Jan. 17, 2004

Box Score

By PAUL NEWBERRY
AP Sports Writer

ATLANTA - Will Bynum won't have to worry about getting on the court at Georgia Tech if he keeps playing like this.

Bynum scored a career-high 25 points and No. 12 Georgia Tech dominated the final 10 minutes, pulling away for an 81-71 victory over Maryland on Saturday night.

Georgia Tech (14-2, 2-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) won its second game in three days after a two-game losing streak. Maryland (10-4, 1-2) couldn't follow up an upset of North Carolina, ending a three-game winning streak.

Bynum eclipsed his previous career high of 19 points, set in December 2002 when he was at Arizona. Unhappy with a cut in playing time, he left the Wildcats shortly after that and transferred to Georgia Tech.

Bynum certainly earned plenty of playing time against the Terrapins. The junior generously listed as a 6-footer scored his first 15 points on 3-pointers, missing only once. When Maryland began guarding him tighter, Bynum started blowing past them with a crossover dribble that would make Allen Iverson proud.

His signature shot came with 7:44 remaining, when Bynum drove toward the basket and somehow managed to get off a shot over 6-5 Mike Jones. The ball struck high off the backboard and fell through, sending Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt leaping into the air.

John Gilchrist scored a career-high 27 points, but was the only player in double figures for Maryland. The Terps shot just 36 percent from the field.

Maryland scored the first two baskets of the second half for its biggest lead, 42-35. Georgia Tech rallied, going back ahead 51-49 on Luke Schenscher's basket.

For the next three minutes, it appeared the game would go right to the wire. The teams traded the lead five times before Georgia Tech went ahead for good.

Appropriately enough, it was Bynum swishing a towering 3 with a hand in his face, putting the Yellow Jackets up 56-55 with 9:34 remaining. That sparked a 14-0 run as the Terrapins went more than four minutes without a point.

Schenscher, the most unheralded member of Georgia Tech's lineup, came up with one of his best games. The 7-1 center scored 15 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, set some ferocious picks and kept Maryland from doing much damage on the inside in the second half.

Georgia Tech sprinted to an 11-point lead before the midway point of the first half, burying three straight 3-pointers during an 11-2 run.

But Maryland turned up the pressure on defense and began crashing the offensive boards, leading to a 10-0 spurt that pushed the Terrapins to a 33-28 lead with 3˝ minutes left in the half. They settled for a 38-35 lead at the break.