Dec 6, 2003

Box Score| Quotes| Notes

By DAVID GINSBURG
AP Sports Writer

WASHINGTON - Blake Stepp hit one shot from the outside, then another. And another.

At that point, Gonzaga's senior guard figured he just had to keep shooting.

Stepp scored 27 points, and Adam Morrison keyed a second-half surge that carried the 17th-ranked Bulldogs past cold-shooting Maryland 82-68 Saturday.

Stepp went 7-for-11 from beyond the arc, including 5-for-7 in the decisive second half.

"A few start falling you start looking for your shot," he said. "All of them start falling and you definitely look for your shot."

Stepp did more than just shoot - he also finished with 11 assists. But he was most lethal from long range, making a majority of the Bulldogs' 13 3-pointers, which served to offset their season-high 24 turnovers.

Gonzaga (5-1) plays George Washington on Sunday in the championship game of the BB&T Classic. The Colonials advanced by beating West Virginia 70-64.

Maryland (4-1), coming off a surprise overtime victory over 15th-ranked Wisconsin, shot 36 percent from the field - including 4-for-20 from 3-point range - and missed 13 of 27 free throws.

"We were able to get to the line, but the problem is that we are not shooting well from there, and tonight was no different," said Maryland coach Gary Williams, denied his 300th victory at the school. "We're learning some things now, and I think it's going to get tougher as we go along."

Gonzaga opened the second half with a 7-0 run to take a 37-34 lead, then yielded five straight points before Morrison scored in the lane and Stepp hit a 3-pointer to start a 10-0 burst that made it 47-39.

"We gave them the momentum to start the second half and we never got it back," Williams lamented.

After Maryland closed to 49-44, Morrison had a three-point play and a dunk and Stepp hit two 3-pointers in a 15-5 run that put the Bulldogs up 64-49 with 10:28 left.

The Terrapins never cut the gap below double figures.

"We knew they liked to run and lob the ball up for the trey a lot," Maryland's Chris McCray said. "We started fine, but I guess we let up."

Morrison finished with 18 points and Kyle Bankhead had 11, including three 3-pointers.

"That was a great win for our program," Gonzaga coach Mark Few said.

Nik Caner-Medley scored 16 points for the Terrapins, who were seeking to go 5-0 for the first time since 1998. Jamar Smith had 13 points and seven rebounds, missing a double-double for the first time this season.

The Terrapins scored the final nine points of the first half to take a 34-30 lead. The Bulldogs missed 18 of 28 shots and committed 16 turnovers, but stayed close by going 6-for-12 from 3-point range.

The second half, however, was all Gonzaga. The Bulldogs were 18-of-30 from the field and outscored Maryland 52-34.

"We came in at halftime and challenged the kids to make some adjustments," Few said. "To a man, they did that. I don't think we played particularly strong in the first half, but we changed that the second half."