Terps set for rare Christmas Day contest

TREAT TOMORROW.

NOT ONLY DO WEHAVE N-B-A GAMES ALL DAY RIGHTHERE ON W-M-A-R.

THE MARYLANDTERRAPINS ARE IN ACTION ASWELL.

THEY ARE ON THEIR WAY TOTHE MIDWEST.

WMAR-2 NEWS SHAWNSTEPNER TEE'S UP THE HOLIDATIP- OFF.'Twas the night beforeChristmas, and for the Terrapinmen.A sleigh ride to Purdue,it's back to the Big Ten.

EricAyala, Terps Guard: I'mdefinitely looking forward toit.

Christmas is probably themajority of people's favoriteholiday.

It's a gift-givingholiday and hopefully we cangive to the Terps fans a well,hard-played game and we'd liketo come away with a win.

ThoseTerps fans getting a rareChristmas afternoon present as5-2 Maryland visits 6-3 Purduetomorrow at 2:30.

Some localhoops to share the holidayspotlight with the pro's thisyear.

Galin Smith, TerpsForward: It's exciting becauseit's a different experience.NBA guys, they also play onChristmas.

So, it will be adifferent experience, justtaking it all in.

Playing onChristmas Day, and the roadtrip that follows, a chancefor this Maryland team tobond.

Mark Turgeon, Terps HeadCoach: Playing on ChristmasDay is pretty special and thenafterwards we'll spend sometime together.

Bus ride toWisconsin the next day.

Ithink it could be a reallygood team-building experiencefor us over the next fourdays.

The Terps looking tobuild off Tuesday's 13- pointwin over La Salle.

Erica Ayalaa career-high 23 points.Maryland committing just fourturnovers, the fewest in theMark Turgeon era.

The fewestsince February of 1993.

Ayala:Just making the right play.Everybody just kind of movingthe ball and just havingconfidence in each other.Turgeon: We're getting closerto becoming the team I thinkwe can be.

Starting withPurdue it's conferenceopponents the rest of the way.This will mark only the secondChristmas Day game in Terpsprogram history.

The other,1984, a win over Iowa inHawaii.

Mele Kalikimaka.

ShaStepner, WMAR-2