Feb 3, 2002

Box Score| Quotes| Notes

By DAVID GINSBURG
AP Sports Writer

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - For 30 minutes, North Carolina State appeared poised to end its long drought against No. 3 Maryland.

Then the Terrapins turned up their defense, leaving the Wolfpack to ponder yet another resounding defeat at Cole Field House.

Juan Dixon scored 27 points, including seven in a 16-2 second-half run that carried Maryland past N.C. State 89-73 Sunday.

Lonny Baxter had 16 points for the Terrapins, who kept pace with top-ranked Duke atop the Atlantic Coast Conference. Maryland (18-3, 8-1) is off to its best start in the ACC since 1980.

The Terrapins trailed 57-55 with 10:10 left before pulling away to their fifth straight victory and 10th in 11 games.

"It took better defense," said Dixon, who finished with four steals and helped hound the Wolfpack into 21 turnovers.

"We knew we had to take better care of the basketball than we did tonight," N.C. State coach Herb Sendek said. "Our goal was to have 10 or fewer turnovers. The 21 turnovers was hard to overcome."

Anthony Grundy scored 19 points for the Wolfpack (16-6, 5-4), who have lost 20 of 23 to Maryland, including 13 straight on the road. N.C. State had won five straight road games since losing at Ohio State on Nov. 27.

The good news for the Wolfpack: Maryland moves to the new Comcast Center next season.

"I know we haven't won here and sometimes we've gotten beaten badly, but ... I don't think we stand alone in our inability to get a win here," Sendek said.

Reserve Ryan Randle started the Maryland comeback with a free throw, and Byron Mouton scored on a follow shot to put the Terrapins ahead for good. Randle added a put-back, Dixon hit a 3-pointer and Mouton drilled a fadeaway jumper to make it 65-57.

After Wolfpack freshman Julius Hodge sank two free throws, Randle made a layup and Dixon hit a 3-pointer. N.C. State was then cited for a shot clock violation, a call that brought an enraged Sendek charging onto the court.

Sendek received a technical foul, and Dixon made one of two shots for a 71-59 lead with five minutes to go.

"They just capitalized on our turnovers and mistakes," Hodge said. "They started scoring on those possessions and we weren't getting baskets."

Dixon finished 7-for-15 from the field, sinking 5-for-8 from 3-point range. He also went 8-for-9 at the foul line.

"We played great the last 10 minutes of the second half. We need that type of effort for 40 minutes," Dixon said.

Maryland coach Gary Williams attributed the Terrapins' slow start to the emotional letdown following Thursday's hard-fought win at Virginia.

"I thought our guys gradually got to the point where we had enough energy to play a team with the same energy as N.C. State," Williams said. "In the second half we matched their intensity. Once we did that, we were OK."

The Terrapins led 47-40 early in the second half before Ilian Evtimov and Hodge made successive 3-pointers to cap an 8-0 spree that put the Wolfpack in front.

Maryland battled back to take the lead, but N.C. State reeled off five straight points to go up 57-55. Dixon and the Terrapins then took over.

N.C. State, coming off an 82-81 loss at Wake Forest, has dropped two straight after winning four in a row.

"Your margin for error against a team the caliber of Maryland is not very large. You don't have a very big window," Sendek said. "When you turn the ball over the way we did, the window gets even smaller."

Maryland committed five turnovers and missed six of its first 10 shots to dig an early hole. While the Terrapins struggled, Grundy scored four points during an 11-0 run that put the Wolfpack up 18-9.

It was 22-15 before Baxter scored six points in an 8-3 surge that got Maryland within a basket. The Wolfpack momentarily stemmed the charge, but two straight turnovers led to four free throws by Drew Nicholas and a 29-29 tie.

N.C. State led 36-35 before Steve Blake hit a 3-pointer, and Dixon followed with a three-point play to help Maryland take a 41-38 halftime lead.

"The first half we were pretty much trading baskets," Baxter said. "In the second half we put some pressure on them, just attacked and got some fast breaks. That opened up the game for us."