Miami University
Maryland
Miami Falls To No. 12 Maryland, 64-49
11/24/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 24, 2002
By DAVID GINSBURG
AP Sports Writer
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - After unfurling the NCAA championship banner from the rafters of their new arena, the Maryland Terrapins began the defense of their title with a crowd-pleasing blowout.
Drew Nicholas scored 16 points as 12th-ranked Maryland cruised to its 85th consecutive non-conference home victory Sunday, 64-49 over Miami of Ohio.
Playing in front of the largest home crowd in school history (17,950), the Terrapins (1-0) formally opened the $107 million Comcast Center with a performance befitting their stature as defending national champions.
Maryland limited the RedHawks (0-2) to 27-percent shooting in taking an 11-point halftime lead, then used a 9-0 run early in the second half to pull away.
The Terrapins' 85-game non-conference streak at home, which started in 1989 at Cole Field House, is the longest in the nation. Maryland also has won 19 straight overall at home since Feb. 14, 2001.
Danny Horace had 17 points and 12 rebounds for Miami, which was coming off a 73-46 loss to Purdue.
Ryan Randle scored a career-high 15 points for the Terrapins, who lost four starters from the team that beat Indiana last April to claim the school's first NCAA title. But Maryland, which started five seniors against Miami, seems to have enough talent and depth to make a serious run at a third straight Final Four appearance.
The night began with the unveiling of an 8-by-12 foot banner proclaiming the Terrapins as 2002 national champions. Maryland then got eight points from Nicholas in a 12-2 run after Miami took its only lead, 5-4.
It was 23-19 before Terrapins freshman Nik Caner-Medley made a free throw and Steve Blake followed with six straight points, including a 3-pointer, to put Maryland up 32-21 at the half.
Blake, the lone returning starter from last season's team, finished with nine points and eight assists.
Horace opened the second half with a layup, but Maryland's Calvin McCall responded with a jumper, freshman Travis Garrison made a three-point play and Randle made successive baskets in the lane for a 41-23 lead.
Minutes later, Randle made two free throws and banked in a short jumper to put Maryland up by 20.
The Terrapins hope their new arena provides as much of a homecourt advantage as Cole Field House, which outlived its usefulness after a noble 47-year run.
Whether the Comcast Center becomes a horror for visiting Atlantic Coast Conference teams remains to be seen. But with air conditioning, a modern scoreboard with TV replays and plush luxury suites, the new arena is far more accommodating to fans than Maryland's antiquated former home.
