January 10, 1999

Box Score

By DAVID GINSBURG
AP Sports Writer

COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) - Steve Francis and No. 5 Maryland bounced back from two straight lackluster performances in a big way Sunday.

Francis made all nine of his shots from the field and scored 22 points as the Terrapins registered the most lopsided Atlantic Coast Conference victory in school history, 94-48 over North Carolina State.

Laron Profit scored 17 for Maryland (15-2, 3-1 ACC), which was coming off an 18-point home loss to Duke and a narrow win at Virginia. The 46-point margin surpassed a 40-point rout of ACC foe Clemson in 1953.

Francis, who missed 11 of 14 shots against Duke and scored only 14 points on 5-for-10 shooting against Virginia, was perfect against the Wolfpack - he made both his 3-point tries and was 2-for-2 at the line.

Keith Bean scored nine for NC State (10-5, 1-3), which does not have a senior on the squad. The Wolfpack played without leading scorer Adam Harrington, who was sidelined with a sprained ankle.

Maryland has won 10 straight home games against NC State, the Terrapins' longest streak against an ACC team in school history.

The game was all but decided in the final eight minutes of the first half, when the Wolfpack failed to make a field goal during a 20-5 Maryland run that made it 48-24 at halftime.

NC State had 17 first-half turnovers and shot just 36 percent from the field.

The Terrapins hit their first five shots, including a pair of 3-pointers by Profit and two layups by Francis, to take a 12-2 lead with three minutes elapsed.

With eight minutes gone, the Wolfpack had five field goals compared to seven turnovers and trailed 21-11.

It was 28-19 before Francis had seven points and Terence Morris made three baskets in the lane during a 14-1 run that made it 42-20.

Any chance the Wolfpack had of making a comeback was quickly dispelled at the outset of the second half, when Maryland used a 10-2 burst to boost the margin to 32 points.

A 16-0 spree made it 76-31 with seven minutes left.