North Carolina State University Athletics
NC State
Maryland
Nicholas Jumper Sinks Pack, 68-65
3/2/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
By Tony Haynes
Raleigh, N.C.--Three of NC State's starters were feeling sick prior to Sunday night's big ACC game against 14th ranked Maryland. They were feeling even worse after Drew Nicholas gave the Terrapins a dramatic come-from-behind 68-65 win over the Wolfpack (15-10, 8-6) by hitting a tough, contested 3-point shot with just two seconds remaining in front of a rowdy gathering of 19,722 at the RBC Center. Not only did the victory keep Maryland (19-7, 11-4) just a half-game behind ACC leader Wake Forest in the standings, it also gave Terps coach Gary Williams his 500th career win just two days before his 58th birthday.
For NC State, Nicholas' shot prevented what could have been an amazing victory given the many circumstances and obstacles the Wolfpack faced most of the night. Over the last few days, starters Cliff Crawford, Julius Hodge and Marcus Melvin had been fighting a flu-like bug that had limited their practice time. To add insult to injury, Melvin and center Josh Powell were on the bench with four fouls when reserve forward Levi Watkins left the game with a groin injury after throwing down a dunk with 12:08 left.
"You've got to give Maryland a lot of credit, and I think that's where you need to begin," said Pack head coach Herb Sendek. "As for our guys, I thought they battled their guts out. Guys have been battling some sickness this week, but that's not to say that's the reason we lost. If they were healthy, Maryland could have won anyway. I just felt like we really ran out of gas near the end. We just didn't have a whole lot more to give, and I think our guys gave every ounce they had tonight."
But Maryland, a team that goes 10 deep on many occasions, was plenty strong down the stretch. Nicholas, especially, found new life, scoring 13 of his 17 points in the second half. The Terps also got a standout performance from senior forward Tahj Holden who finished with 20 points and nine rebounds.
The crowd was howling after a Melvin tip-in at the 9:03 mark of the second half pushed NC State ahead 58-47. A little less than four minutes later, freshman Cameron Bennerman rebounded a Powell miss and stuck it back in to give the Pack a 60-52 edge. But that's when the Wolfpack hit the wall.
A 3-pointer from Holden was followed by a layup by Jamar Smith and another basket in close by Holden to pull Maryland within one-point with 4:42 left. But NC State answered when Crawford drilled a 3-point shot from the top of the key to give the Pack a little breathing room.
Maryland, however, kept coming. After Holden's jump hook got the Maryland deficit back down to two, senior point guard Steve Blake scored his only points of the game on a 15-foot jumper that tied the score at 63-63 with 2:13 left.
Blake, who was benched in favor of freshman John Gilchrist early in the second half, was smothered most of the night by Crawford, who held his counterpart to just 1-of-6 shooting from the floor.
"Cliff gave everything he had tonight," Sendek said. "We knew Blake was playing extremely well coming in and obviously having a great season. I thought Cliff's effort was terrific."
Maryland got a great effort from Gilchrist, who came off the bench to spearhead a Maryland press that caused some turnovers down the stretch. The freshman from Virginia Beach also gave the Terps their first lead in the second half by scoring on a stick-back basket with 1:23 remaining. Hanging tough, the Wolfpack pulled back even at 65-65 on Melvin's 15-foot jumper with 14 seconds left.
It was then that NC State took a quick time-out in an effort to set up its defense. When play resumed, Blake walked the ball up the court and found Nicholas, who made a slice cut through a screen across the top of the key. Fighting around the pick, NC State's Scooter Sherrill put a hand in Nicholas' face as he pulled up from deep on the right wing in front of the Maryland bench.
"I really couldn't have done more," Sherrill said. "I had my hand up, but good players make good plays and he's a good player. I don't think I could have done anything differently."
Said Sendek: "Short of tackling the guy or fouling him, I don't know what more Scooter could have done."
But it wasn't quite enough. Nicholas' shot hit nothing but net to set off a wild celebration on the Maryland bench. And when Crawford's three-quarter court shot came up short, Maryland had itself a precious road win in the ACC.
"For NC State, Herb has done a great job in getting this team playing at the caliber where they're definitely an NCAA Tournament team," said Terps coach Gary Williams. "We've done a good job of finding a way to stay in games and finding a way to win games. Drew Nicholas hit a big shot. We run that play a lot and he had no choice whether he was open or not, he had to let it go. It was right in front of me and looked good all the way. NC State played good defense on the play."
The Wolfpack placed four players in double-figures, paced by Scooter Sherrill's 14 points. Melvin added 13, Julius Hodge 12 and Powell 10. The Wolfpack knocked down 42 percent of its shots, while Maryland hit 44.6 percent from the field.
Going back to Tuesday's game at North Carolina, NC State set a new school record by making 34 consecutive free throws before Watkins ended the streak with a miss late in the first half. But even the free throw line let the Wolfpack down over the last five minutes when Powell missed a pair and Melvin failed to convert the front end of a one and one.
It was enough to make the Wolfpack sick.
