Former Terrapin Keli Smith Puzo in the USA's game vs. Australia on Aug. 2, 2012 in London. (Reuters)
The U.S. field hockey team, along with Terrapin alums Katie O'Donnell and Keli Smith Puzo, dropped a match to No. 7 Australia, 1-0, earlier this morning at Riverbank Arena in London.
The Americans had numerous shots in the closing minutes, but couldn't get one to find the goal.
With the loss, the U.S. is 1-2 in group play, with two games still remaining. There are six teams in each group and they all play five games. The top two teams in each group advance to the semifinals. The U.S. is currently in fifth in Group B.
The Americans will play No. 6 New Zealand Saturday at 2 p.m. ET on the NBC Sports Network. Their final match in group play will be at 5:45 a.m. ET Sunday against No. 12 South Africa.
Maryland alum Sarunas Jasikevicius and his Lithuanian team fell to France, 82-74, early Thursday morning. Sarunas finished with two points and five assists in his 20 minutes on the floor.
In the tournament, 12 teams are divided into two groups of six. The teams in each group play five games in group play, then the top four in each group advance to the quarterfinals. Lithuania is 1-2 in competition and currently sits third the Group A standings.
Next, Lithuania will take on Team USA Saturday at 9:30 a.m. ET. It will be shown live on the NBC Sports Network and the NBC Basketball Channel, with a replay on the NBC Basketball Channel at 1:30 p.m. ET.
The Lithuanian national team has won three Olympic bronze medals in the 1992, 1996 and 2000 games. Jasikevicius was on the team that took bronze in 2000. He averaged 14.0 points and 5.1 assists, and scored a tournament-high 27 points, in a semifinals lost to the U.S.
TUESDAY GAMES TO WATCH 4:00 a.m. ET MBB: Lithuania (Jasikevicius) vs. France (NBC Sports Network) 5:45 a.m. ET FH: USA (O'Donnell, Smith Puzo) vs. Australia (NBC Sports Network) Terrapin head coach Missy Meharg on the call for NBC 9:30 a.m. ET FH: China vs. Netherlands (NBC Sports Network) Terrapin head coach Missy Meharg on the call for NBC 5:15 p.m. ET MBB: Nigeria (Ibekwe) vs. USA (NBC Sports Network)
Former Terrapin Keli Smith Puzo celebrates with her fellow USA teammates after the Americans beat No. 2 Argentina, 1-0, Tuesday in group play. (USA Field Hockey)
After a disappointing, but hard-fought loss to Germany on Sunday, the USA field hockey team knew it had work to do and a statement to make. Determined to prove thatit is in the Olympics to win, No. 10 Team USA beat No. 2 Argentina, 1-0, for the third time in a year.
USA's Shannon Taylor deflected in a pass from Michelle
Vittese for the game's only goal with seven minutes left in the first
half. HIGHLIGHTS | FULL REPLAY | PHOTOS
Katie
O'Donnell, Keli Smith Puzo and Team USA have three more games remaining
in group play. The U.S. will take on No. 7 Australia in game three of
group play Thursday at 5:45 a.m. ET on the NBC Sports Network, as well
as online at NBCOlympics.com/live.
Right after the USA v. AUS game, the NBC Sports Network will be showing
China v. the Netherlands, which is a rematch of the 2008 gold medal
game. Our own Missy Meharg will be commentating on both games.
Former Terp Sarunas Jaskevicius checks into Lithuania's game vs. Nigeria in the London Olympics on July 31, 2012. (Mark Ralston/Getty Images)
Four of the Terrapin athletes in London are still in competition after Tuesday. For Terp Nation, the day was highlighted by a huge upset win in field hockey of No. 10 USA beating No. 2 Argentina, 1-0, in group play.
The U.S. beat Argentina, one of the world's top teams, for the third time in a year. USA's Shannon Taylor deflected in a pass from Michelle Vittese for the game's only goal with seven minutes left in the first half. HIGHLIGHTS | FULL REPLAY | PHOTOS
Katie O'Donnell, Keli Smith Puzo and Team USA have three more games remaining in group play. The U.S. will take on No. 7 Australia in game three of group play Thursday at 5:45 a.m. ET on the NBC Sports Network, as well as online at NBCOlympics.com/live. Right after the USA v. AUS game, the NBC Sports Network will be showing China v. the Netherlands, which is a rematch of the 2008 gold medal game. Our own Missy Meharg will be commentating on both games.
Earlier Tuesday, Sarunas Jasikevicius' Lithuania team beat Ekene Ibekwe's Nigeria team, 72-53. Sarunas finished with nine points and nine assists. For the full recap, log on to NBCOlympics.com/basketballl. If you missed it, watch the full game here.
Sarunas and his Team Lithuania play France at 4 a.m. ET. Ibekwe and Nigeria will take on Team USA at 5:15 p.m. ET. Both games will be shown on the NBC Sports Network or at NBCOlympics.com/live online. Check out the photo gallery and Nataly is in photo 3!
Women's soccer alum Nataly Arias and Colombia lost to France, 1-0, Tuesday afternoon to be eliminated from the tournament. For more on the loss, NBCOlympics.com/soccer.
Track & field head coach Andrew Valmon participated in a press conference with his Team USA athletes. Click here for some quotes. The U.S. track & field team begins competition in London on Aug. 3 at 10 a.m. ET.
Maryland track & field head coach Andrew Valmon, who is in London serving as the U.S. track & field head coach, spoke to members of the media today at a press conference with the track & field athletes. He assured the media that 400 meters Olympic champion LaShawn Merritt is back at work, after being injured. Read the full article here.
Women's soccer alum Nataly Arias and her Colombian team were eliminated from competition today, after a 1-0 loss to France in the quarterfinals.
She's been on the Colombian national team since late 2010 and played every minute in the World Cup and the Pan American Games last year.
Arias played in College Park from 2004-08 and was team captain in her senior year. She was named to the All-ACC Freshman team in 2004, as well as the SoccerBuzz All-American Freshman Team.
All five of the Terrapin athletes in London will be in action Tuesday, with men's basketball alums Sarunas Jasikevicius and Lithuania taking on Ekene Ibewke and Nigeria. For more on that matchup, see today's earlier entry below. Nataly Arias and the Colombian women's soccer team will play France.
Field hockey superstars Katie O'Donnell and Keli Smith Puzo (right) will take on Argentina, the No. 2 team in the world, with the rest of Team USA, after beating ARG twice in the past year. Team USA beat top-ranked Argentina, 4-1, in October to win gold at the Pan American Games and clinch its Olympic bid. In June, the U.S. went 1-1-2 in a test series with Argentina in Virginia. Head coach Missy Meharg will commentate on the game for NBC.
MEN'S BASKETBALL Lithuania (Sarunas Jasikevicius) vs. Nigeria (Ekene Ibekwe) 9:30 a.m. ET (LIVE) NBC Basketball Channel
WOMEN'S SOCCER Colombia (Nataly Arias) vs. France
12:15 p.m. ET (LIVE)
MSNBC
FIELD HOCKEY USA (Katie O'Donnell, Keli Smith Puzo) vs. Argentina 2:00 p.m. ET MSNBC Terrapin head coach Missy Meharg on the call for NBC
We decided to remember some of the best memories brought to Terp Nation by the two Maryland basketball alums playing in the Olympics, Sarunas Jasikevicius and Ekene Ibekwe, especially since they'll be playing each other Tuesday.
Anyone remember this huge Terps win on Dec. 7, 1997?
Sarunas and No. 23 Maryland beat No. 2 Kansas, 86-83, in the Franklin National Bank Classic at the then-MCI Center in Washington D.C. for the Jayhawks' first loss of the year. Sarunas scored 21 points with four boards and three assists. He hit two free throws with 1:45 to go to give Maryland the lead for good.
In his time as a Terp (1995-98), Sarunas scored 929 points and dished 273 assists. He helped lead the Terrapins to four NCAA Tournament appearances and two Sweet Sixteens. As a senior, he averaged 12.4 points per game and a team-high 39.7 percent from outside the arc.
In Ekene Ibekwe's four years (2004-07), he helped bring home Gary Williams' first ACC title and two NCAA Tournament appearances. In his senior year, the Terps went 3-0 vs. Duke and North Carolina in a three-week span in February. Throughout that stretch, the Terrapins remained unranked.
Check out this clip from the Terps' win over No. 14 Duke at Cameron on Feb. 28, 2007.
Ekene finished this game with 17 points, four rebounds, two blocks and two assists. He scored six of his points in the last two minutes to help hold off the Blue Devils. The Terrapins would go on to earn a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament, where they beat Davidson, 82-70, in the First Round.
Ekene finished his career in the top 45 of all Maryland scorers with 1,107 points. He is No. 11 in rebounds with 781 and No. 5 all-time in blocks with 230. In his senior year, he led the ACC in blocks with 88 on the year.
Check out Sarunas' Lithuania team taking on Ibekwe's Nigeria team Tuesday LIVE at 9:30 a.m. ET on the NBC Sports Channel. For more info on where to watch, log on to http://www.nbcolympics.com/get-local/tvlistings.html. All games are broadcast online at NBCOlympics.com.
Maryland field hockey alums Katie O'Donnell and Keli Smith Puzo and Team USA fell to Germany, 2-1, Sunday afternoon at Riverbank Stadium, despite a late rally. The Americans got on the board in the 56th minute and got three of their seven shots off in the remaining minutes.
Katie, Keli and Team USA will take on Argentina at 2 p.m. ET LIVE on MSNBC. The Americans have gone 2-1-2 vs. Argentina, the top-ranked team in the world, in the last year. The U.S. beat Argentina, 4-2, last October for the gold medal in the Pan American Games and its beat to the Olympics. In June, the Americans went 1-1-2 vs. Argentina in a test series in Virginia.
In men's basketball, Ekene Ibewke's Nigerian team beat Tunisia, 60-56. Sarunas Jasikevicius and his Lithuanian team fell to Argentina, 102-79. Sarunas added six points and four assists in his 19 minutes on the floor.
These two Terrapins will play each other Tuesday when Nigeria and Lithuania play at 9:30 a.m. ET. That game is tentatively scheduled to be shown live on the NBC Basketball Channel.
In women's soccer, former Terp Nataly Arias and Colombia will play France Tuesday at 12:15 p.m. ET LIVE on MSNBC.
