Miami Slows It Down To Surprise Maryland Again
Published: Mar 9, 2007
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TAMPA - The Miami Hurricanes defied convention and Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament logic Thursday in taking down one of the nation's hottest teams.
Despite posting only four assists in the game and committing 12 second-half turnovers, the 12th-seeded Hurricanes eliminated No. 5 seed Maryland 67-62, ending a seven-game winning streak by the Terrapins and advancing to today's quarterfinal against Boston College.
Miami (12-19) used the same winning formula applied in a 63-58 upset at Maryland two months ago - the only ACC road triumph for the Hurricanes in eight regular-season attempts.
"They basically did the same thing they did in the first game," said Maryland coach Gary Williams. "They outrebounded us and made us shoot a poor percentage. We just couldn't get them from getting some second shots, which they used to score and run a lot of time off the clock."
The Hurricanes outscored Maryland 23-8 in second-chance points and never trailed after grabbing a 12-10 lead at the 7:21 mark. Sophomore gunner Jack McClinton led all scorers with 17 points, and Miami boasted a 20-5 advantage in bench scoring.
Jimmy Graham, a 6-foot-8 sophomore from ACC country (Goldsboro, N.C.), provided a dynamic spark with nine points, seven rebounds and five blocks in 20 minutes.
"When you play a high-level team like Maryland, who's the hottest team in our league, I'm just proud of our kids," Miami coach Frank Haith said. "We came out and we competed. This is the greatest tournament in the country. Obviously, it's very special."
Maryland (24-8) trailed 37-24 at the half after getting hammered 9-3 on the offensive boards. The Terrapins appeared sluggish until Williams ordered a full-court press that frazzled the Hurricanes and provided some late drama.
With forwards James Gist and Ekene Ibekwe combining for 16 points and 10 rebounds in the second half, Maryland closed to within 63-62 on a Gist follow dunk with 23 seconds remaining.
But sophomore Brian Asbury sank four free throws down the stretch and Miami held on to end a three-game slide and shock Maryland for a second time.
"We never gave up," Asbury said. "We knew that we might have had a bad season, but we knew we had a tournament to play in and we just wanted to come out and play hard and good things would happen."
Maryland guard D.J. Strawberry, son of former baseball slugger Darryl Strawberry, suffered through another forgettable game against the Hurricanes.
Strawberry made one of eight shots against Miami in that loss at College Park on Jan. 10, and he made only four of 12 Thursday, coupled with six turnovers.
"We definitely thought we were going to go a lot further," Gist said of the NCAA Tournament-bound Terrapins. "I think we know how good we are and how well we can play. We've just got to go out there and do it."
