Maryland Women

Using a barrage of three-pointers, the fifth-ranked Maryland women's basketball team wrapped up the nonconference portion of its schedule yesterday by defeating UMBC, 98-56, in the final of the Terrapin Classic at Comcast Center. The Terps shot 17-for-28 from three-point range, breaking the team record and the mark for most three-pointers in a game by an Atlantic Coast Conference team. Maryland@Wake Forest Thursday, 7 p.m.

For some in the Northeast, a trip to sunny Southern California is just what the doctor ordered at this time of year. However, the doctors for Maryland women's basketball coach Brenda Frese didn't want her anywhere near either the West Coast or a plane that could have taken her there. That's why Frese, who is 25 weeks pregnant, remained at home while the No. 3 Terps played at UC-Santa Barbara and UCLA on Friday and Sunday, respectively, missing games for the first time in her six seasons as Maryland coach.

Women across the nation frustrated by earning less than men now have an option that could quickly narrow the gap and help them move on to more substantial economic achievements. The answer: Move to Maryland. The District of Columbia, Maryland and Massachusetts stand out, in that order, as the best states in the nation for women economically, based on a broad array of statistical measures, assessed in a new study of federal data produced by the Institute for Women's Policy Research. Whether it's pay, business ownership, education or a number of other measures, Maryland women rank at or near the top, the study shows.

When 19-month-old Kaeley Walz starts stringing words together into coherent sentences, her father, Jeff, the now former Maryland women's basketball associate head coach, hopes the first one will be specific to his new job. "My wife is working hard to get our 19-month-old to say `Go Cards,' before she comes out," Walz said yesterday afternoon at a press conference to introduce him as head women's coach at Louisville. Walz, 35, was introduced at Louisville, located 80 minutes from his hometown of Fort Thomas, Ky. The Maryland players were gathered early yesterday and told of Walz's departure.

Women's History MonthLearn about notable Maryland women -- from Juanita Jackson Mitchell to Betsy Bonaparte -- during Women's History Month activities at the Maryland Historical Society, 201 W. Monument St. Also encounter other Maryland heroines through May 30 in the exhibition "In Her Own Right: Portraits of Women in the Collection of the Maryland Historical Society." Chat with Olympic swimmer Beth Botsford during a gallery talk at noon Saturday. And children can meet a suffragette living in Baltimore during the "Roaring '20s" and an 1883 immigrant and working mother during the history workshop "Maryland Heroines -- Bring a Portrait to Life!"

During the 13-1 start by the Western Maryland women's basketball team, observers pointed toward last night as the time to determine whether the sparkling record was the product of genuine talent or of a featherweight schedule.The lie detector was Johns Hopkins, four-time defending champion in the Centennial Conference's Western Division, Division III quarterfinalist the past two years and the third-ranked team in the Mideast region. But against their toughest test of the season, the Green Terror proved to be the truth, beating the Blue Jays, 63-50, in front of 574 at the Gill Center in Westminster.

No other Division I lacrosse team -- men's or women's -- has won four consecutive titles. Yet Maryland women's coach Cindy Timchal has made it look easy.In her second year at Maryland, the Terrapins won the 1992 national championship."In '92 when you win, you think you're going to win it again and again," Timchal said, "but you learn very quickly that it isn't easy to win again."It took the Terps until 1995 to reclaim the crown, but they have worn it ever since.Timchal's dynasty rolls into Homewood Field for tonight's national semifinal against No. 5 Penn State as the overwhelming favorite to win a consecutive fifth title.

Maryland should strike a blow for women's equality by requiring health insurers to include birth control services in their prescription plans, family planning advocates told legislators yesterday.At an Annapolis news conference and a Senate hearing, a coalition of women's groups and medical organizations urged legislators to pass a bill that would end the practice of treating contraceptive drugs and devices differently from other prescriptions."For our group, it is the No. 1 priority because it is a simple matter of gender equity," said Kathleen Nieberding-Ryan, a lobbyist for the Maryland chapter of the National Organization for Women.

COLLEGE PARK -- In the final minutes of the Maryland women's 47-45 loss to No. 12-ranked Virginia last night, one might have reasonably asked, "Haven't we seen this before?"Much like its game against Duke 10 days ago, Maryland overcame a shaky start against a highly ranked team, hung around most of the second half, and had the opportunity to win late in the game.The Terps had the ball with 10 seconds left after a missed free throw by DeMya Walker, who had put Virginia (17-5, 8-4 Atlantic Coast Conference)

COLLEGE PARK -- The Maryland women's lacrosse team won two battles yesterday on a soaked Ludwig Field.The Terps fended off dangerous James Madison, 13-8, in the NCAA Division I quarterfinals and then resisted a strong temptation to talk about a third showdown this season with North Carolina in the semifinals Friday night at 8: 30 at UMBC Stadium."

College basketball Maryland women predicted for 5th in ACC preseason poll The University of Maryland women's basketball team received three first-place votes and was picked to finish fifth in the Atlantic Coast Conference in voting announced Monday at the ACC Media Day in Greensboro (N.C.) Coliseum. The defending champion Terps have nine underclassmen on this season's roster. North Carolina was predicted to win the conference, receiving 30 of the 45 first-place votes, followed by Duke, Florida State and Virginia.

COLLEGE PARK - -Maryland women's basketball coach Brenda Frese says an alarming number of women are transferring this year from Division I programs in the sport, leaving coaches and experts to figure out why. "It's amazing," Frese said as she examined the names of about 100 recent transfers on a list compiled by Dan Olson, owner of the Collegiate Girls Basketball Report, a subscription service. "I've never seen a list like that before," Frese said this week. "It's almost a new trend, and not a positive trend."

After more than a year juggling the family finances to handle the expense of battling breast cancer, Ronda Badiang was surprised a few months back when she found she was unable to pay a $1,000 deductible for her treatment. She was even more surprised when the Red Devils stepped in to settle the bill, no questions asked. "Even with good insurance, I still needed them," said the 35-year-old Taneytown mother of one. "Initially, I cried. It was a blessing." The Red Devils - the name comes from a potent, scarlet-red chemotherapy drug - aim to help breast cancer patients and their families by funding child care, coordinating rides to the doctor and helping to pay bills, among other services.

[1] Maryland women vs. [3] Louisville What: Raleigh Regional final When: 7 p.m. Where: RBC Center, Raleigh, N.C. TV: ESPN Contrasting styles: Jeff Walz spent five seasons assisting coach Brenda Frese at Maryland before taking the head coaching job at Louisville. But as he pointed out yesterday, their two teams have different philosophies: "Maryland does an outstanding job on the offensive end," Walz said. "They can score points as fast as anyone I've seen. ... Defensively, I think we can do a pretty good job of making it tough for teams to score."

[1] Maryland women vs. [4] Vanderbilt What: Raleigh Regional semifinals When: 2:30 p.m. Where: RBC Center, Raleigh, N.C. TV: ESPN Winner faces: Louisville-Baylor winner Monday in Raleigh The game: When these two teams met a year ago in the same round of the NCAA tournament, the Terrapins triumphed, 80-66, behind the post play of Crystal Langhorne and Laura Harper, who combined for 39 points and 13 rebounds. Both are in the WNBA, but Maryland (30-4) should still have an edge inside with 6-foot-1 junior Dee Liles and 6-4 freshman Lynetta Kizer.

College Park -No dipping their toes into the NCAA tournament pool for the Maryland women. They know they're good, know how far they can go, and know no reason to ease into their run at a second championship in four years. At Comcast Center yesterday, the top-seeded Terps didn't hesitate in dominating Dartmouth from the get-go. Then, when asked whether this game was a real indication of how ready they are for the rest of the tournament, they didn't hesitate in answering. "We knew we were ready before the game today because I think we were extremely focused and we had good practices," said Marissa Coleman, who overwhelmed nearly everybody around her without having to score much.

'Women Making History' tour The Maryland Women's Heritage Center and the City of Annapolis will hold a "Women Making History Together" trolley tour from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Friday starting and ending at Annapolis City Hall, 160 Duke of Gloucester St. Mayor Ellen O. Moyer will greet the guests. The tour will visit sites showcasing the contributions of Maryland women, including the Annapolis Maritime Museum, Levy Center at the U.S. Naval Academy, Banneker-Douglass Museum, Catherine Green House and St. Clair Wright Center.

The fourth-ranked Maryland women officially wrapped up their NCAA tournament bid eight days ago when they won the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament, and tonight they will finally learn who they will have to face in their pursuit of a second national title. The 64-team field will be unveiled at 7 p.m. on ESPN, and the Terps, who will watch the selection show in Heritage Hall at Comcast Center, are a strong candidate to earn a No. 1 seed for the second straight year. Maryland (28-4) swept the ACC regular-season and tournament crowns, beat seven teams in the top 25 of the Rating Percentage Index (according to CollegeRPI.

GREENSBORO, N.C. - Marissa Coleman is used to feeling a little bit anxious this time of year, when the Maryland women's basketball team gears up for the Atlantic Coast Conference and NCAA tournaments. But something seems different this season. "You know, you always have jitters going into tournaments and stuff like that. You always have doubts or you're second-guessing yourself," Coleman said. "But I don't think any of us are doing that right now. We are playing so well right now; we have so much confidence in our game and each other's games right now. Honestly, I think the only reason we could lose is if we beat ourselves."

College Park -There's a new look to the Maryland women's lacrosse team this season after graduating eight starters, but that doesn't mean the Terrapins can't handle their best competition. The No. 6 Terrapins showed varied looks on offense and made critical defensive plays yesterday, using a second-half run to push past No. 3 Duke, 15-13, in the Atlantic Coast Conference opener for both teams at Maryland's Field Hockey and Lacrosse Complex. "What's tough about preparing for Maryland is that they're a very new team," Duke coach Kerstin Kimel said.