January 31, 1999
Box Score
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Fourth-ranked Maryland's dominating ACC run came
to an unlikely end Sunday when Wake Forest used fast starts in both halves and
broke a five-game losing skid with an 85-72 victory.
The Demon Deacons (12-9, 3-6 Atlantic Coast Conference) scored the first 10
points of the game, built their lead to 22 in the second half and ended the
Terrapins' six-game winning streak, all in league play. Maryland (19-3, 7-2)
had compiled an average margin of victory of more than 16 points during the
run.
Sophomore guard Robert O'Kelley had a career-high 32 points - one better
than his previous best - to lead Wake Forest to its first victory in nearly a
month. Broderick Hicks added 10 points for the Demon Deacons.
The Terrapins, bidding to become just the fifth team in ACC history to win
20 games by the end of January, responded by shooting a season-low 36 percent.
The performance came three days before Maryland travels to Durham, N.C., for
what was expected to be a showdown with second-ranked Duke for the ACC lead.
Freshman Juan Dixon had a season-high 18 points for Maryland but got little
help from his teammates. Terence Morris and Steve Francis had 15 points apiece,
but in both cases 13 of those came in the second half, after Wake Forest
already had established the upper hand. Laron Profit had 12 of his 14 in the
second half.
Maryland had 15 turnovers and scored just 21 points in the first half, its
lowest-scoring half of the season, and then added to its problems by getting
just two field goals in the opening six minutes of the second half. The
Terrapins' difficulties cleared the way for Wake Forest to stretch its lead to
52-30 on Josh Shoemaker's three-point play with 10:46 remaining.
The play capped a 24-8 run by Wake Forest to open the half, and the closest
the Terrapins got the rest of the way was 77-65 on a 3-pointer by Profit with
1:42 left. The Demon Deacons sealed it at the free-throw line, making eight of
10 in the final 1:35.
The Terrapins' first-half woes could be directly attributed to their
starters, who shot 13 percent (2-of-15). Their frontcourt had a combined four
points and seven turnovers.
The last time these teams met, Dec. 3 in College Park, Md., Maryland raced
to a 32-10 lead by hitting its first 14 field-goal attempts and forcing 10
turnovers. Wake Forest turned the tables Sunday, building a 12-2 lead while
holding Maryland to 0-for-7 shooting and harassing the Terrapins into six
turnovers.
By JOE MACENKA
AP Sports Writer
