North Carolina State University Athletics
Maryland's Late Surge Drops Pack, 67-58
2/18/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
BY TIM PEELER
RALEIGH, N.C. – A revived Maryland erased a double-digit second half deficit by going on a 22-5 scoring binge late in the game to take a 67-58 victory over NC State Wednesday night at the RBC Center, moving the Terps into a tie for second place in the ACC standings.
Maryland's run included 13 unanswered points to wipe away a Wolfpack lead that had stretched to as many as a dozen points. But the Terps, playing their third game in five days because of an earlier weather postponement, showed no signs of fatigue down the stretch.
Maryland senior Greivis Vasquez scored 17 of his game-high 26 points, while teammate Jordan Williams added 19 points and 10 rebounds.
"Vasquez knew in his mind that he wasn't going to let us lose," Terrapin coach Gary Williams said.
For the Wolfpack, senior Dennis Horner had 19 points and 10 rebounds for his second career double-double.
"What you saw tonight was two totally different halves of basketball," said a frustrated NC State coach Sidney Lowe. "I thought we played really well offensively and defensively in the first half. We did exactly what we wanted to.
"In the second half, we turned the ball over the first time we had the ball and we had, by my count, six guys who took bad shots. We completely stopped doing what we were doing in the first half."
The Wolfpack shot just 23.3 percent from the field in the second half, a little more than half of its 44.4 shooting percentage in the first half. Maryland, meanwhile, made 14 of its 25 second-half shots, for a 56.0 shooting percentage.
The Terps took better care of the ball, committing just one turnover in the second half.
Maryland, trailing 37-27 at the half, closed the gap to one point on Adrian Bowie's 3-pointer with 11:11 remaining. But the Wolfpack got two straight baskets from Horner - a put-back of a Javi Gonzalez miss and a 3-pointer from the wing on a Gonzalez dish - to seemingly regain its earlier momentum.
But Vasquez hit a 3-pointer with 8:18 remaining in the game to give Maryland its first lead since midway through the first half and Williams followed with an inside shot to give his team a 55-51 advantage.
"We had to use our defense to score in the second half," Williams said. "Our press got steals and changed the tempo in our favor. They were just getting one shot in the second half where they got second shots in the first half."
Horner eventually ended scoreless drought with 3:48 remaining with a pair of free throws, closing Maryland's lead to 58-53. But the Wolfpack managed just five points the rest of the way.
In the first half, freshman Scott Wood ignited the crowd by receiving an outlet pass from junior Tracy Smith and going all the way down the court for a one-handed dunk.
Wood stole the ball in the backcourt on Maryland's next possession and was fouled on a breakaway layup. He converted the three-point play to give his team a 22-17 lead. Maryland missed its next shot and Jordan Vandenberg grabbed an offensive rebound just as the shot clock sounded for the Wolfpack's seventh consecutive point, with just over seven minutes to play.
The Wolfpack's offense continued to roil, thanks to strong rebounding and defense on the other end of the court. With 3:46 remaining in the first half, Mays took an outlet pass and found Josh Davis open on the baseline for a crowd-inspiring alley oop that gave his team a 30-23 advantage.
State's defense held the Terrapins scoreless on five straight possessions, allowing the offense to build a double-figure lead. Horner scored on an open 3-pointer, Smith scored inside and Wood hit an outside jumper to give the Wolfpack its biggest lead of the half, 37-25.
Three NC State players whose jerseys have been honored by the school were recognized during the course of the game, beginning with forward Vann Williford in the first half and David Thompson and Lorenzo Charles at halftime. Between them, the trio helped the Wolfpack win four of its 10 ACC Championships.
The Wolfpack returns to the RBC Center Saturday for a 2 p.m. contest against Wake Forest.
You may contact Tim Peeler at tim_peeler@ncsu.edu.
