THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, March 2, 1995 TAG: 9503020612
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY FRANK VEHORN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: DURHAM LENGTH: Medium: 84 lines
Joe Smith played the game of his career Wednesday night to carry sixth-ranked Maryland to a 94-92 victory over Duke that assured the Terps of at least a share of the ACC regular-season championship.
Smith decided the outcome with a last-second goal that gave him a career-high 40 points. His previous best was 33 on three occasions.
Maryland (23-5, 12-3) can win the regular-season outright by defeating Virginia in the final regular-season game Sunday in Charlottesville.
A loss would put Maryland in a tie with Virginia. If that happens, North Carolina and Wake Forest would also share in the championship if they win their final games.
The Terps claimed at least a piece of their first regular-season title since 1980 with coach Gary Williams in a Washington hospital, recovering from pneumonia.
Williams, who had been ill with influenza, was admitted on Tuesday. He was replaced on the sidelines by Billy Hahn, his top assistant.
Hahn showed his brilliance by telling the Terps to keep the ball flowing to Smith when he showed early that he had a hot hand.
Smith, who had 17 points at intermission, made 15 of his 25 field goal attempts and also had 18 rebounds, only nine fewer than the entire Duke team.
``My teammates told me they had never seen me play better, and I have to agree with them,'' Smith said.
The 40 points were the most scored against Duke since Len Bias scored 41 for Maryland in a 1986 game.
Ironically, Smith had scored a total of only 33 points in his three previous games against the Blue Devils.
``The difference was my intensity this time,'' Smith said.
``We knew how important this game was toward our goal of winning the ACC, and I tried to establish myself early.
``My teammates were getting me the ball inside, and I knew I could score because Duke was getting tired and in foul trouble.''
Duke center Erik Meek fouled out with 4:53 left as Smith made a three-point play for an 83-78 lead.
The Blue Devils, in their final home game of the season, cameback to take 90-89 lead on a long 3-pointer by Jeff Capel.
After Smith sank a pair of free throws and Simpkins added another, Duke's Cherokee Parks tied the score at 92 with 29 seconds left.
Maryland set a play for Smith. But when Duke doubled up on him, Simpkins tried to drive for the winning points.
Simpkins momentarily lost the ball before he regained it and missed from about six feet away.
``I had positioned myself for the offensive rebound in case he missed,'' Smith said. ``I just tapped the ball in the goal when it came off the rim.''
Smith admitted he became mildly irritated early in the game when Duke students began shouting ``over . . . rated'' at him.
He apparently was a little miffed, too, when Sports Illustrated this week selected North Carolina's Jerry Stackhouse as its national player of the year.
Smith is considered the leading candidate in several other pollings.
``Stackhouse is a good player, and I am sure that I wasn't far behind him in the (SI) voting,'' Smith said.
Noting that Wednesday's game was on national television, Smith added, ``maybe some of the other voters will see me as the best after tonight. I hope so.''
But Smith made it clear his primary focus is on Sunday's game.
``We know Virginia is a great team, and it is going to be another battle just like the one tonight,'' he said.
Smith admitted the team had to make an adjustment for Hahn.
``It was different not having coach Williams,'' he said, ``because we are so used to having him on the sidelines. The biggest difference was during the timeouts.''
It was the first time in league history that a game was played with neither head coach on the sidelines.
Duke's Mike Krzyzewski has been absence since early January when he turned the team over to assistant Pete Gaudet while he recovered from health problems.
The Blue Devils (12-16, 2-13), who have gone from last year's NCAA championship game to the ACC basement, finish the regular season Saturday at North Carolina. by CNB