Jan. 23, 2005

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COLLEGE PARK, Md. - North Carolina State limited Maryland to five field goals in the first half, and Julius Hodge had 20 points and 11 rebounds in an 85-69 victory Sunday.

Engin Atsur scored 17 and Ilian Evtimov had 16 for the Wolfpack, who led 53-27 at halftime and never let the margin slip below 10 points in winning for the only the second time in seven games.

North Carolina State (12-6, 2-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) had lost 14 of its last 15 games at Maryland, but this one was never in doubt after the Wolfpack opened up an early 16-4 lead.

After the Terrapins closed to 63-53, Atsur hit two 3-pointers and a free throw in a 7-2 run that gave the Wolfpack a 15-point cushion with 5:38 to go.

Nik Caner-Medley had 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Terrapins (11-5, 2-3). He came in averaging 20.7 points over his previous seven games, but was held scoreless in the first half.

N.C. State made 10 of 18 3-point tries and limited Maryland to 5-for-20 shooting before halftime.

In all three of their ACC losses this season, the Wolfpack blew a double-digit lead. This time, however, N.C. State easily weathered a comeback bid.

Maryland opened the second half with a full-court press that keyed a 14-4 run and got the Terrapins within 16. After Hodge scored for the Wolfpack, Caner-Medley hit a runner in the lane and James Gist made a three-point play to make it 59-46 with 9:49 left.

A 5-0 burst cut the margin to 10 with 8:32 left. At that point, the Wolfpack made only two field goals in the second half.

But Atsur heated up when it mattered most. Following his seven-point run, the Wolfpack let the lead dwindle to 13 before Hodge made two straight baskets for a 79-62 lead, and at that point the sellout crowd began to file out.

The Wolfpack made six of their first nine shots, including four 3-pointers, to take a 16-4 lead. Maryland was 1-for-6 with three turnovers during that span.

It was 18-10 before Jordan Collins sank a 3-pointer and Cedric Simmons and Hodge both made three-point plays during a 13-2 spurt that put NC State up by 19. After Ekene Ibekwe made a free throw for Maryland, Evtimov scored five straight points and Levi Watkins added a 3-pointer to make it 39-13.

John Gilchrist then made successive 3-pointers to begin an 8-0 Maryland run, but Simmons scored five straight points and Atsur hit a 3-pointer to boost the margin up to 27.

Tony Bethel saw limited action for the Wolfpack after missing four straight games with colitis. He was held scoreless in two minutes.

DAVID GINSBURG
AP Sports Writer