Feb. 5, 2006
Final Stats
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - Tony Bethel made two 3-pointers and two free throws down the stretch, helping No. 18 North Carolina State hold off Maryland 62-58 on Sunday despite the Wolfpack making only five field goals inside the arc.
Bethel finished with five 3s and 17 points, and Cameron Bennerman added 11 points for the Wolfpack (18-4, 7-2 Atlantic Coast Conference), who maintained a one-game lead over Miami for second place in the league. Second-ranked Duke leads at 9-0.
Andrew Brackman made a layup with 13:21 remaining for N.C. State, and what turned out to be his team's lone two-point field goal of the second half increased its lead to 42-34.
The Terrapins (14-7, 4-4) rallied to get within three on Nik Caner-Medley's late 3-pointer, but Bethel converted two free throws and Bennerman added another to offset a tip-in by Ekene Ibekwe. Maryland missed three attempts in the final seconds, then a final one when Mike Jones was short on an off-balanced jumper right before the final buzzer.
It gave the Wolfpack their fourth straight conference victory, and allowed coach Herb Sendek to pick up the 250th of his career. And as has been the case lately, this one went right down to the wire.
Caner-Medley, who took one shot before halftime and was scoreless in 18 minutes, picked up the pace with 10 points in second half, including five in a 35-second span, to bring the Terrapins within 56-53.
Bethel answered on the other end with a 3 before Caner-Medley made another, setting up the finish.
D.J. Strawberry had 14 points for Maryland, and Jones and James Gist each scored 13. Caner-Medley added 10 rebounds.
Yet with Bethel and company making jumpers from all over the court, none of that was enough. Six players had 3s for the Wolfpack, with Ilian Evtimov and Bennerman each making two, and they finished 12-for-28 from beyond the arc for the game.
Bethel's total tied a career high and gave him at least three in five straight games. N.C. State managed to win despite shooting a season-low 30.9 percent, and it was the worst effort in a victory since beating Connecticut in 1991 with 30.6 percent.
None of that mattered to the Terrapins, who lost their third straight overall and second in the conference. At least they get to return home for two games, including a matchup with Duke on Saturday.
