’s first eight goals as it built a six-goal lead at the half. He then assisted on the Mustangs’ final two tallies just 27 seconds apart in the fourth quarter to push the team’s lead to five with 6:00 remaining after Denison cut its deficit to 10-7.

After junior Tyler Reid (Clinton, Conn./Xavier) scored to give Stevenson its largest lead of the game at 9-2, the Big Red responded with five of the next six goals, including two from Eddie Vita to pull Denison within three.

Vita and Chapin Speidel each had three goals for the Big Red who entered the game with nation’s fifth-best scoring offense.

Lea was one of eight different goal scorers for the Mustangs. Freshman Stephen Banick (Charlotte, N.C./Charlotte Catholic) had two while Reid finished with a goal and an assist. Freshman Pat Candon (Long Beach, N.Y./Holy Trinity) had two assists.

Junior Kyle Holechek (Reisterstown, Md./Loyola Blakefield) led the Stevenson defense with four caused turnovers while senior Ian Bolland (Mountain Lakes, N.J./Mountain Lakes) had six saves.

Senior Doug Reidt (Towson, Md./Hereford) won 12-of-23 face-offs and totaled seven ground balls.

Stevenson travels to Marymount (Va.) on Wednesday. Game time is at 7:30 p.m.

Game Data

The Greyhounds embark on a three-game roadtrip that will take them from Connecticut to Colorado in ECAC Lacrosse League action when they play at 1 o’clock on Saturday, April 7, at Fairfield University.

Series History

Loyola and the Stags will meet for the 14th time when they face-off on Lessing Field Saturday. The Greyhounds hold an 11-2 lead in the all-time series, but the teams split two meetings last year with Loyola winning, 7-6, in overtime during the regular-season, but Fairfield picking up a 10-9 decision in the ECAC Semifinals in Denver.

In The Polls

Loyola checked in at No. 4 for the second week in a row in the USILA Coaches’ Poll this week, and the Greyhounds moved up one spot in the Nike/Inside Lacrosse media rankings to No. 4. The coaches’ poll mark is Loyola’s highest ranking since it checked in at third in the April 1, 2002, poll with a 7-0 record after downing Towson, 15-7.

Fairfield, meanwhile, is ranked 14th in both the USILA and Inside Lacrosse polls.

Close Call

Loyola’s 8-7 victory last Saturday against Ohio State marked the first time this year that the Greyhounds have played a game decided by less than three goals. Previously, Loyola’s closest victory was 11-8 on March 3 at Bellarmine, and no other game was within five goals.

Ten Or More Streak Snapped

The Greyhounds had scored at least 11 goals in each of their first eight games of the 2012 season, marking the longest stretch of games with 10 or more goals they have put together since March 24-May 12, 2001. Ohio State, however, held Loyola to just eight goals when the teams met last Saturday.

New Feeling

Loyola was outshot for the first time this season on Saturday against Ohio State, as the Buckeyes tallied 33 shots to the Greyhounds’ 27.

Ohio State, however, managed to put just 15 shots on goal, and goalkeeper Jack Runkel made saves on eight.

Loyola, meanwhile, had 20 shots on goal, a season-best 74-percent of its overall shots.

Previously, Loyola had outshot opponents by a minimum of nine in the first eight games of the year.

Acton Draws Recognition

Junior defender Reid Acton was named the ECAC Defensive Player of the Week on Monday after recording five ground balls and a career-best five caused turnovers last Saturday against Ohio State.

Acton’s primary marking responsibility against the Buckeyes was leading scorer Logan Schuss who entered the game averaging 3+ goals and 4+ points per game. Acton limited him to two goals and an assist, and his final goal came with just nine seconds left and Loyola leading by three.

Near The Top Of The Rankings

While Loyola had its season-low total of eight goals on Saturday against Ohio State, the Greyhounds’ defense played nearly to its season average by allowing just seven goals.

As of this Monday, Loyola is ranked sixth in NCAA Division I with an average of 7.11 goals allowed per game. The Greyhounds slipped to ninth (from a tie for fifth last week) in scoring offense, as they are now averaging 12.44 goals per game through nine contests.

Loyola is second nationally in scoring margin (+5.33), just behind Massachusetts (+6.22).

Sharing The Rock

No Loyola player has more than 6 assists (Justin Ward) through nine games, but nine players have at least four assists, and 14 have two or more. In addition to Ward’s 6, Sean O’Sullivan has nine, Davis Butts and Eric Lusby have eight, Mike Sawyer has seven, Chris Layne checks in with six, and Nikko Pontrello has five and J.P. Dalton and Pat Byrnes have four each.

With 78 assists this season, the Greyhounds lead Division I with 8.78 per game.

Ward Distributes

Justin Ward posted three assists in the win over Ohio State, two off his career-high of five set earlier this season against Towson. He now leads the team with 16 assists and is third with 20 points.

Ward also tallied a big goal for the Greyhounds, coming around screens by Mike Sawyer and Sean O’Sullivan to rip a seven-yard shot that put Loyola ahead 7-5 late.

More Than Last Year

This year’s team has already eclipsed last year’s total of 62 assists in just eight games. The Greyhounds’ 112 goals this season are already more than the 110 the 2011 team put up in 13 games a year ago.

Big Runs

Loyola used runs of three-plus goals at important junctures of its first nine games, helping the Greyhounds to wins each time. In all, Loyola has scored three or more in a row on 18 occasions this season.

Loyola used four three-goal runs against Duke, including one three-goal streak that put Loyola up 4-1 at the beginning of the second quarter. The Greyhounds never trailed after that initial three-goal run and extended their lead to 13-5 after its fourth three-goal spurt of the game.

The Greyhounds had their longest run in almost two years against Air Force, scoring 10 in a row to open the second half. The last time Loyola scored 10 or more in a row was on March 20, 2010, when it had 14 straight against Air Force.

Loyola then used a 6-0 run to break a 5-5 tie early in the third quarter with Georgetown on the way to a 11-6 victory.

The Greyhounds then scored seven in a row on the back end of a 10-1 run last Saturday at UMBC.

After falling behind 3-2 in the second quarter against Ohio State, the Greyhounds strung together four in a row to go ahead 6-3 by the end of the third quarter.

On The Flip Side

Conversely, the Greyhounds have allowed a run of three or more goals just four times this year, the most recent coming when Ohio State tallied three unanswered in the second quarter last Saturday to go up 3-2. Only one team (Air Force) has scored four in a row.

Every time an opponent has logged those runs, Loyola has answered in kind with a run of 4-0 or better.

Lusby, Ratliff Join Tewaaraton Watch List

On Wednesday, Loyola’s Eric Lusby and Scott Ratliff were named to the Tewaaraton Award Watch List, joining fellow Greyhound Mike Sawyer who was named to the group before the season.

Lusby is second on the team with 27 goals and 35 points, while Ratliff paces the team in caused turnovers with 17, and his 39 ground balls are tied for the team lead.

Second-Half Success

Loyola continued a trend of strong second-half play this season by outscoring Ohio State, 3-0, in the third quarter.

The Greyhounds have now outscored opponents 37-10 in the third quarters of games and 63-29 overall this year in the second half.

The second-half scoring continues a trend from the last two seasons. Last year, Loyola outscored opponents, 69-52, after halftime (including two overtime goals), and 77-56 two years ago.

Lusby Matches Career-High

Eric Lusby scored three times during Loyola’s second half run and finished the Georgetown game with five goals, matching his career-high set on March 3 at Bellarmine. He followed that with his fifth hat trick of the season, scoring three at UMBC.

Lusby has scored at least one goal in each of Loyola’s eight games this season. The graduate student returned to game action in the season-opener after missing all but two games of the 2011 season. Now a graduate student, Lusby tore his right ACL in the 2010 NCAA First Round game against Cornell. He attempted to come back last year, but he saw limited action against Navy and Towson and was shut down to rehab the injury for the remainder of the season.

Lusby burst back onto the scene against Delaware, scoring the Greyhounds’ first goal of the game on an extra-man opportunity, and the 2010 All-ECAC First Team member tallied three more in the second half.

Lusby reset his career-high at Bellarmine, tallying five goals in the victory to go with one assist, and added two more at Michigan.

Through Loyola’s first eight games, Lusby is second on the team with 27 goals and 35 points.

Sawyer, Runkel Honored Again

For the second time this season, Mike Sawyer and Jack Runkel earned ECAC Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week honors on the same day, as the pair was honored on Monday following the Greyhounds’ wins over Georgetown and UMBC.

Sawyer scored three goals against the Hoyas, and he then scored four-straight Loyola goals and finished with five at UMBC. Sawyer also matched his career-best with two assists against the Retrievers.

Runkel paced the Loyola defense in the two games, playing to a 5.50 goals against average. He made a career-best 13 saves in the win over UMBC.

Toomey Wins 50th

Head coach Charley Toomey earned his 50th-career win Wednesday, March 7, as Loyola beat Michigan, 15-8.

Toomey, who is in his seventh season, has led Loyola to eight-plus wins in each of the last three seasons and has had the Greyhounds finish .500 or better in all seven seasons since coming to the Evergreen campus.

Sawyer Shows Same Form

Mike Sawyer has picked up where he left off a year ago, leading the team with 29 goals and 36 points through the first eight games. Sawyer led Loyola last season with 31 goals and 38 points.

Sawyer tied a then-career-high with five goals in the team’s, 15-8, win at Michigan, before scoring a new personal-best six goals against Duke.

After scoring five goals against UMBC, he now has 16 career multi-goal games and the 19 multi-point effort of his tenure at Loyola.

Before the season, Sawyer was named to the Preseason All-ECAC Team and was named to the Face-Off Yearbook Preseason All-America Honorable Mention. He also was named to the Tewaaraton Award Watch List.

Dominant At The ‘X’

In his first year as the Greyhounds’ primary face-off man, senior J.P. Dalton has continued Loyola’s tradition of excellence at the ‘X’.

Through eight games, Dalton ranks eighth nationally in face-off percentage, winning restarts at a .620 clip (124-of-200). As a unit, the Greyhounds entered the week fourth-best in the nation at .612.

Dalton is tied for the team lead with 39 ground balls with one of his primary wings, Scott Ratliff. Josh Hawkins, who returned from injury to make his season-debut on March 10 against Duke, has 24 in five games, and Pat Laconi has 15. Davis Butts has also seen time on the wing and has 23 ground balls this season.

Ratliff Honored For Second Time

Loyola long-stick midfielder Scott Ratliff was named the ECAC Co-Specialist of the Week on Monday after turning in impressive numbers in last Saturday’s win over Air Force. Ratliff scored twice and had an assist while picking up seven ground balls against the Falcons.

Earlier this season, Ratliff earned ECAC Defensive Player of the Week laurels after the Greyhounds’ opener against Delaware.

Ratliff is currently sixth among active long poles in career scoring. He has seven goals and five assists for 12 points. This year, he has three goals and two assists, as well as a team-leading 32 ground balls.

Sawyer, Runkel Earn ECAC Honors

Mike Sawyer and Jack Runkel were honored as ECAC Lacrosse Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week on March 12 following wins at Michigan and against Duke.

Sawyer scored 11 goals and had 14 points, setting career highs in both categories. He scored five goals and had six points in Michigan’s first-ever home game, before breaking those personal records with six goals and eight points in a win over Duke. He also picked up a career-high six ground balls, finishing the week with nine ground balls.

Runkel made the first two starts of his collegiate career, posting an 8.00 goals-against average and .515 save percentage to help the Greyhounds in two wins. Playing less than three minutes between the pipes as a freshman last season, he started the Michigan game and held the Wolverines to eight goals, while making five saves. He then made a career-high 12 saves against a Duke team that has played in the last five Final Fours.

Bonitatibus, Runkel Both Win First Starts

Junior Michael Bonitatibus made his first collegiate start in goal for the Greyhounds against Delaware after having played less than two minutes prior to this season.

Bonitatibus, who played 65 seconds in his collegiate debut last year at Duke, made seven saves for the Greyhounds and allowed just eight goals. He also picked up five ground balls and caused two turnovers.

Bonitatibus became the first Loyola goalkeeper to win his starting debut in nearly 11 years. The last was Mark Bloomquist who also defeated Delaware, 8-7, on February 24, 2001.

Jack Runkel made his first career start against Michigan and also won his initial outing as a starter. He tallied five saves against the Wolverines, and he then posted a career-high 12 against Duke.

Record At Ridley

After going 4-1 at Ridley Athletic Complex last season, the Greyhounds have opened their third year at the stadium with six wins at home. Loyola is now 14-3 all-time at Ridley.

What’s Next

Loyola continues its stretch of road games with a 7 o’clock (Mountain) game at Denver on Saturday, April 14.

Lusby, Ratliff Added To Tewaaraton Watch List

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Loyola University Maryland’s Eric Lusby (Severna Park, Md./Severna Park H.S.) and Scott Ratliff (Marietta, Ga./George Walton Comprehensive H.S.) were added to the Tewaaraton Award Watch List as the top player in college lacrosse, joining fellow Greyhound Mike Sawyer who was named to the list prior to the season.

Lusby, a graduate student on Loyola’s attack, is second on the team with 27 goals and 35 points. He returned to the field this season after missing all but two games last year with a knee injury suffered in the 2010 NCAA First Round.

Through nine games this year, Lusby has already established career-highs in goals and points, eclipsing the 20 and 25 he posted in 2010when he was a member of the All-ECAC First Team. Lusby has scored in every game this year, and he has six games with three or more goals. Twice – at Bellarmine and versus then-No. 18 Georgetown – Lusby has scored five in a game.

Ratliff has established himself as one of the top long-stick midfielders in the game. A junior, he is tied for the team lead with 39 ground balls, and Ratliff paces the Greyhounds with 17 caused turnovers.

He has also scored four goals and has two assists this year. As a member of the Greyhounds’ face-off unit, he has helped Loyola win 61.2-percent of restarts this season, the fourth-best mark in Division I. Ratliff’s presence on the defense has helped Loyola hold opponents to 7.11 goals per game.

The fourth-ranked Greyhounds (9-0) resume ECAC Lacrosse League action on Saturday at 1 o’clock when the travel to Connecticut to face No. 14 Fairfield University.

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Sophomore Alyssa Thomas of the Maryland women’s basketball team is one of five players named to the Associated Press All-America First Team announced Tuesday.

Thomas, the 2012 ACC Player of the Year, is joined on the First Team by Baylor’s Brittney Griner, Notre Dame’s Skylar Diggins, Stanford’s Nneka Ogwumike and Delaware’s Elena Delle Donne.

Thomas is the Terrapins’ fourth AP All-American. Crystal Langhorne (2006, 2007, 2008),Kristi Toliver (2008, 2009) and Marissa Coleman (2009) all earned the honor at least once in their respective careers. Langhorne was also honored as a sophomore when she was named to the Second Team in 2006.

Thomas leads the ACC in scoring with 17.2 points per game and is among the best in the league with 8.0 rebounds per game, assists (3.2), free throw percentage (80.1) and defensive rebounds (5.5).

Thomas is just the second underclassman ever to be named ACC Player of the Year. She scored a career-high 29 points in the ACC title game to lead Maryland to its 10th league championship. She was named Tournament MVP and is only the seventh player, and first underclassman, to be named league Player of the Year and Tournament MVP in the same season.

The Second Team honorees are Chiney Ogwumike, Stanford; Odyssey Sims, Baylor; Shenise Johnson, Miami; Samantha Prahalis, Ohio State; and Julie Wojta of Green Bay. Connecticut’s Tiffany Hayes, Kentucky’s A’dia Mathies, Duke’s Elizabeth Williams, Tennessee’s Shekinna Stricklen and Miami’s Riquna Williams all made the Third Team.

Behind two comebacks and a 21-4 run to end the game, Maryland rallied past Texas A&M 81-74 on Sunday in the Regional Semifinals. The Terps advanced to their fourth Elite Eight under head coach Brenda Frese.

Laurin Mincy had 21 points and for her career-high 12 rebounds for her first career double-double. Thomas added 21 points and nine rebounds for the second-seeded Terrapins. They trailed by 18 points in the first half and by 12 in the second half, but Maryland fought its way back and held the defending national champion Aggies to just one basket in the final 10 minutes.

The Terrapins had won 10 straight and 13 of 14 since Jan. 26. The Terrapins are 31-18 (.633) all-time in NCAA Tournament games. Frese owns an NCAA Tournament record of 20-7 (.741) and 19-6 (.760) at Maryland. Frese has led the Terps to eight NCAA Tournament appearances, four Elite Eights and the 2006 national championship.

Honorable Mention: Women’s College Lacrosse-Towson @ Maryland (Tuesday 7pm from Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex live on AM1570 WNST.net); Auto Racing: NASCAR Goody’s Fast Relief 500 (Sunday 12:30pm from Martinsville, VA live on FOX), IndyCar Series Honda Grand Prix of Alabama (Sunday 2pm from Birmingham live on NBC Sports Network); High School Basketball: McDonald’s All American Games (Girls Wednesday 7pm from Chicago live on ESPNU Boys Wednesday 9:30pm from Chicago live on ESPN); Mixed Martial Arts: Bellator Fighting Championships 63 (Friday 8pm from Uncasville, CT live on MTV2); Boxing: Friday Night Fights-Hank Lundy vs. Dannie Williams (Friday 9pm from Mashantucket, CT live on ESPN2); Soccer: Team USA Women @ Japan (Sunday 6:30am from Sendai, Japan live on ESPN2), MLS-FC Dallas @ DC United (Friday 7:30pm from RFK Stadium live on NBC Sports Network); Bill Maher (Saturday 8pm France-Merrick Performing Arts Center at the Hippodrome, Sunday 8pm Strathmore); Donnell Rawlings (Thursday-Saturday Magooby’s Joke House); “Goon” & “Wrath of the Titans” out in theaters (Friday); “Extremely Loud And Incredibly Close” available on Blu-Ray/DVD (Tuesday)

10. Van Halen/Kool & The Gang (Wednesday 7:30pm Verizon Center), Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band (Sunday 7:30pm Verizon Center); Mac Miller (Saturday 8pm Patriot Center); Blue October (Sunday 7pm Rams Head Live); Mr. Greengenes (Thursday 8pm Recher Theatre); The Bad Plus (Sunday 7:30pm Baltimore Soundstage); All Mighty Senators (Saturday 8pm 8×10 Club); Sleigh Bells (Tuesday 7pm 9:30 Club), The Temper Trap (Saturday 6pm 9:30 Club), Andrew WK (Sunday 7pm 9:30 Club); Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds (Wednesday 8pm Warner Theatre); Patti LaBelle (Friday & Saturday 8pm Strathmore); Leon Redbone (Saturday 7:30pm Birchmere), Three Dog Night (Monday 7:30pm Birchmere); Of Monsters And Men (Monday 8pm Black Cat)

The new Van Halen is TERRIBLE (at least the song is-I haven’t listened to the record), but it doesn’t change how freaking awesome this is…

I don’t worship Bruce Springsteen. (Some of you would have to admit you do.) I DO freaking love this song though…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GbWwDIo8XU

I have no idea what Three Dog Night even looks like at this point. I would be more than happy to sing along with this though…

Here’s another fantastic tune by a band called Of Monsters And Men. So now we’ve done that…

9. NBA: Washington Wizards @ Indiana Pacers (Thursday 7pm from Indianapolis live on Comcast SportsNet PLUS), Philadelphia 76ers @ Washington Wizards (Friday 7pm from Verizon Center live on Comcast SportsNet), Washington Wizards @ Toronto Raptors (Sunday 6pm from Toronto live on Comcast SportsNet), Milwaukee Bucks @ Washington Wizards (Monday 7pm from Verizon Center live on Comcast SportsNet PLUS)

Since Sonny Weems doesn’t play for the Raptors anymore, he won’t be there when the ‘Zards visit Canada. It’s a shame because if he was he could bring his creepy foot…

I get the feeling there won’t be many folks willing to click on Page 2 or Page 3 after that, but we’re going to keep going here anyway.

(Continued on Page 2…)

You’re going to have to indulge me on this one. I have no one to yell at and no incredible statement to make about a current sporting event.

Instead, if this column was called “Your Saturday Reality Check”, I would have gotten this perfectly to the date.

Ten years ago-Sunday, March 24, 2002-the University of Maryland met the University of Connecticut in the East Region Final (or the Elite 8 if you well) of the NCAA Tournament. The game was at the Carrier Dome at Syracuse University.

For full disclosure, I wasn’t there. It was my freshman year at the University of Maryland, but I didn’t make the trip. I didn’t make the trip to the Georgia Dome for the Final Four either, which is one of the greatest regrets of my still very young life. I actually think our own Luke Jones was at the game, but I’m just rambling now.

You certainly remember the shots that defined the game. The Terrapins trailed the Huskies 77-74 with just under four minutes to play as Caron Butler simply wouldn’t let UConn go away quietly. Juan Dixon calmly sank a three pointer from near the top of the key to even the game back up. Then in the final minute, a previously scoreless Steve Blake altered a play call in the huddle and used a ball fake to create an open three for himself to put the Terps up 86-80, effectively the final nail in the coffin of a 90-82 victory.

What I remember was how the game felt like the most intense college basketball game I had ever witnessed. While Gary Williams likely ruined an expensive suit due to sweat that afternoon, Glenn Clark also ruined a number of t-shirts and a pair of pajama pants. This was a game where neither team ever appeared to have the upper hand. Lonny Baxter was absolutely dominant in the paint against future NBA standout Emeka Okafor, but Butler’s 32 points kept the Huskies at Maryland’s heels all afternoon.

We’re planning to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the University of Maryland’s only basketball championship throughout the week on “The Reality Check” on AM1570 WNST.net. I’ve admitted regularly that I openly wept at Cole Field House that early April night (the anniversary of the championship is this Sunday for those scoring at home) in College Park. I had two goals for my life from about the time I was eight years old. One was to become a professional broadcaster, the other was to attend the University of Maryland.

Being a “Terp” was in my blood. My grandmother (a journalism teacher in Baltimore County and later professor at Morgan State University) is a University of Maryland alum. While I was too young for the Bob Wade era of Maryland basketball to mean much to me, the early years of the Gary Williams era (which were not always pretty) shaped who I wanted to be when I stepped on a basketball court at Chapel Hill Elementary School or Perry Hall Middle School. I pretended to be Evers Burns. I pretended to be Kevin McLinton. I ABSOLUTELY pretended to be Walt “The Wizard” Williams, Joe Smith, Keith Booth and Sarunas Jasikevicius.

I really had no idea I’d ever witness my heroes playing in a Final Four or for a national championship. I had felt the 1999 team (lead by Steve Francis) had a legitimate chance, but Erick Barkley and St. John’s extinguished those hopes in the Sweet 16. Just weeks before Maryland’s initial Final Four run in 2001 there were calls for the head of Gary Williams after an embarrassing streak of five losses in six games (including a “rock bottom” defeat at the hands of Florida State on Valentine’s Day).

But there was something about the 2001-2002 Terps that made you believe the entire time that team was capable of finally breaking through. The heartbreak of blowing a big loss to Duke in the Final Four the year earlier seemed to fuel them to an ACC regular season championship and back to that afternoon at the Carrier Dome. The confidence of an incredible group of upperclassmen was never lacking at any point during the season.

Maryland’s run to the National Championship was unprecedented. After an opening round win over Siena, the Terps faced a modern day “Murderer’s Row” of basketball programs as they ran through Wisconsin, Kentucky, UConn and then Kansas and Indiana. Maryland faced the highest seed they could possibly face in every round as a 1 seed (16, 8, 4, 2, 1, 1) as well. Yet somehow they never really seemed to be in danger of losing.

In the Final Four a huge second half lead was cut into by the Jayhawks, but it never appeared particularly nerve-racking. The Hoosiers briefly held a second half lead in the National Championship game, but a quick baseline jumper from Dixon turned the game back toward the favor of Maryland.

The only game that involved great drama was the UConn game. It was the type of drama that sees eight ties and seven lead changes in the final 13 minutes. It was the type of drama that almost could never be fairly described in words. (ESPN’s Dick Vitale described it as a “Maalox Masher” immediately after the game. He’s certainly a wordsmith if nothing else.)

It was the type of drama that made you think “whoever wins this game is winning a national championship” in the second half. At least it made me feel that way…and I was right.

To this day, this is still my absolute favorite game I’ve ever watched. More so than the Tennessee Titans/Baltimore Ravens AFC Divisional Playoff in 2001, more so than the Mike Mussina/Randy Johnson showdown at Camden Yards in Game 4 of the 1997 ALDS, even more so than the Andre Agassi/James Blake thriller at the 2005 U.S. Open. If your heart can take it, it’s worth reliving below.

I’m not sure mine can, but I’m still grateful for these memories some ten years later.

Carry on.

-G

FREDERICKSBURG, Va. – Led by three points each from freshman Stephen Banick (Charlotte, N.C./Charlotte Catholic) and sophomore Chris Dashiell (Salisbury, Md./Parkside), the 10th-ranked Stevenson men’s lacrosse team posted a 13-6 CAC road victory over Mary Washington Saturday at the Battleground Complex.

The Mustangs (7-2, 2-0 CAC), who are one of two conference unbeatens with St. Mary’s (Md.) and No. 1-ranked Salisbury, have now allowed six goals or less in eight out of nine games this season.

The win also improved Stevenson’s conference winning streak to 14, dating back to an 18-6 victory at Marymount (Va.) on Apr. 7, 2010.

After a low scoring first quarter in which each team netted one goal, Luke Dick scored back-to-back unassisted tallies to give the Eagles
their only lead of the game at 3-2 with 8:06 remaining in the second quarter.

From there, Stevenson scored the game’s next seven consecutive goals to take a 9-3 lead with 3:13 to play in the third. The first two goals
came with a man advantage on strikes from senior Nick Rossi (Lutherville, Md./Towson) and freshman Billy Burgoyne (Boonton Township, N.J./Mountain Lakes).

The Mustangs are 3-for-6 with the man advantage over last two games after starting the season 5-for-45 in the first seven.

Led by two goals from Banick and three assists from Dashiell, Stevenson outscored Mary Washington 9-3 in the second half while
winning 9-of-14 face-offs. The Mustang defense also held the Eagles without a goal on seven man-up opportunities totaling five minutes.

After entering the game 1-for-6 on face-offs, freshman Sam Wyatt (Brentwood, Tenn./Brentwood) won 11-of-18 against the Eagles and
scooped up a career-high 10 ground balls.

Burgoyne, junior Andrew Bishop (Lothian, Md./Southern) and sophomore J.P. Coombe (Annapolis, Md./St. Mary’s) each finished with two goals as 12 different players scored for Stevenson. Junior Kyle Fendlay (Westminster, Md./Winters Mill) picked up an assist from his defensive position and junior Tyler Reid (Clinton, Conn./Xavier) netted his seventh goal of the season in his first game since March 10 at No. 9 Lynchburg.

Senior Ian Bolland (Mountain Lakes, N.J./Mountain Lakes) was credited with eight saves.

Dick totaled four points for Mary Washington (6-2, 2-1 CAC) with three goals and one assist while Matt Prin had nine saves.

Stevenson continues its three-game road trip on Wednesday when it travels to Wesley for a 4:00 p.m., contest at Miller Stadium.

“As of this morning we have already seen some trends on who the public is liking to take this thing down. Florida State who won the ACC and who we opened at 40-1 have dropped down to 30-1 and are a heavy liability for us already.  Syracuse at 10-1 as a #1 seed has also taken quite a bit unlike Kentucky who are clear cut favorites at 9/4 but not seeing too much action at that short price. Michigan State took quite a lot of money when they were as high as 40-1 at one point during the season but now at 17/2 I guess some bettors feel they missed the boat on that one.”

-Kevin Bradley, Bovada.lv Sportsbook Manager 

Odds to Win the 2012 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship 

Kentucky (1)                                          9/4

Ohio State (2)                                        11/2

North Carolina (1)                                   13/2

Michigan State (1)                                  17/2

Missouri (2)                                           10/1

Kansas (2)                                            10/1

Syracuse (1)                                          10/1

Duke (2)                                                20/1

Marquette (3)                                         30/1

Florida State (3)                                     30/1

Baylor (3)                                              35/1

Wisconsin (4)                                        35/1

Louisville (4)                                          35/1

Vanderbilt (5)                                         35/1

Wichita State (5)                                    40/1

Georgetown (3)                                      40/1

New Mexico (5)                                      50/1

Indiana (4)                                             60/1

Florida (7)                                              65/1

Memphis (8)                                          65/1

Cincinnati (6)                                         75/1

Kansas State (8)                                    75/1

Connecticut (9)                                      75/1

Michigan (4)                                          80/1

Belmont (14)                                          100/1

Temple (5)                                             100/1

UNLV (6)                                               100/1

Murray State (6)                                     100/1

Notre Dame (7)                                      100/1

St. Mary’s (7)                                         125/1

Gonzaga (7)                                          125/1

West Virginia (10)                                  125/1

San Diego State (6)                                150/1

St. Louis (9)                                          150/1

Alabama (9)                                           150/1

Creighton (8)                                          150/1

Texas (11)                                             100/1

Purdue (10)                                           100/1

NC State (11)                                        100/1

Iowa State (8)                                        200/1

Virginia (10)                                           200/1

VCU (12)                                               250/1

Harvard (12)                                           250/1

California (12)                                        250/1

Southern Miss (9)                                  250/1

Long Beach State (12)                            250/1

Colorado State (11)                                300/1

Colorado (11)                                         300/1

South Florida (12)                                  300/1

Montana (13)                                         300/1

New Mexico state (13)                            300/1

Ohio (13)                                               300/1

Davidson (13)                                         300/1

BYU (14)                                               300/1

Iona (14)                                                300/1

St. Bonaventure (14)                               300/1

South Dakota State (14)                         300/1

Lehigh (15)                                            450/1

Norfolk State (15)                                   450/1

Detroit (15)                                            450/1

Mississippi Valley State (16)                   500/1

Western Kentucky (16)                           500/1

NC-Ashville (16)                                     500/1

Long Island (16)                                     500/1

Lamar (16)                                             500/1

Vermont (16)                                         500/1

Loyola Maryland (15)                              500/1

Odds to Win the South Region           

Kentucky (1)                              5/7

Duke (2)                                    5/1

Baylor (3)                                  11/2

Wichita State (5)                        8/1

Indiana (4)                                 12/1

UNLV (6)                                   25/1

Connecticut (9)                          30/1

Notre Dame (7)                          40/1

Iowa State (8)                            60/1

Xavier (10)                                 60/1

VCU (12)                                   100/1

Colorado (11)                             150/1

New Mexico State (13)               200/1

South Dakota State (14)             200/1

Lehigh (15)                                200/1

Western Kentucky (16)               200/1

Mississippi Valley State (16)       225/1

Odds to Win the West Region 

Michigan State (1)                      11/5

Missouri (2)                               9/4

Marquette (3)                             13/2

Louisville (4)                              13/2

New Mexico (5)                          9/1

Florida (7)                                  14/1

Memphis (8)                              14/1

Murray State (6)                         25/1

St. Louis (9)                              30/1

Virginia (10)                               50/1

Long Beach State (12)                75/1

Davidson (13)                             100/1

BYU (14)                                   100/1

Colorado State (11)                    150/1

Iona (14)                                    150/1

Norfolk State (15)                       200/1

Long Island (16)                         200/1

Odds to Win the East Region  

Ohio State (2)                            8/5

Syracuse (1)                              9/4

Vanderbilt (5)                             9/1

Florida State (3)                         10/1

Wisconsin (4)                            10/1

Kansas State (8)                        15/1

Cincinnati (6)                             18/1

Gonzaga (7)                              30/1

West Virginia (10)                      30/1

Texas (11)                                 30/1

Southern Mississippi (9)             60/1

Harvard (12)                               60/1

Montana (13)                             100/1

St. Bonaventure (14)                   150/1

Loyola Maryland (15)                  200/1

NC-Ashville (16)                         200/1

Odds to Win the Midwest Region        

North Carolina (1)                       8/5

Kansas (2)                                2/1

Georgetown (3)                          10/1

Michigan (4)                              15/1

Temple (5)                                 18/1

Purdue (10)                               18/1

Belmont (14)                              18/1

NC State (11)                            20/1

St. Mary’s (7)                             25/1

San Diego State (6)                    30/1

Creighton (8)                              35/1

Alabama (9)                               40/1

California (12)                            50/1

South Florida (12)                      100/1

Ohio (13)                                   100/1

Detroit (15)                                150/1

Lamar (16)                                 200/1

Vermont (16)                             225/1

Courtesy of Bovada (formerly Bodog), www.Bovada.lv,  Twitter: @BovadaLV. 

COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Maryland women’s basketball sophomore Alyssa Thomas is one of 15 women’s finalists for the John R. Wooden Award, announced by The Los Angeles Athletic Club Wednesday. The National Ballot, consisting of these top players, will be mailed to Wooden Award voters this week, and voting begins March 12th. Selected by the Wooden Award National Advisory Board, the ballot is made up of 15 student-athletes who are the final contenders for women’s college basketball’s most prestigious honor.

All players have proven to their universities that they are making progress toward graduation and are maintaining at least a cumulative 2.0 GPA, an important component of the Award insisted upon by Coach Wooden. The Wooden Award All American Teams will be announced the week of the “Elite Eight” round of the NCAA Tournament. Voters have until Monday, March 19 at Noon PDT to return their ballots, allowing them to take into consideration performance during the first round of the NCAA Tournament, which makes the Wooden Award unique among college postseason awards.

The other 14 named to the list are: Elena Delle Donne, Delaware; Skylar Diggins, Notre Dame; Brittney Griner, Baylor; Tiffany Hayes, Connecticut; Shenise Johnson, Miami; A’dia Mathies, Kentucky; Chiney Ogwumike, Stanford; Nnemkadi Oguwumike, Stanford; Samantha Prahalis, Ohio State; Odyssey Sims, Baylor; Shekinna Stricklen, Tennessee; Elizabeth Williams, Duke; Riquna Williams, Miami’ Julie Wojta, Green Bay.

Upperclassmen dominate the list, but this year one freshman, Duke’s Elizabeth Williams, and three sophomores were selected: Thomas, Chiney Ogwumike and Odyssey Sims.

Thomas became just the second sophomore ever to be named ACC Player of the Year last week. Over the weekend, she led the Terrapins to the program’s 10th ACC title with a career-high 29 points in the championship game. She was named Tournament MVP. She is just the seventh player, and only underclassman, ever to be named ACC Player of the Year and Tournament MVP in the same season.

The 36th annual Wooden Award Gala, will take place on Friday, April 6, 2012, and will honor winners, All Americans, and the Legends of Coaching honoree Geno Auriemma of Connecticut. The Women’s John R. Wooden Award winner will be announced at the Gala event. The Terrapins will host the NCAA Tournament First and Second Rounds next weekend. Games are 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. on March 17 and 7 p.m. on March 19.