Nov 27, 2002
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COLLEGE PARK, Md. - A quick start by Maryland put a rapid end to any hopes The Citadel had of hanging with the defending NCAA champions.
Drew Nicholas scored 17 of his career-high 28 points in the first half as No. 11 Maryland built a 26-point lead and cruised to a 97-49 victory Wednesday night.
Nicholas had 10 points in the opening nine minutes to help the Terrapins go up 24-5. That convinced the Bulldogs that this wasn't going to be their night.
"I thought the team had real good intensity coming out," Maryland coach Gary Williams said. "That's important, because you don't want to give the other team confidence."
After missing nine of their first 11 shots, the Bulldogs (1-2) never recovered.
"I expected them to come out with some intensity, but I also expected us to come out and play tough, too," said Kevin Hammack, who scored 19 points for The Citadel. "We just really didn't execute."
Nicholas' 17 points and six baskets at halftime matched the Bulldogs' totals. The senior guard finished with a career-best five 3-pointers in eclipsing his previous career high of 27 points.
"Tonight, my shots were falling," Nicholas said. "Once I hit one, my confidence grew and I was able to take a step back farther each time."
Steve Blake had 13 points, five assists and five steals for the Terrapins, who forced 30 turnovers.
It was the 86th consecutive non-conference home victory for the Terrapins (2-0), who never trailed in extending their overall home winning streak to 20 - four short of the school record.
Maryland has allowed only 98 points in its first two games, its best start defensively since yielding a combined 91 to Penn State and North Carolina State in 1966.
"Maryland is so fast, and their speed is just awesome," Citadel coach Pat Dennis said. "There is absolutely no substitute for speed and quickness, and we just couldn't match it."
The Bulldogs have lost 32 straight to ACC opponents since beating Clemson in 1979.
Williams used 11 players in the first half, and virtually every combination worked. The Terrapins got points from seven different players and limited the Bulldogs to 6-for-24 shooting in building a 43-17 lead.
After Blake opened the scoring with a 3-pointer to put Maryland in front to stay, the Bulldogs committed seven turnovers and fell behind by 19 points with nine minutes elapsed.
"Anytime a team can gain a little bit of confidence, assure themselves that they can play, then it's going to be a dogfight for 40 minutes," Nicholas said. "But if you can jump out on them early, maybe within the first 10 minutes, a lot of times teams let their guard down. I think that's what happened tonight."
Williams then went with four freshmen and junior college transfer Jamar Smith. The Terrapins made only one basket in two minutes with that lineup but managed to keep the margin at 19 points.
Hammack, meanwhile, accounted for nine of the Bulldogs' first 11 points - on three 3-pointers.
It was 34-15 before Nicholas hit a 3-pointer, Calvin McCall made a layup and a Nicholas scored inside off a pass from Ryan Randle to put Maryland up by 26.
The 26-point halftime lead was the Terrapins' largest since they led Pittsburgh 46-17 in the championship of the 1998 Puerto Rico Shootout.
By DAVID GINSBURG
AP Sports Writer
