Sports

Colleges

'Noles waste a strong start

Associated Press
Published February 17, 2008

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COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Embarrassed by his performance in the first half, Maryland's Greivis Vasquez quickly made amends from long range.

Vasquez had 20 points and eight assists, igniting a second-half rally with three 3-pointers, and Maryland beat Florida State 82-72 Saturday afternoon.

"It's better to play a better game in the second half than in the first half," said Vasquez, who had five points, three assists and four turnovers at halftime. "The last 20 minutes are the most important minutes of the game."

Asked to critique his first-half performance, Vasquez said: "I played horrible. This is one of my worst (halves) ever."

Landon Milbourne added a career-high 18 points, James Gist 17 and Bambale Osby 14 for the Terrapins (17-9, 7-4 ACC), who have won five of six overall and 19 of 23 against the Seminoles (14-12, 3-8).

"Today, we were a little flat to start the game," Maryland coach Gary Williams said. "I didn't think we were in sync offensively or defensively. I was concerned at halftime, being down eight, that we couldn't change that."

Despite a career-high 26 points from Ralph Mims, FSU lost for the fifth time in six games. The Seminoles are 0-5 since Comcast Center opened in 2002.

Toney Douglas scored 17 for FSU, his 28th straight game in double figures.

Maryland overcame an erratic first half, going 14-for-23 from the floor in the second.

Vasquez, who briefly went to the bench after picking up his second charging foul 8:29 into the game, sparked an 11-2 run that opened the second half and turned around the Terrapins' eight-point deficit.

Vasquez hit three straight 3-pointers, twice connecting from the left wing then hitting from beyond the top of the key for a 43-42 lead with 17:55 left.

Seminoles coach Leonard Hamilton said his team's inability to deal with Maryland's pressure after halftime, coupled with the Terrapins' decision to work the perimeter, helped the FSU lead to evaporate.

"We turned the ball over six times in the first eight or nine minutes and that put us on our heels. ... Self-inflicted turnovers; dribble into traps, 10-second violations, two or three possessions like that we could have avoided by playing a little sharper," Hamilton said.

But Vasquez's long-range accuracy made the Seminoles' miscues hurt even more.

"You're not going to play lights out all the time," Hamilton said. "It says a lot about (Vasquez), just what kind of great player he is."

Maryland 82

FSU 72

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