Offensive Rebounds

CHICAGO -- To many on the outside, Dennis Rodman's tattoos, body piercings, multicolored hairstyles, sightings with Cindy Crawford and all the rest are distractions that can get in the way of a team goal.To the Chicago Bulls and their fans, however, Rodman's presence meant the difference between a good season and a place in NBA history.Rodman's spunk, spirit and determination were on display in the Bulls' 87-75 win in Game 6 of the NBA Finals over the Seattle SuperSonics last night to clinch the franchise's fourth title in six years.

Coaches are fond of saying that one game is no bigger than another. I don't always believe them. Mark Turgeon conceded tonight what seemed to be true -- that Maryland's win over Wake Forest meant a lot. It wasn't just that it was Maryland's first conference win of the season. It's that if this season is to matter -- if it is to become something -- then the Terps have to begin to define who they are. And when better to do that than in the first ACC contest at Comcast Center? As I said in my updated game story, Turgeon believes his team is playing better - particularly defensively - than earlier in the season and he wants his players' efforts to be validated.

Paint Branch had a good season, but coach Becky Clark said rebounding was her team's Achilles' heel -- and No. 17-ranked Westminster found it last night in a Class 4A West region quarterfinal game.Jill Ibex scored 21 points, and nearly half of host Westminster's rebounds were on the offensive end to help the Owls come up with numerous second chances in a 62-41 victory over Paint Branch.Westminster (18-7) will play (home vs. Quince Orchard or at Watkins Mill) tomorrow at 7 p.m. in a region semifinal.

What the statistics say : James Padgett leads the ACC in  offensive rebounds (4.1 per game). What it means : It means that, minus Jordan Williams this season, Padgett has moved to fill some inside gaps. He's found himself as an inside player. That's important given that the Terps will play some big, deep teams this season (Duke, Carolina) that will more than challenge Maryland's front line. But I have to ask…if Padgett can average four offensive rebounds per game, why can't he be among the defensive rebounding leaders as well?

CHICAGO -- It began with the possibility that it might be the end of an era, a closure to the great championship run of the Chicago Bulls as well as Michael Jordan's final game. But in the end, Jordan proved to be a man of his word by giving the Bulls a shot at their sixth title this decade.Playing against an Indiana Pacers team in an Eastern Conference finals that Scottie Pippen described as "the toughest series of my career," the Bulls were able to avoid elimination with a tremendous effort on the offensive boards in a hard-fought 88-83 win last night at the United Center.

Meade girls basketball coach Ed Corporal won't have too many complaints about his team's shooting as long as it rebounds and plays defense. In a rematch of two Class 4A East regional semifinalists, the visitors from Anne Arundel County overcame a woeful 24.6 percentage from the floor to defeat C. Milton Wright, 53-42, last night in Bel Air. Meade, which suffered a 66-62 setback in the playoff semifinals last season, improved to 2-1 on the strength of...

Opponent: Denver NuggetsSite: USAir Arena, LandoverTime: 7: 30TV/Radio: HTS/WWRC (980 AM)Outlook: The Nuggets have dropped eight straight, the longest current losing streak in the league. It has been a season of franchise lows for Denver: fewest offensive rebounds (one), Dec. 5 against Portland; fewest points in a quarter (nine), Dec. 1 against the Lakers; and fewest points in a game (65), Nov. 23 against Portland. The Nuggets also squandered the biggest halftime lead in NBA history (34) in a Nov. 27 loss to Utah.

CHICAGO -- For Chicago Bulls guard Michael Jordan, there was little reason to be happy about the way he played in last night's Game 2 of the NBA Finals. There was little reason to be happy about the way the team played against the Seattle SuperSonics."We're playing passive," Jordan said. "And we can't do that."Yet, on a night when the Bulls' offense stalled and the team shot just 39 percent from the field, the team dominated the offensive boards -- led by a record-tying performance by Dennis Rodman -- on the way to a 92-88 win over the Sonics.

MILWAUKEE -- Coach Earl Hawkins said the biggest problem his Maryland Baltimore County team needs to solve when 1991 turns into '92 is turnovers.Hawkins must have forgotten the fundamental aspect of getting defensive rebounds. Then again, maybe he's just trying to forget.Turnovers and poor rebounding were again the culprits as UMBC dropped a 93-63 decision to Marquette last night.UMBC came into the game averaging 22 turnovers and allowing 21 offensive rebounds a game. Marquette was glad to take advantage of the Retrievers' generosity in both departments as it opened a 15-point halftime lead.

When top offensive threat Amy Buck fouled out midway through the fourth quarter, Mount de Sales coach Bill Held told small forward Ana Martinez to be ready to take the big shot.Martinez hit a 15-foot jumper with 30 seconds left to give No. 18 Mount de Sales a 58-56 victory over visiting Institute of Notre Dame in a Catholic League tournament quarterfinal yesterday at St. Mark's.Fourth-seeded Mount de Sales (16-8) advances to the tournament's semifinals today at 5 p.m. at Spalding against top-seeded and sixth-ranked Seton Keough.

COLLEGE PARK - The Maryland women's basketball team officially honored the careers of its two standout seniors nearly a month ago, when Marissa Coleman and Kristi Toliver had their jerseys raised to the arena rafters in a ceremony after their last regular-season home game. But Tuesday night's NCAA second-round contest against ninth seed Utah was actually their last game at Comcast Center, and the Terrapins' dominating 71-56 victory was a far more fitting send-off. Coleman scored 18 points and grabbed a career-high 18 rebounds, and Toliver had 17 points and four assists.

WASHINGTON -- West Virginia coach Bob Huggins had a simple message for his Mountaineers at halftime of their NCAA tournament second-round game yesterday against Duke at Verizon Center. "He said we couldn't play any worse and we were only down five," junior forward Joe Alexander said later. No. 7 seed West Virginia played a lot better in the second half. After watching a five-point deficit become eight early in the second half, the Mountaineers clamped down on the second-seeded Blue Devils and pulled away to a 73-67 victory.

Donn Hill keeps getting better. The Bel Air junior guard-forward was one of the county's top scorers last season, and he's taken his game to another level this year. Hill averages 21.4 points per game, and despite being 6-foot-1 and 165 pounds, pulls down 10.6 rebounds per game. He's got a knack for finding offensive rebounds and knowing how to get himself in the right position. Hill showed that Feb. 15 by scoring 33 points and grabbing 17 rebounds in Bel Air's win over Edgewood. He is one of the most dominant players in the county and combines with Lionel Perkins to give Bel Air two top-scoring threats.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- After the St. John's women's basketball team's victory over California in the first round of the NCAA tournament yesterday, Red Storm fans began chanting, "We want Maryland!" The Terps gave the St. John's crowd what it was looking for as No. 3 Maryland routed undersized Sacred Heart, 95-54, before 3,990 at the Bryce Jordan Center at Penn State. Sophomore forward Jade Perry's 20 points spearheaded an attack featuring five players with double-digit point totals. Junior guard Shay Doron scored 17 points, sophomore forward Laura Harper had 16 points and 13 rebounds and sophomores Crystal Langhorne and Ashleigh Newman scored 15 and 12 points, respectively.

Last-place James Madison relentlessly pounded the offensive backboards and rallied from a nine-point deficit midway through the second half to upset Towson, 76-68, in a Colonial Athletic Association game last night at Towson Center. A combination of 21 offensive rebounds - 15 after halftime - 20 assists on 29 baskets and some strong defense against a gimpy Gary Neal carried the Dukes to their second straight victory after a 12-game losing streak. Neal, who is bothered by a foot bruise, did not manage a second-half field goal, mustering just four free throws after the break, against the guarding of senior guard Daniel Freeman, one of five Dukes who scored in double figures.

COLLEGE PARK -- The Maryland women's basketball team lost the rebounding battle. The Terps' best post player couldn't buy a basket in the first half. And the squad nearly squandered a 16-point lead in the second half. And yet, No. 6 Maryland dug deep and found a way to beat a pesky Georgia Tech team, 79-71, before 2,796 at Comcast Center last night. Sophomore center Crystal Langhorne, who scored just four points in the first half, finished with a game-high 23 points and five rebounds.

Glenelg controlled the boards, held Centennial to two free throws in the fourth quarter and got double-figure scoring from four starters en route to a convincing 52-31 victory yesterday at Centennial."

Donn Hill keeps getting better. The Bel Air junior guard-forward was one of the county's top scorers last season, and he's taken his game to another level this year. Hill averages 21.4 points per game, and despite being 6-foot-1 and 165 pounds, pulls down 10.6 rebounds per game. He's got a knack for finding offensive rebounds and knowing how to get himself in the right position. Hill showed that Feb. 15 by scoring 33 points and grabbing 17 rebounds in Bel Air's win over Edgewood. He is one of the most dominant players in the county and combines with Lionel Perkins to give Bel Air two top-scoring threats.

In a game Navy sorely needed to improve its positioning for the Patriot League tournament, the Midshipmen wasted no time seizing the initiative last night. They bolted ahead early behind the hot shooting of senior captain Taj Mathews, withstood Lafayette's best run, then pulled away for a 76-57 victory that sealed the tournament's sixth seed and guaranteed they will not have to play a quarterfinal against Bucknell on its home court. Navy (9-17, 5-8) made the final home game of Mathews (24 points, four assists, three steals)

COLLEGE PARK - After watching her team defeat Siena, 73-52, yesterday, Maryland women's basketball coach Brenda Frese said she has no doubt that her offense is good enough to compete with No. 3 LSU on Friday night in Colorado. But the Terps' defense, she acknowledged, could pose a problem. "With what we have ahead, we've got to be able to get a lot tougher and a lot smarter," Frese said after her team got out-rebounded and allowed the Saints to shoot more than 40 percent from the field.