Friday, January 20, 2011 1:32 a.m.
MARYLAND PAGE MARYLAND VIDEOS
VIRGINIA TECH PAGE VIRGINIA TECH VIDEOSBy Chris KnocheCSNWashington.com ContributorBurn this game tape!In what can only be described as a complete meltdown, the Maryland Terrapins were beaten handily by a dominant Virginia Tech team 74-57 before a packed house at Comcast Center. The victory came in all phases for the Hokies, who were led by a superlative effort by their backcourt. Guards Erick Green and Malcolm Delaney had 43 points, 9 assists, 8 rebounds and 6 steals between the two of them. They also combined to score 7 of Techs first 12 points as they struck quickly in the first half for a 12-0 lead before the first media timeout had been called.The Terps tried to claw their way back into the game from that point and used a 13-5 run to cut the lead to 17-13 just a few minutes later but timely shooting by the visitors combined with untimely turnovers and missed shots by the home team would spell their doom. With 4 minutes remaining the first half, Virginia Tech forward Jeff Allen picked up his second foul and went to the bench. It seemed as if that might provide an opportunity for Maryland to cut into the lead and make the halftime deficit manageable. Terp senior guard Adrian Bowie knifed through the Tech defense to make a layup with 2:30 to play to cut the lead to 33-25 and the sellout crowd seemed to sense a run.The run never came.Instead, Green hit a short jumper and Delaney added two free throws and assisted on an open three pointer by Tech reserve Manny Atkins and the Hokies went to the locker room with a 40-29 advantage.Maryland interior players Jordan Williams and Dino Gregory both of whom had played very well of late- were non-factors in the first half as Tech deployed a sagging 2-3 zone in an attempt to force the Terps to settle for perimeter shots. Williams did have six rebounds but he also had only one field goal and very few touches around the basket. Gregory has been reliable making mid-range jump shots for most of the season but he struggled as much as the rest of his teammates away from the hoop as Tech created their lead. Only Bowies 10 first half points kept his team close.The second half was more of the same as Green and Delaney scored 10 of Techs first 11 points and Maryland remained stone cold. The Terps made just two of their first 15 shots in the half and the margin grew to 55-38 with 11:42 to play.At that point the Terps seemed to catch a bit of a spark. Little used freshman Mychal Parker hit two free throws and senior guard Cliff Tucker scored eleven consecutive points for his team.Tucker had been dormant for most of the night and, at one point, was 0-4 from the three point line. In this mini-run however he hit three three pointers from almost the identical spot against the Tech zone and added a foul line jumper.The problem was that, during their run, the Terps were never able to stop the Hokies from scoring. Even with the Tucker theatrics, layups by Green and Delaney and a dunk by Victor Davila still kept Tech in the lead comfortably at 61-53 when they called a brief timeout with 7:06 remaining.Seemingly steadied by the break, Tech went on a 9-2 run to make the lead 70-55 with just over four minutes remaining and the Comcast faithful were reaching for their jackets.For the night Jordan Williams notched his 12th consecutive double-double for the season with 11 points and 11 rebounds. Those totals matched the mark set by former Terp great Len Elmore, who happened to be courtside working the broadcast for ESPN. That offered little consolation to a team that started poorly and never seemed to find any kind of rhythm at all on either end.The Terps came into the game sixth in the nation in field goal percentage defense yet Tech shot a sizzling 54 for the game (30-56). Greens 24 points surpassed his career high by 7 points and he was outstanding throughout. He used high screens to get to easy looks in his penetration and was crafty in getting to the basket in transition. He hit 12 of 16 shots and probably didnt make a shot outside of 13 feet away.On their offensive end Maryland shot 20-56 (35) and appeared tentative against the Tech zone defense. To add insult to injury they were also outrebounded in their own gym 34-28, in spite of the numbers put up by Williams.The unflappable Delaney was almost as good. His mid-week criticism of the Maryland fan base followed by his stellar play proved that he can walk as well as talk it. His floor game and court vision regularly created opportunities for his less talented teammates and they took full advantage.After such an atypical effort the Terps have little time to feel sorry for themselves. They play host to a good Clemson team on Saturday afternoon that enters the game having won 7 of their last 8 contests. They have a good backcourt, excellent quickness and have been outstanding on the defensive end all yearmuch like Virginia Tech.While nobody on Maryland played particularly well including Williams- the area of great concern moving forward has to be the point guard position. Freshmen Terrell Stoglin and PeShon Howard seemed to have a good handle on things until the last ten days and have come unraveled a bit. Theyve either hit the freshman wall or have become a bit paralyzed with the quality of the opponents of late. Either way they leave head coach Gary Williams with an interesting decision to make. Do you stick with the two youngsters who are struggling with your season on the line or do you go back to using Adrian Bowie on the ball- a position he had struggled playing earlier in the season.The bet here is that the freshmen continue to get a chance to play their way out of it.Perhaps the only good news for the night was that the Terps wont have to wait very long to take the floor again and get the taste of a stinging defeat out of their mouths.