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Maryland Women Receive Record Number All-ACC Nods
March 3, 2008
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - A program-record four Maryland women's basketball players were named to the All-ACC squad, the league office announced on Monday. The three teams were voted on by 49 members of the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association. Senior Crystal Langhorne and junior Kristi Toliver headlined the first team, each receiving 46 first-team votes and 144 points, tying for the most. Junior Marissa Coleman was named to the second team for the third-straight year, while senior Laura Harper received her first conference nod, earning a place on the third team. The four All-ACC selections is a school record, while the two first-team picks are the most since Vicky Bullett and Deanna Tate were first team selections in 1989. The ninth player in ACC history to be selected to the first team three times, senior Crystal Langhorne (Willingboro, N.J./Willingboro) becomes the first-ever Maryland women's basketball player to be named All-ACC four times and the first three-time first-team honoree, as well. The program's all-time scoring leader and the only Terp woman to score 2,000 points, she is averaging 16.5 points per game this season, which ranks in the top five in the ACC. Also the all-time rebounding leader in men's or women's Maryland basketball history, Langhorne has grabbed 9.2 rebounds per game. She was even better this season in conference play, averaging a league-best 19.5 ppg and 10.1 rpg, which ranked third in the ACC. The ACC's active leader in double-doubles with 55, she recorded 12 in 25 games, seven coming against conference opponents. Langhorne was the ACC's Preseason Player of the Year and was voted the ACC's Player of the Week a league-high three times.
Junior Kristi Toliver (Harrisonburg, Va./Harrisonburg) was a third team pick last season. This year, she has led the conference and is fourth in the nation in assists per game, averaging 7.6 per game, and is second in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.72). She leads Maryland in scoring and ranks in the top five in the ACC with 17.2 ppg. Toliver also leads the ACC in free throw shooting (84.8 percent), while also ranking in the top five in three point shooting (40.4 percent) and three pointers made per game (2.23). She has recorded seven double-doubles and has handed out five or more assists in 27 games. This season, she scored her 1,000th career point, became only the fourth Terrapin to dish out 500 assists and also broke Maryland's career free-throw shooting record (86.5 percent). A two-time ACC Player of the Week pick, Toliver is a finalist for the Nancy Lieberman Award, presented to the nation's top collegiate point guard. Junior Marissa Coleman (Cheltenham, Md./St. John's College [D.C.]) is making her third-straight appearance on the second team, becoming one of only four Terps to ever earn All-ACC honors three times. She is third on the team in scoring, averaging a career-best 15.8 points per game, while also grabbing 7.8 rebounds per game. Both rank in the top 10 in the ACC this season, while also ranking in the top 15 in seven other statistical categories. One of the most versatile players in the country, Coleman became only the third player in ACC history to have 1,000 points, 700 rebounds, 300 assists and 100 blocks in a career. She has had double-doubles 10 times this season, as well. She was twice selected the ACC's Player of the Week and was also a Preseason All-ACC pick. Senior Laura Harper (Elkins Park, Pa./Cheltenham) is also having an outstanding season. She was second in the ACC in rebounding, grabbing 10.2 rpg in conference games, while scoring 15.2 ppg. On the season, she is averaging 14.3 ppg and 8.8 rpg, both career highs. She has posted 11 double-doubles and also ranks fourth in the nation, boasting a 63.3 shooting percentage. Harper also scored her 1000th career point this season, also breaking the Maryland record for career blocks, a record which had stood for 28 years. She was also selected the ACC's Player of the Week once this season. Fifth-ranked Maryland is preparing for the 31st annual ACC Tournament, which takes place March 6-9 in Greensboro, N.C. The Terps earned a first-round bye and play seventh-seeded Boston College or 10th-seeded Virginia Tech on Friday, March 7 at 6 p.m. at Greensboro Coliseum. The Terps went 13-1 in the ACC and received the No. 2 seed, its highest seeding since 1993. The semifinal games are scheduled for 1 and 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 8, with the championship game slated for Sunday, March 9 at 1 p.m. The final two days will be nationally televised on Fox Sports Net (Comcast SportsNet in the Baltimore/Washington, D.C. area). 2008 All-ACC Women's Basketball Team (1st Team Vote - 3 points; 2nd Team Vote - 2 points; 3rd Team Vote - 1 point) First Team (1st Team Votes) • Points Second Team • Points Third Team • Points Honorable Mention (15 or more points) • Points
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