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WASHINGTON (AP) -- It took a while for Maryland (No. 4 ESPN/USA Today, No. 5 AP) to stop worrying
about Princeton's deliberate offensive style and focus on its own
brand of suffocating defense.
When the Terrapins turned up the pressure midway through the
second half, the upset-minded Tigers wilted.
Lonny Baxter had 19 points and 12 rebounds, and No. 5 Maryland
rallied from a 12-point deficit to beat Princeton 61-53 Sunday in
the first round of the BB&T Classic.
"That's what pressure does," Maryland coach Gary Williams
said. "It doesn't always get you steals, but the mental and
physical part of pressure is a wearing-down process."
Juan Dixon added 14 points for the Terrapins (5-1), who won
their fifth straight game.
Andre Logan led Princeton (1-4) with 15 points, and Konrad
Wysocki added 13.
The Tigers took a 44-32 lead on a backdoor layup by Kyle Wente
with 13:35 left in the second half.
But Maryland went on a 14-2 run, with two free throws by Byron
Mouton tying the game at 46 with 6:54 left.
A foul shot by Logan and a basket by Wysocki put the Tigers up
49-46 with 5:42 to go. But Baxter hit a short jumper to cut the
lead to a point, then Drew Nicholas made a 3-pointer to gave the
Terrapins the lead for good with 4:43 remaining.
The 53-51 lead was the Terrapins' first of the game and the
decisive run came after Princeton's Mike Bechtel and Wysocki went
to the bench in foul trouble.
"In the second half, it seemed like all of their baskets came
from within three feet of the basket," said Tigers coach John
Thompson. "We got in foul trouble early in the second half and I
think they just decided to go inside."
Maryland can win its second consecutive BB&T Classic title, and
its fourth in seven years, Monday night against the winner of
second game, between Connecticut and George Washington.
To do so, the Terrapins will have to perform much better than
they did in the first half against Princeton. Maryland shot only
7-for-24 from the field and committed 11 turnovers as the Tigers
sprinted to a 36-23 lead at the break.
"Princeton tried to lull us to sleep," Baxter said. "We fell
into that trap in the first half."
Princeton drew the Terrapins out of their zone defense with
three quick 3-pointers. Ahmed El-Nokali's 3-pointer gave the Tigers
an 11-5 lead with 15:40 left in the half.
Baxter scored Maryland's first seven points, but the Terrapins
couldn't get anyone else involved in the offense.
Dixon, 1-for-5 from the field in the first half, hit three free
throws after being fouled on a 3-point attempt and a layup by Steve
Blake with 9:15 left to get Maryland within 17-14.
But the Terrapins got only two field goals and six points over
the next 7:31, and Logan's jumper capped off a 10-1 run that put
Princeton up 31-18 with 2:06 remaining in the half.
"In the first half, they executed their game plan and we
didn't," Williams said. "Princeton is no secret. We had no
patience whatsoever in the first half."
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