March 4, 2000

Box Score

By JUSTIN POPE
Associated Press Writer

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - Adam Hall was at his best with the game on the line.

Hall hit two free throws to force overtime then hit the game-winning 3-pointer with 25.8 seconds left in the extra period as Virginia rallied to beat No. 17 Maryland 89-87.

"That was the greatest game anybody on our team played all year," Virginia's Donald Hand said of Hall, who finished with 16 points, seven rebounds and three steals. "He really stepped it up on defense. When we needed a bucket he got steals, went down, got fouled and hit his free throws, then knocked down the big shot to win the game."

The loss ended Maryland's nine-game Atlantic Coast Conference winning streak and gave a big boost to Virginia's hopes for an at-large berth in the NCAA tournament.

"They are definitely in now. I thought they should been in before tonight's game having won eight games in the ACC," Maryland coach Gary Williams said.

After trailing throughout the second half, the Cavaliers (19-10, 9-7) went on an 11-4 run over the final 3:17 of regulation to force the overtime. They tied it for the first time in the second half when Hall stole the ball and hit two free throws with 35.2 seconds left to even the score at 76.

Maryland (22-8, 11-5) led 86-83 with 1:14 remaining in OT after Tahj Holden hit two free throws, but Hall cut the lead to 86-84 with a free throw with 48 seconds remaining.

After a turnover by Juan Dixon, Virginia took an 87-86 on Hall's 3-pointer, moving ahead for the first time since a 12-11 first-half advantage.

"To tell you the truth I didn't know the score," Hall said. "I was just playing ball. If you look at the score, that means you're thinking about it too much."

Danny Miller led the Terrapins with 20 points, including 16 in the first half, before fouling out with 3:39 left in overtime.

Hall and Chris Williams led Virginia with 16 points each.

Virginia made several runs in the second half but could get no closer than five until Donald Hand converted a three-point play off a driving lay-up to cut the lead to 72-70 with 2:54 remaining in regulation.

Hand, who finished with 11 points, shot just 1-of-8 from the field before halftime and made a critical mistake just before intermission, shooting an errant 3-point attempt as Virginia, trailing 41-39, tried to hold for the last shot.

Maryland turned that miss into a 3-pointer at the other end as time expired, and Virginia, within striking distance of a tie found itself down five at intermission.

Maryland jumped out early in the second half with six straight points and built its lead to as much as 11 in the second half before Virginia rallied.

The game was the regular season finale for both teams.

"We beat the 17th-ranked team in the country, we finished 9-7 in the conference and we beat Carolina twice - I think we deserve to be in," Cavaliers coach Pete Gillen said.