THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, February 9, 1995 TAG: 9502090564
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY FRANK VEHORN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: COLLEGE PARK, MD. LENGTH: Medium: 95 lines
Long after the buzzer had sounded Tuesday night on Maryland's intoxicating victory over North Carolina, Terps fans were still dancing and whooping it up on the snow-covered turf outside Cole Field House.
It was just a regular-season victory in early February, of course. The world hadn't stopped spinning, no one had won a championship, and a few miles away, President Clinton was more concerned with the baseball strike than what took place on the Maryland campus.
But don't try telling Terrapins coach Gary Williams, his players or their noisy fans that the game was not of immense significance.
This was a moment they had been waiting to arrive for more than a year, ever since that blessed day Joe Smith set foot on campus and promised to take Maryland to the ACC penthouse. The elevator hit the top floor Tuesday night with an 86-73 victory over ACC kingpin North Carolina.
So what if this is still early in February and both teams, currently tied for the ACC lead, have six league games apiece left? So what if both teams still must play in the ACC and NCAA tournaments, where victories really are worth celebrating?
Maryland (18-4, 8-2) had beaten a No. 1-ranked team for the first time in nine years, and it had won the credibility that only a victory over UNC can bring in the ACC.
``It is really big for our program, our school, and our fans,'' said Williams, who earlier in the day had called the game the biggest in Cole Field House in a decade.
``It gives us the confidence we need to go on and win the regular season,'' added forward Exree Hipp.
The Terps didn't show any signs of a lack of confidence coming into the game despite being upset by Georgia Tech on Saturday.
``I felt all day we were going to win,'' Williams said.
Hipp had even dreamed it.
``Look in my notebook,'' he said. ``I wrote down the score, 85-75.''
The biggest problem for the Terps seemed to be settling down. They were so pumped up at the start that they were bumping into each other while North Carolina jumped out to a 14-point lead.
That was when Williams called timeout and asked his players if they could play harder.
Actually, all they needed to do was to settle down and execute a carefully thought-out game plan.
Ever since losing, 100-90, in Chapel Hill in January, Williams had been preaching defense to his team. He did not want to get into another high-scoring episode. What he wanted to do was to wear out the depth-shy Tar Heels with a stifling defense.
Williams used 10 players to keep the pressure on North Carolina (18-2, 8-2).
``I told the subs when I sent them in that I didn't care if they scored, but to play strong defensively,'' he said.
None of North Carolina's starters matched his average, and leading scorer Jerry Stackhouse, who found the lanes clogged, was 4-for-15 from the floor.
North Carolina did a decent job of keeping Joe Smith (16 points) below his average, but the Tar Heels were killed on the perimeter by guards Johnny Rhodes and Duane Simpkins, who had 21 points each.
``Rhodes was unbelieveable,'' said North Carolina coach Dean Smith. ``He hit a lot of long 3's, and we weren't giving them to him. He hit one through a double-team, even.''
Overall, though, Smith was very displeased with his team's defense, and he couldn't have been happy with mental lapses that are not normal for UNC teams.
The Tar Heels committed three consecutive turnovers as Maryland opened its lead to 10 in the early minutes of the second half. One came on a weak inbounds pass and another came as the Tar Heels failed to inbounds the ball in five seconds.
Maryland put the victory away with 2:04 left when North Carolina allowed Simpkins to run down the clock, drive the lane for a layup, and draw a foul to rebuild the lead to 10.
``We hurt ourselves a lot more than they hurt us,'' Stackhouse said.
About his poor shooting performance, Stackhouse shrugged.
``They were coming (at me) on the drives, and I was pitching it and kicking it,'' he said. ``I had tough luck on some shots, but it won't be like that every night.''
The Tar Heels could have taken a two-game lead in the standings had they won. Now the regular-season race deadlocked.
``We are still in good shape,'' Stackhouse said. ``No one is going to get down over this loss.''
Indeed, it was a loss the Tar Heels could survive, and even may be beneficial if the two teams meet again in the league tournament.
But, with the buildup Williams had given the game, it may have been a victory the Terps had to have. That, as much than anything, may have justified the wild postgame celebration. ILLUSTRATION: ASSOCIATED PRESS
Cole Field House erupted Tuesday night after Maryland grabbed its
first win over a No. 1-ranked team in nine years.
by CNB