January 19, 1999

Box Score

By DAVID GINSBURG
AP Sports Writer

COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) - On a night when No. 4 Maryland got 20 points from Terence Morris and forced Georgia Tech into 27 turnovers, coach Gary Williams still had reason to be angry.

That's because the Terrapins had all sorts of trouble before finally pulling away to a sloppy 77-62 victory Tuesday, their sixth straight against the Yellow Jackets over three seasons.

This one sure wasn't easy, until Maryland closed the game with a 21-5 run.

The Terrapins (17-2, 5-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) trailed with 8:24 remaining against a team that has no seniors and earlier this season lost to Hofstra and to Kentucky by 41.

Georgia Tech (11-7, 2-4) trailed 56-50 before reeling off seven straight points to take the lead for the only time. Maryland then went on a 7-0 run of its own, including a 3-pointer by Laron Profit that made it 63-57 with 6:14 remaining.

The sellout crowd at Cole Field House breathed a collective sigh of relief, but the Yellow Jackets weren't done. A dunk by Alvin Jones cut the margin to four points with 5:47 left, but that turned out to be Georgia Tech's final basket until only four seconds remained.

Profit scored 15 points and Steve Francis 14 for the Terrapins, whose 17-2 record matches the best to this point in school history.

Jason Floyd had 16 points for the Yellow Jackets, who have lost four of five. Georgia Tech has dropped five straight road games against Maryland.

Georgia Tech closed to 39-37 on a 3-pointer by Floyd with 17:23 left but didn't get another basket over the next five minutes. Morris and Profit each scored four points in an 11-2 spree that made it 50-39.

Maryland still couldn't shake the Yellow Jackets, who got five successive points from Jason Collier to cut the gap to six. Soon after that, Georgia Tech took the lead.

The Terrapins were 15-for-36 (42 percent) from the floor in the first half but led 35-31 at halftime because of a 22-16 rebounding advantage and 14 Georgia Tech turnovers.

Maryland took an 18-9 lead in the opening 10 minutes despite going 0-for-7 from 3-point range. Floyd then scored five straight points to bring the Yellow Jackets within four, and minutes later Darryl LaBarrie had five points in a 10-3 spurt made it 27-25.