Jasikevicius

"TC CLEMSON, S.C. -- From the time he came to Maryland three years ago, Sarunas Jasikevicius has been stereotyped as a standstill jump shooter. Though his game has expanded along with his playing time, it is his sweet, fluid stroke that separates Jasikevicius from nearly every one of his teammates.Jasikevicius doesn't agree with being classified this way, but the 6-foot-4 guard from Lithuania certainly understands it. Nor does Jasikevicius agree with the assessment that he is in a shooting slump, but he understands that, too. "Every good shooter is going to have periods when they struggle," Jasikevicius said Thursday.

COLLEGE PARK -- The Maryland Terrapins have spent the season making statements and winning games. They made a few more and won another in yesterday's 78-62 victory over the Virginia Cavaliers at Cole Field House.Most significantly, they proved they could rebound from their first loss after starting the season with a school-record-tying 11 straight wins. But in the course of its second straight Atlantic Coast Conference victory, Maryland demonstrated quite a bit more.The Terrapins showed they have somebody other than Keith Booth to get the offense jump-started.

Sarunas Jasikevicius couldn't decide what felt better, scoring a career-high 24 points or playing suffocating, hand-in-the-face defense.It's a quandary the junior guard would love to grapple with after every game.Jasikevicius dismantled the Virginia Cavaliers for 16 points in the first half, helping lead the Maryland Terrapins to a 78-62 win yesterday at Cole Field House.And he all but shut down Virginia shooting guard Curtis Staples, rTC the sixth-most proficient three-point shooter in Atlantic Coast Conference history, holding him to 10 points.

American (1-2) at Loyola (1-1)Site: Reitz ArenaTime: 7: 30 p.m.Radio: WWLG (1360 AM)Outlook: The Greyhounds are coming off Saturday's 70-55 loss at Penn State. Junior guard Mike Powell came off the bench because of a sprained ankle, played 22 minutes and scored four points. He's expected to start tonight. American leads the series, 39-37, but Loyola has won the last two at home.UMBC (0-2) at Maryland (3-0)Site: Cole Field House, College ParkTime: 8 p.m.Radio: WBAL (1090), WTOP (1500)Outlook: Maryland has won its first three games by an average margin of 35 points.

COLLEGE PARK -- Chicago State coach Craig Hodges missed last night's game against Maryland after being granted a leave of absence. Maybe he knew what was coming.The first meeting between these schools produced the Terrapins' third blowout this season. Junior guard Sarunas Jasikevicius scored a career-high 20 points, sophomore guard Laron Profit grabbed a career-best 12 rebounds to go with 13 points, and Maryland took a 94-44 victory before an announced crowd of 10,602 at Cole Field House.

COLLEGE PARK -- Maryland basketball coach Gary Williams continues to tinker with his lineup, but he keeps reaching the same conclusion: the Terrapins seem to play their best when Sarunas Jasikevicius is on the court.After starting at shooting guard for Laron Profit in the team's first exhibition game last week, the junior guard from Lithuania started for Terrell Stokes at the point against Court Authority last night at Cole Field House.Jasikevicius, a spotty player his first two seasons, continued to make his points for Williams to find him time this season.

COLLEGE PARK -- In a season when nothing has come easily, Maryland had to go the extra mile to get its first Atlantic Coast Conference victory yesterday.An extra mile and an extra five minutes.It was treacherous terrain, pockmarked by botched free throws, squandered opportunities and more than one last gasp by North Carolina State.When the Terps finally found their way into the ACC win column and out of the basement with a pulsing, 77-74 overtime victory against the Wolfpack at Cole Field House, it was on the surprising wings of youth.

COLLEGE PARK -- First, there was the raccoon that turned out to be a squirrel. Then there was that underwater-looking-at-the-fishes thing that turned out to be snorkeling. Then came that one day in practice, when Sarunas Jasikevicius froze on an inbounds pass and screamed."We don't know what he screamed," said Maryland basketball coach Gary Williams, smiling. "But it must have been a Lithuanian word for frustration. Everyone laughed."Everyone likes the 6-foot-4 freshman from Kaunas, Lithuania.

COLLEGE PARK -- When Keith Booth was a senior at Dunbar, Towson State was on his short list of schools to attend. It might have just been a courtesy, but the Tigers are wishing they could have won the recruiting battle over Maryland, Duke and Kentucky.In the two games he has faced them since becoming a Terrapin, Booth has played as if the Tigers had passed on him, not the other way around. After scoring a career-high 18 points against Towson State as a freshman last year in a lopsided win at the Baltimore Arena, Booth matched it against the Tigers last night.

COLLEGE PARK -- A year ago, it took Maryland some 33 minutes to take control against a stubborn UMBC team before settling for an 89-80 victory.But last night's meeting at Cole Field House was totally lacking in suspense. Late in the first half, one bored courtside spectator was spotted knitting a sweater.The 11th-ranked Terps (5-1), led by 20-point contributions from sophomore All-America center Joe Smith and junior iron-man forward Exree Hipp, gained a 22-point lead by halftime and coasted to a 102-77 victory before a crowd of 13,067.