North Carolina State University Athletics
Pack Exits ACC Tourney With 75-67 Loss to Maryland
3/10/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 10, 2011
GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) - Jordan Williams had 16 points and 13 rebounds to help Maryland beat North Carolina State 75-67 on Thursday night in the first round of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament.
Dino Gregory added 11 points for the seventh-seeded Terrapins (19-13), who snapped a three-game losing streak and led the entire night. Maryland led by 17 points in the first half and never let the 10th-seeded Wolfpack (15-16) get closer than six in the second half, earning a matchup with fifth-ranked Duke in Friday's quarterfinals.
Tracy Smith had 14 points to lead N.C. State.
The Terrapins needed this win considering how they had likely fumbled away their NCAA tournament at-large chances by closing the regular season with three straight losses, two of which coming to lower-seeded Miami and Virginia. But the Terrapins shot 45 percent while playing from ahead all night against the Wolfpack.
Maryland didn't have a lot of drama with this one, scoring the first six points and taking a 31-14 lead on James Padgett's tip-in of his own missed shot with 8:51 left in the first half.
That prompted a timeout call from Wolfpack head coach Sidney Lowe, who chastised his team after watching the ball just fall right to Padgett instead of going up and snatching the rebound.
The Wolfpack responded from an effort standpoint, closing the gap to six points late in the half and trailing 42-33 at the break. But N.C. State just never could overcome that bad start, leaving Lowe - who donned the red blazer he traditionally wears for big games - looking for answers on the sideline the rest of the night.
Maryland pushed its lead to 16 with about 6 minutes left before N.C. State made its final push, twice getting as close as six points in the final minute. But Maryland's Pe'Shon Howard and Terrell Stoglin each went 2-for-2 at the line in the last 45 seconds to seal it.
