Feb. 25, 2007

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BOSTON (AP) -Crystal Langhorne scored 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds and No. 6 Maryland rebounded from a loss to top-ranked Duke to clinch third place in the Atlantic Coast Conference by beating Boston College 76-60 on Sunday.

The Terrapins, playing in Boston for the first time since capturing their first NCAA title last April about five miles away at the Boston Garden, will get a first-round bye in the conference tourney, which begins Thursday in Greensboro, N.C.

Kristi Toliver and Marissa Coleman each scored 12 points, and Shay Doron had 11 for Maryland (26-4, 10-4 ACC).

Kathrin Ress led BC (13-15, 3-11) with 26 points.

Maryland, which led 34-27 at halftime, relied on its inside strength to gradually wear down the smaller Eagles midway into the second half.

Langhorne scored 13 of her points in the final 12:12.

The Terrapins lost to top-ranked Duke, which it beat in the NCAA title game, 69-57 last Sunday.

Behind Ress, BC kept its deficit in single digits until Jade Perry, Toliver and Coleman had baskets during a 6-0 spree that helped Maryland open its first double-digit lead of the game, 48-36, with 12:56 to play.

BC closed it to five points twice, the last 56-51 on Ress' free throw with 5:03 left, but Langhorne converted a 3-point play and Doron hit a 3-pointer to open it to 62-51 with 3:44 to play. The Eagles never moved closer than 11 points the rest of the way.

In the opening half, the Eagles led 20-19 before the Terps scored 15 of the half's final 22 points, taking a seven-point lead into the break on Toliver's 3-pointer over two defenders at the buzzer.

Maryland came out with a hot hand from the outside early, hitting its first five jumpers to open a 10-5 edge before BC got untracked offensively, mostly behind Ress' play.

BC's Ayla Brown, an American Idol final 13 contestant last year, sang the National Anthem.