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RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) -- The guys with Final Four experience showed
the young team how to finish off a game Sunday night.
Maryland (No. 6 ESPN/USA Today, No. 8 AP) went 8½ minutes without a field goal in the second
half, but Steve Blake and Juan Dixon produced enough offense late
as the Terrapins edged North Carolina State 72-65.
"We've been in situations like this before and we just waited
for our moment," said Lonny Baxter, one of four returning starters
from Maryland's 2001 Final Four team.
"We had to struggle in the second half to keep our composure,
which we did," added Gary Williams, who became the 10th coach to
win at least 100 ACC games. "We weren't pretty, but that game
could have been lost very easily. State is going to beat teams
here. This win will be bigger for us as the year goes on."
The Terrapins (10-2) made just six baskets over the final 20
minutes, but more than made up for it at the foul line, going
35-of-49 in the physical Atlantic Coast Conference opener for both
teams.
The two combined to commit 57 fouls and shoot 81 free throws as
Maryland beat the Wolfpack (10-3) for the 19th time in the last 22
meetings.
"The intensity level, bodies flying everywhere -- it's going to
be that way every night from here on out," Wolfpack point guard
Archie Miller said.
"Yeah, it was ugly, but that's just the way they play," said
Dixon, who was 12-for-14 from the foul line as the Terrapins made
their final 15 free throws. "They scramble, so they are going to
make an ugly game out of it. If we have to, we'll play like that."
The Terrapins were just 3-for-16 from the field in the second
half, but led 55-52 with 3:35 left. Blake then hit a baseline shot
and a 3-pointer in a span of 57 seconds, and Dixon added a fadeaway
baseline shot as Maryland strung together some offense when it
counted most.
Dixon's basket gave Maryland a 62-56 lead with 55 seconds left,
and he made eight straight free throws down the stretch to ice it,
finishing with 21 points.
Anthony Grundy led the Wolfpack with 18 points.
"I hope this gives our guys additional evidence that they can
be a good team," Wolfpack coach Herb Sendek said. "There is no
way to measure what every minute out there in this environment,
against that competition, does."
Julius Hodge was the only one of five N.C. State freshmen who
didn't struggle. He scored 14 points and had 12 rebounds, but the
other four combined to go 2-for-13 from the field.
"Not to take anything away from our young guys, but now it's
the ACC and it's a big difference," Grundy said. "They have to
learn and see for themselves."
Maryland committed 19 turnovers, but none over the final 6:14.
Meanwhile, the Wolfpack was just 3-for-20 from 3-point range.
N.C. State missed 31 of its first 44 shots but only trailed
40-34 early in the second half as Maryland's offense was also out
of sync and Baxter went to the bench with four fouls with 13:04
left.
The Wolfpack briefly took the lead for three possessions, but
Blake's two free throws with 5:37 left put Maryland up for good.
N.C. State's big men got in early foul trouble, but the Wolfpack
outhustled the Terrapins for much of the first half and trailed
32-28.
The Wolfpack remained in the game despite shooting 30.3 percent
with one 3-pointer in the opening 20 minutes, forcing Maryland into
10 turnovers and winning the battle of the offensive boards.
Josh Powell had one of his three fouls wiped off the score sheet
after a meeting with the officials and two coaches prior to the
start of the second half after the Wolfpack argued the foul should
have been given to Clifford Crawford.
But the 6-foot-9 freshman picked up two fouls in the opening
2:31 of the second half and went to the bench with four.
N.C. State also lost reserve Levi Watkins with a left knee
injury early in the second half after he made a hoop in the lane
and came down awkwardly on the foot of Hodge.
Sendek said Watkins likely tore a knee ligament and could be
lost for the season.
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