March 1, 2000

Recap| Box Score

COLLEGE PARK, Md. -

Gary Williams

, Maryland: "I thought we really had to grind it tonight. It wasn't classic out there, but at the same time it was very interesting to watch our guys dig deeper as the game went on.

"Steve Blake has proved that he's one of the best point guards in the country. Nobody gave him that when he came here, and I'm proud of the way he's played for us this year."

"We won this game tonight where we really had to dig. I think we have a certain toughness. I knew that about this team after the second game when we were 17 down to Tulane. And then we were 16 down to Kentucky in the Preseason NIT a week later. We came back to win one, and we had a chance to win the other one. From then on, I knew we had a group of people that had a certain toughness. And that's carried us in a lot of situations this year.

"I can't say enough about what Lonny Baxter does for our team. His effort tonight is like the effort I see from him in practice every day. He just does a tremendous job.

Steve Robinson, Florida State: "We felt good about the tempo of the game, and all of a sudden they exploded in the second half. We could not recover from that point on."

On Blake: "He's not the guy you think is their first option, but he stepped up and made some key shots. We were in pretty good position in the second half, but he really stepped it up."

Notes:

*Maryland (22-7, 11-4 ACC) clinched second place and the No. 2 seed in the ACC Tournament for the second consecutive season. The Terps have won double figures in conference play for the third consecutive season marking the first time in school history the Terps have accomplished the feat.

*Maryland won its ninth consecutive ACC game marking the first time in school history that the Terps have won that many in a row in the same season.

*Maryland won its seventh consecutive home game and is 15-1 at Cole Field House this season. Maryland has won 20 of its last 21 home games.

* The Terps have won eight games in a row against Florida State, dating to the 1996-97 season. Maryland has defeated Florida State in seven straight games at Cole Field House.

* Overall, Maryland has won 14 of the last 16 meetings with Florida State.

*Maryland won on Senior Night for the seventh consecutive season.

*Steven Blake recorded a career-high 17 points, passing his old high of 16 against Kentucky (12/11/99). With 10 assists, Blake posted his first double-double. It marked the third time Blake has recorded double-figures in assists this season. He made a career-high six field goals.
*Blake set the Maryland freshman record for assists in a season with 187, breaking the old record of 178 held by John Lucas in 1972-73.

*In his first career start, senior Matt Hahn played a career-high seven minutes and scored Maryland's final basket.
*Terence Morris recorded his ninth double-double of the season with 21 points and 11 rebounds. He has scored 20-plus points in eight games this season and in double-figures in all but four games he has played.
* Lonny Baxter scored 20-plus points for the eighth time this season and for the sixth time in 11 games.

*Maryland's two lowest turnover totals of the season have come against Florida State, seven on Jan. 29 and eight tonight. *Maryland shot above 50 percent in the game for the fifth time in nine games.