SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2010
KLMNO COLLEGE BASKETBALL Playing time not a given for Terps
Maryland goes for third win in a row against Maine
BY LIZ CLARKE Whether it’s a highly touted
recruit or overlooked role player, Maryland Coach Gary Williams makes one thing clear to all of his Terrapins: Playing time is a mat- ter of performance rather than entitlement. And early in this season of rebuilding, Williams has experi- mented liberally with game-day minutes, searching for the player —and the combination of players — who gives the team its biggest spark. Freshman point guard Pe’Shon
Howard was that guy inWednes- day’s 75-74comebackwinover the College of Charleston, scoring the game-winner with roughly three seconds remaining after defend- ers cut off his passing lanes to Jordan Williams (Plan A) and Dino Gregory (Plan B). Howard’simpact in thewaning
minutes of the first half was near- ly as significant. Maryland trailed, 37-28, when the 6-foot-3, 195-pound guard reentered the lineup with 2 minutes 31 seconds remaining before halftime. He proceeded to make a layup, get twostealsanddish out twoassists — responsible, either directly or indirectly, for six of the Terrapins’ nine unanswered points that tied the score at halftime. Howardfinished with 14points
on 6-of-7 shooting in 24 minutes —the most active and productive of the five players to come off Maryland’s bench. Williams’s experimentation
with his lineup is sure to continue Sunday, when Maryland (2-0) hostsMaine (1-0), seeking to take another step forward before trav- eling to New York to face Pitts- burgh in the first of two champi- onship-round games of the 2K SportsClassic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer. But despite Howard’s clutch
performance, Williams said Sat- urday that senior Adrian Bowie wouldstartat pointguardagainst Maine, which won its season openerFriday againstUtahValley State, 71-66. Yet in word and tone, the coach made clear that he expects more
BY STEVEN GOFF Jim Larranaga was not ex-
pecting perfection in George Mason’s season opener Satur- day, not when he is still inte- grating several young players and bracing himself for the pre- dictable lapses that accompany early games. There was a slow start and
wobbly free throw shooting, a rebounding deficit and abun- dance of turnovers. But to a
G. MASON HARVARD 66 53
coach with long-term vision, these are elements that should improve over the course of a four-month schedule. What Larranaga and his
ROB CARR/ASSOCIATED PRESS Maryland guard Pe’ShonHoward scored the game-winnerWednesday against College of Charleston
from all of his starters — Bowie included — particularly in terms of their intensity after sluggish starts in their first two contests. “The job of all the starters —
not just Adrian—[is to] get off to a better start,” Williams said. “Sean Mosley has to start better. We’ve got to come out playing better.Wehaven’tdonethat yet in either game. So we’re looking forward to that tomorrow.” There were positive and nega-
tives alike in the comeback against the Cougars. Maryland shot 51.5 percent,
allaying at least some concerns that this season’sTerrapinswould struggle on offense after losing their top three scorers from last season. And Maryland never stopped scrapping despite trail- ing most of the game. But according to Mosley and swingman Cliff Tucker, Williams
Maryland vs. Maine 2 p.m., Comcast Center, College Park (Comcast SportsNet)
cited plenty of shortcomings when the team regrouped for practice, underscoring his criti- cism with video that showed lack- luster team defense in spots, too many careless turnovers and a lack of tenacity at the outset. Williams said Saturday that it’s
natural for a team’s defense to lag behind its offense at this point in the season. On Friday, they fo- cused on defending screens. He also stressed the need to commu- nicate more on defense. “Defense all starts from five
guys talking with each other ev- ery timedownthe floor,” Williams said. “We can get better at that. And your personality can’t have anything to do with that. If you’re a quiet personality, you still have
to talk on defense. It’s part of the game.” Tucker, who had 15 points and
did the best job down the stretch defending Charleston long-range ace AndrewGoudelock, conceded that the Terrapins didn’t play particularly well against the Cou- gars.
“But it was also a positive,”
Tucker added, “because we got to finally realize that we’re not as goodaswethoughtweare.We got to see what it’s like to fight back.” And, as Tucker knows well, if
the starters don’t fight harder, they may be watching from the bench.
“Coach Williams—he’s not just
stuck on one guy,” Tucker said. “If you’re playing good, you’re going to play. If you’re not playing good, you’re not going to play — it doesn’t matter who you are.”
clarkel@washpost.com
GWwomen are trounced as theymake history Allums becomes
first transgender player to compete in NCAA
BY KATHY ORTON
minneapolis — History was made on Saturday afternoon at theUniversity ofMinnesota’s Wil- liams Arena, although hardly anyone took notice. Kye Allums became the first
openly transgender player to compete in an NCAA women’s basketballgamewhenhetook the court for George Washington in its season opener against Wiscon- sin-Green Bay in the Best Buy Classic. The junior guard from nearby Hugo, Minn., started the game but had little impact in the Colonials’ 75-51 loss. Allums revealed his desire to
be identified as a man earlier this month, attracting international attention to GW. He has not un- dergone surgery or hormone treatments and biologically re- mains a woman. In his 15 minutes on the court, Allums did not attempt a shot.
His one assist came on Brooke Wilson’s layup with 12 minutes 24 seconds remaining in the game. He picked up his third foul 11 seconds later and returned to the bench. Allums was not made available to reporters after the game. Aside from the ESPN camera
crew that tried to follow Allums and his family, which was at the game, the approximately200fans who braved the blizzardlike con- ditionsseemedtohave little sense that this contestwasanything but another early-season game. Though the media contingent was larger than most women’s basketball games attract at this time of year, the crowd did not outwardly acknowledge Allums. GW CoachMike Bozeman was
asked about Allums’s perfor- mance after the game. “I thought she played well,”
Bozeman said. “Tried to get her to calm down a little bit. But that’s natural. She hadn’t been able to play here in Minnesota. . . . I’m sure her adrenaline was pump- ing, maybe a little bit overdrive.” The Wisconsin-Green Bay
players acknowledged that they were aware that GW had a trans-
gender player on its team, but said their focus was on playing basketball. And for most of the game the Phoenix played much better than the Colonials. Wisconsin-Green Bay brings
back five starters from last sea- son’s team, which became the firstHorizonLeague team to earn an at-large bid to theNCAAwom- en’s tournament, and the Phoenix clearly was a more cohesive team. GW, which has been dealing
with the aftermath of Allums’s revelation, has tried to keep its focus on basketball and its at- tempts to move on from last sea- son’s 6-22 record—the Colonials’ first losing record since 1988-89, which ended a streak of 10 con- secutive postseason appearances. Sophomore Megan Nipe, a
teammate of Allums at nearby Centennial High, was the lone GW player to locate her shooting touch.Perhaps encouraged by the more than 20 family members and friends she had in atten- dance, Nipe was the only player for the Colonials to make more than one field goal in the first half. She finished with 12 points on 4-of-9 shooting. “I was very excited to be back
GREEN BAY GW 75 51
home,” Nipe said. “I don’t know if it affected my shot. I know it affectedmy energy, just because if something went wrong they still were cheering for me and I could hear them.” Point guard Danni Jackson,
who missed all but four games last season because of a broken leg, seemed to be trying to make up for lost time. Jackson took 14 shots but made only three, finish- ing with a team-high 13 points. “I just went out there and tried
to be as confident as possible,” she said. “I just really tried to playmy game. Very nervous at the begin- ning, but I got through it.” Though the result was not
whatGWwas hoping for, Bozem- an was not discouraged. “We’re going to be a good
basketball team and that’s not too far in the futurewhenthat’s going to materialize,” Bozeman said. “I just think we need to clean up a fewthings.”
ortonk@washpost.com
With Maryland on tap, Hoyas women win easily 79 41
BY TARIK EL-BASHIR The height advantage pos-
sessed by the Georgetown wom- en’s basketball team was enor- mous, their edge in skill even more considerable. And, as a result, Sugar Rodgers
and her teammates were never challenged in Saturday’s 79-41 throttling of Division II Augusta State at McDonough Arena in a contest that, at times, resembleda varsity vs. junior varsity scrim- mage. Rodgers led the way for the
13th-ranked Hoyas with a team- high 13 points, 4 assists and 6 steals in only 22 minutes. Alexa RocheandAdriaCrawford,mean- time, had each had 11 points, and RubyleeWright added 10. Despitethelackof competitive-
ness, Coach Terri Williams- Flournoy got exactly what she sought when she scheduled the Jaguars: A confidence boost for
her Hoyas entering Tuesday’s showdownwith neighborhood ri- val Maryland, ranked 21st in the nation. “We didn’t have them on our
schedule,” Williams-Flournoy said. “Maryland was our next game. But we didn’t want Mary- land to be the first team that we play.” The openingmonth of the sea-
son figures to be a critical one for the Hoyas as they adjust to an unfamiliarposition:eightmonths after making the NCAA tourna- ment for the first time since 1993, they have one of the nation’s top players in Rodgers and three re- turning starters, and are widely expected to build on last season’s success. “We put pressure on ourselves every day in practice, but nowthe
GEORGETOWN AUGUSTA ST.
public expects us to be good aswe were last year,” Williams-Flourn- oy said. “But it doesn’t change anything. Our goals have not changed because we ranked 13th in the country.” Added senior guard Monica
McNutt: “Pressure makes dia- monds or pressure busts pipes. Wewant to be diamonds.” Not surprisingly,Augusta State
(0-1) found itself completely over- whelmed from the opening tip. The Jaguars returned just one starter from a team that lost all but one of their 27 contests a season ago, and this season fig- ures to be a difficult one as first- year coach Nate Teymer inte- grates eight newnewcomers. Georgetown (1-0) scored the
game’s first 13 points, but the Jag- uars made back-to-back three- pointers to trim their deficit to seven points. A fierce and relent- less Hoyas press and a balanced attackat theother endquicklyput an end to any thoughts of a rally.
TOM STRATTMAN/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Butler's Alex Anglin drives aroundMarian’s Chris Roberts. Butler unveiled itsNCAAfinalist banner before the game.
NATIONALMEN
Butler’s celebration doesn’t end at pregame ceremony
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Butler celebrated its recent accomplishments before Satur- day’s season-opener. Then the Bulldogs opened a
whole new chapter in historic Hinkle Fieldhouse. After unveiling the first Final
Georgetown boasted nine players onits roster listedat6feetor taller toAugusta State’s four. AlthoughtheHoyas led43-14at
halftime, they continued to press in the second half and wound up with 19 steals. “Nomercy,”Roche said. “That’s
what we do: pressure, pressure, pressure, trap, trap, trap.” Georgetown’s coaches and
players had little to complain aboutafter therout.ButWilliams- Flournoy said certain playerswill be taking extra three-pointers in practice on Sunday and Monday. Rodgers and McNutt, the Hoyas’ long-rangespecialists, shotacom- bined 1 for 11. Overall, the team connectedononly2of 19attempts frombehind the arc. “That was awful,” Williams-
Flournoy said. “Monica McNutt and Sugar Rodgers can’t shoot that bad all year long. That can’t happen. They need to get in the gymand get some shots.”
elbashirt@washpost.com
Four banner in the state’s oldest college basketball arena, Shel- vin Mack scored 20 points and Andrew Smith had a career- high 10 to leadNo. 17 Butler past Marian, 83-54. “To me this is a historic
event,” Marian Coach John Grimessaid. “Wewerehere fora certain occasion and to play basketball and we understand that, and I think everybody re- spectswhat Butler did last year.” Grimes’ players were so im-
pressed they also broke into applause during the five-min- ute pregame ceremony that fea- tured radio calls from Butler’s NCAA tournament upsets over Syracuse, Kansas State and Michigan State. The ceremony drew cheers from the crowd of 6,825—slightly larger than last season’s opening day crowd. Butler led 30-16 with 6 min-
utes 51 seconds to go in the first half.Marian charged back with a 12-3 run. l ILLINOIS 85, SOUTHERN
ILLINOIS 63: Demetri McCa- mey had 18 points and nine assists and D.J. Richardson added 16 points as the No. 13 Illini won at home. Illinois
pulled away after it opened the second half with a 19-4 run. l PITTSBURGH 95, NORTH
FLORIDA 49: Brad Wanamaker scored 17 points and the fifth- ranked Panthers pulled away from the fatigued Ospreys with a 26-6 run in the first half at home. It was the Panthers’ 50th straight at home against a non- conference opponent. The Panthers (3-0) had no problem winning their third game in six days — partly be- cause the worn-out Ospreys (0-2) were losing their second game in 19 hours. North Florida was competi-
tive during a 75-55 loss at Flori- da State that didn’t start until 9 p.m. Friday. The ensuing 900- mile, early morning trip proved to be too challenging. l WASHINGTON 118, MC-
NEESESTATE64:MatthewBry- an-Amaning scored a career- high 28 points and added 13 rebounds for theNo. 18Huskies at home. Bryan-Amaning, a 6- foot-9 senior forward, was 11 of 18 from the field. He was one of seven Huskies
in double figures as they scored the third-most points in team history. l BUFFALO 88, NAVY 46:
Zach Filzen scored 18 points and Javon McCrea had a dou- ble-double to lead the Bulls at home. Buffalo scored the first seven points and led 17-4 on a dunk byMcCrea. Greg Brown led theMidship- men with 11 points.
players drew from the 66-53 victory over Harvard was unity and defensive intensity, compo- nents that turned a close game early in the second half into a rout during a blinding five-min- ute spell in front of 6,536 at Patriot Center. “If this group can stay
healthy and play well together, I thinkwe’ve got a goodchance to get better and better as this season progresses,” Larranaga said of a team picked to finish second in the Colonial Athletic Association and make a legiti- mate bid for a third NCAA tournament berth in six years. The Patriots exhibited depth
and balance: Larranaga used 11 players in the first half and the overall production was sprin- kled among the starters. Sopho- more Luke Hancock had 14 points, junior Ryan Pearson 13 and junior Andre Cornelius 11 as GeorgeMason won its open- er for an eighth straight season. Senior Cam Long added 8
points, 10 rebounds and 6 as- sists for thePatriots,whoforced 24 turnovers and scored 14 con- secutive points to build a 20-
Patriots pull away to defeat Crimson
Defensive effort, balanced scoring lift George Mason
point lead. Those contributions offset 9-
of-20 free throw shooting, a 41-34 rebounding shortfall and Crimson junior Keith Wright’s 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting and 16 rebounds. Despite the imperfections,
GeorgeMason sustained its en- ergy level throughout the after- noon and offered a collection of exciting sequences: Isaiah Tate blocking consecutive three- point attempts, Cornelius steal- ing the ball for breakaway layups on two straight posses- sions, 6-foot-9 forward Mike Morrison dropping a behind- the-backbouncepass toVertrail Vaughns for a layup, andMorri- son’s two-handed blocked shot. “Their speed, quickness and
athleticism was the difference, and certainly with the turn- overs we had out in the middle of the floor, it energized their team and energized their crowd,” said Crimson Coach Tommy Amaker, who played at Fairfax’s W.T. Woodson High School and attended George Mason basketball camps before starring at Duke. ThePatriots ledbynine in the
first half before settling for a 32-28 advantage at the break. After a three-pointer byLandon graduate Christian Webster (11 points) cut their lead to 39-33, the Patriots blitzed the Crimson with their 14-point surge. Long made two three-point-
ers, Pearson scored inside and the 5-10 Cornelius poked away the ball for breakaway layups. After Morrison’s basket, Bran- dyn Curry’s three-pointer end- ed a seven-minute scoreless stretch in which the Crimson missed 10 shots and had five turnovers. “We turned it up,” Hancock
said. “We can put a lot of differ- ent lineups out there and guys just mesh well together.” Patriots notes: Cornelius
was helped off the court late in the game with what Larranaga said were leg cramps. . . . GeorgeMason will playChar-
lotte on Thursday at the eight- team Charleston (S.C.) Classic, which also includes George- town and North Carolina State.
goffs@washpost.com
EZ SU
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