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Terps make the big jump

After years of missing out, Maryland breaks into Elite Eight.

Compiled from Times wires

© St. Petersburg Times, published March 23, 2001

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Maryland won a neighborhood battle 3,000 miles from home Thursday night to advance to its first region final since 1975.

For Terrapins coach Gary Williams, it's the first time he has accomplished the feat in his 23-year career.

Lonny Baxter had 26 points and 15 rebounds, and Juan Dixon added 13 points as the third-seeded Terrapins beat No. 10 Georgetown 76-66 in the West Region.

"We win one more game this year and all of a sudden, I'm a lot smarter," Williams said. "That's the way it is in college basketball."

Maryland, which has won nine of 10, faces the winner of Thursday night's second game between top-seeded Stanford and No. 5 Cincinnati in Saturday's final.

The winner of that game advances to the Final Four.

"I'm not trying to low-key it," Williams said. "But that's something you think about later on. We've got one day to get ready for a very good team. You don't want to be satisfied."

After a basket by Lee Scruggs drew Georgetown within three, a layup by Tahj Holden and two free throws by Baxter put the Terps ahead 63-56 with 5:10 remaining.

A three-pointer by Kevin Braswell drew the Hoyas within four points before a basket by Baxter and a fastbreak layup by Danny Miller made it 67-59. The Hoyas weren't closer than five points after that.

Two free throws by Holden, who scored 10 points, and another pair by Dixon in the final 28 seconds completed the scoring.

Braswell led the Hoyas with 17 points -- all but two in the second half.

Demetrius Hunter added 11 points, Mike Sweetney had 10 points and 11 rebounds, and Scruggs scored 10 for Georgetown.

The schools, located 15 miles apart on the East Coast, were playing for the first time since the 1993-94 season and the second time in 21 years.

Neither team shot well -- Maryland finished at 40.3 percent and Georgetown at 30.8 percent -- but the Terps held a 51-41 advantage on the boards.

The Terps were playing in a third-round NCAA Tournament game for the fifth time in eight years, but lost the previous four times.

Two Boston College teams coached by Williams in the 1980s also bowed out in the third round, making Williams 0-for-6 in such games.

That ended Thursday night.

Georgetown last reached the third round in 1996, when the Hoyas advanced to the region final before being eliminated.

The Hoyas held Maryland well below its average of 86 points, but it wasn't enough.

Georgetown coach Craig Esherick said the zone defense Maryland employed starting late in the first half hurt his team.

"We lost all of our momentum," Esherick said. "We had a lot of trouble getting good shots after that.

"And their full-court pressure when they started running at Kevin (Braswell), it really bothered us. It forced us back on our heels."

Terence Morris, Maryland's third-leading scorer with a 12.5-point average, made his first field goal of the game with 17:45 remaining. Baxter followed with a dunk, and Steve Blake's free throw gave the Terps a 44-38 lead with 16:24 left -- largest lead of the game to that stage.

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