No. 1 Maryland 110, Loyola, Md. 55

12/21/2006 8:54 PM

BALTIMORE (AP) -Any worries that an 11-day layoff for final exams would slow Maryland's juggernaut were quickly laid to rest with another lopsided victory.

Marissa Coleman scored 21 points, Crystal Langhorne added 18 on 9-for-9 shooting, and No. 1 Maryland remained unbeaten with a 110-55 rout of Loyola of Maryland on Thursday night.

``I thought we played 40 minutes of inspired ball. ... We were unselfish moving the basketball and we were really up-tempo,'' said Terrapins coach Brenda Frese.

Laura Harper had 11 points and 12 rebounds for Maryland (13-0). The Terrapins have won 19 straight over two seasons, the nation's longest current winning streak.

Maryland, which had six players in double figures and shot 66 percent from the field, has won seven straight and 13 of 16 versus the Greyhounds (4-6). The Terrapins matched their season high in points, their most since amassing 111 against La Salle on Feb. 15, 1978.

``We tried to come out with intensity and put them out early,'' Langhorne said.

Jill Glessner scored 13 points and Meghan Wood added 11 for Loyola, which had won three of four. But the Greyhounds were no match for the depth and strength of the defending national champions, who led by as many as 25 in the first half.

``When we were in zone, they made 3s. When we were in man, someone made layups. ... They really, really score at will,'' said Greyhounds coach Joe Logan, whose team committed 22 turnovers.

Sa'de Wiley-Gatewood, a junior transfer from Tennessee, had seven points and eight assists in her Maryland debut. She had to sit out the Terrapins' first dozen games because of NCAA transfer rules.

``I had butterflies pregame. I hardly ate anything, thinking about it. ... It's hard to come in and get a place on this team,'' Wiley-Gatewood said. ``But I just felt comfortable out there.''

The Terrapins were buoyed by a sellout crowd of 2,862, many of whom were red-clad Maryland supporters.

``We're (still) in the state of Maryland,'' Langhorne joked. ``I guess a lot of people like us.''

Langhorne had 14 points in the opening 20 minutes, helping Maryland to a 54-32 halftime lead. Two big runs - an 11-0 burst early and a 10-0 spree midway through the first half - did most of the damage. The Terrapins converted 21 of 32 first-half attempts from the field.

Maryland went ahead 13-2 with 17:29 left in the first half, with Coleman nailing a 3-pointer from the left corner to finish the first run. When a layup by Glessner cut the deficit to 24-15 with 11:14 to go, the Terrapins responded with the next 10 points.

The Terrapins opened the second half with a 26-5 barrage, more than enough to make up for what Langhorne thought was an uneven first half.

``We had to pick it up,'' she said. ``We weren't playing our best defense and we had a lot of turnovers.''

Wiley-Gatewood's short jumper with 6:48 remaining in the game made it 101-48.