March 17, 2001

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By JOSH DUBOW
AP Sports Writer

BOISE, Idaho - Lefty Driesell against the Terrapins proved to be a far more enticing matchup than Georgia State against Maryland.

The much-hyped meeting between the Terrapins and their most successful coach wasn't much of a contest after all, as Maryland's size and depth overwhelmed undermanned Georgia State in a 79-60 win Saturday in the second round of the NCAA tournament.

"Maryland don't mean anything to me," said Driesell, who spent 17 years at the school. "I didn't have any emotions at all. I was trying to win a basketball game. ... I'm not emotionally attached to Maryland or anybody."

Driesell, who left Maryland in the wake of Len Bias' cocaine-related death in 1986, had no answers for Lonny Baxter, a 6-foot-8, 260-pound load in the middle.

Baxter had 19 points and 14 rebounds, and also keyed a 16-2 second-half run as the third-seeded Terrapins (23-10) advanced to the round of 16 in Anaheim, Calif. They will play the winner of the game between Georgetown and Hampton.

Baxter and Terrence Morris, no-shows in Maryland's first-round win over George Mason, helped Maryland break open a close game early in the second half against 11th-seeded Georgia State (29-5).

"It was just a matter of time before we wore them down," said Maryland guard Juan Dixon, who had 14 points. "They only go four or five deep, so we just kept putting pressure on them and bang them inside. We were the bigger team and we were going to win the game inside."

Baxter, who scored only two points in the first round, started the run with a dunk off a nice feed from Morris to give the Terrapins a 49-47 lead. Morris, held to four points against the Patriots, scored six of his 14 points during the run.

"I didn't have a good game against George Mason, so I was determined to establish myself and come out aggressively, play hard and go to the rim," Baxter said.

The Terps have resurrected a season that seemed in dire straits just one month ago. After blowing a 10-point lead in the final minute of a loss to Duke on Jan. 27, Maryland then lost four of its next five games and was reeling.

But the Terps have recovered just in time, winning eight of nine games and advancing to the round of 16 for the fifth time in the last eight years. Maryland still hasn't gotten past that round since Driesell led the school to the regional final in 1975.

"This team has great character," Maryland coach Gary Williams said. "They won't quit. They will battle anybody."

Shernard Long led Georgia State with 20 points, but went scoreless for an 18-minute stretch starting late in the first half. The Panthers shot only 31 percent for the game and went scoreless after a free throw by Darryl Cooper cut it to 71-60 with 4:02 left.

With the outcome apparent, Driesell stood with six seconds to go and walked down the sideline to shake hands with Williams.

Driesell then offered his congratulations to the Maryland players and headed for the locker room.

"We stayed with them for about 25-to-30 minutes," he said. "Their talent took over and they kicked our butt."

There was a contrast in styles between the two most successful coaches in Maryland history.

While Williams spent nearly the entire game standing, yelling at his players, coaches and the referees, Driesell was much more reserved. He sat much of the game, standing only to pull a player aside for advice or to question an official's call.

The boisterous cheers from Lefty's Loonies, some of whom drove 37 hours from Atlanta, couldn't help the Panthers put the ball in the basket. Point guard Kevin Morris shot 2-of-14, and Thomas Terrell, the Panthers' second-leading scorer, was 2-for-11. Long was 2-for-9 in the second half.

"They ran two guys at me when I went to the basket in the second half and the shots just didn't fall," Long said. "We didn't lose to a bum team. I'm not going to hold my head down for any reason."