Jan. 6, 2001

Box Score| Quotes| Notes

COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) -

So far, Morris is proving his coach right.

Morris had 19 points and 13 rebounds Saturday as No. 17 Maryland built a big early lead and beat Georgia Tech 93-80 to get off to its best conference start in four seasons and win its 10th straight game overall.

It was the first double-double of the season for Morris, who asserted himself early and late in helping the Terrapins open 2-0 in the ACC for the first time since 1996-97.

"I thought Terence Morris had a spectacular game. He got more and more involved as the game went on," Williams said.

Georgia Tech's first-year coach, Paul Hewitt, agreed.

"Morris hurt us today," Hewitt said. "He had a long 3 early to get them going and he hit some big baskets in the second half. He was also very active on the boards and challenging shots. I'm not surprised. He's a great player."

Morris scored 26 points in Maryland's league opener at Clemson. He is averaging 18.5 points on 52 percent shooting over the last four games.

"I just go out on the court and try to do whatever I can to help the team," Morris said. "If we need defense and blocked shots, I'll do that."

Juan Dixon scored a season-high 28 points for Maryland (11-3, 2-0 ACC).

Danny Miller added 10 points for the Terrapins, who have won eight of their last nine games against the Yellow Jackets.

Tony Akins scored 20 points, while Alvin Jones had 15 points, 14 rebounds and eight blocks for Georgia Tech (8-5, 0-2), which has lost 17 consecutive road games.

Dixon, who made all 11 of his free throws, has scored at least 20 points in six of the last seven games. He also had eight steals, one shy of a Maryland record.

"It's fun to play Georgia Tech because they like an uptempo game. I enjoy going up and down the court, getting steals and easy transition baskets," Dixon said.

Six players scored as Maryland took control with an 18-0 run during a five-minute span of the first half.

The Terrapins led 53-34 at halftime.

After the break, Georgia Tech outscored Maryland 15-2 in the opening 5:28 of the second half to get to 55-49.

"We didn't respond really well coming out of halftime with a 19-point lead. We had a few guys who might have thought the game was over," Williams said.

Morris came to the rescue, scoring seven straight points to help Maryland push the lead back to 72-57 with 9:11 remaining.

The Yellow Jackets couldn't get closer than 12 points the rest of the way.

Jones outplayed Lonny Baxter on both ends, using his 3-inch size advantage to prevent Maryland's center from scoring inside. Baxter was held to seven points - his lowest output in more than a year - and also got in foul trouble trying to defend Jones.

"Alvin Jones is the best center in the ACC. It's just a matter of him understanding and believing that," Hewitt said. "He showed today what he can do when he comes ready to play."

Baxter did surpass 1,000 career points, becoming only the 15th Maryland junior to do so.