March 4, 2012
ACC Championship highlights | Box Score |
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GREENSBORO, N.C. - Alyssa Thomas scored a career-high 29 points and No. 6 Maryland beat No. 15 Georgia Tech 68-65 on Sunday to win the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament championship.
Lynetta Kizer had 11 points and Kim Rodgers added 10 to help the third-seeded Terrapins (28-4) claim their 10th ACC tournament title and second in four years.
Thomas scored 13 of her points in the first half, went 5-5 at the foul line, grabbed four boards and added a block and a steal.
"Alyssa is by far the most competitive player I've ever coached and I've coached a lot of great players," Maryland coach Brenda Frese said. "Her will to win - our team just wants to follow her lead, and she was sensational."
Tyaunna Marshall scored 18 of her 25 points in the second half and Sasha Goodlett added 20 points for the fourth-seeded Yellow Jackets (24-8), who were denied their first league tournament title.
The Terrapins led through much of the first half, but a quick Georgia Tech run and three at the halftime buzzer left the Terps with a 29-27 lead at the break.
Maryland trailed by four at 44-40 with just over 12 minutes to play, but two free throws from Rodgers cut it two. After a made free throw by Tech's Chelsea Regins, Thomas rebounded her miss and DeVaughn made a free throw to cut it to two once again. Rodgers stepped up and made two more free throws on the next possession to tie it.
The Terrapins trailed by two with 2:05 to go but a jumper from Kizer at 1:42 tied it at 63. Georgia Tech turned it over on the next possession and a layup by Anjale Barrett gave Maryland a 65-63 lead with just over a minutes to go.
Thomas sunk two free throws and Barrett added one in the final minute to seal the second title under Frese.
Down by three, Georgia Tech called time with 5.6 seconds left and got the ball to Marshall, whose contested 22-footer failed to hit the rim as the buzzer sounded.
Next, the Terrapins will find out their next opponent on Mon., March 12. Umterps.com will have all info.
Maryland will be hosting the NCAA First and Second Rounds at Comcast Center on March 17 and 19. For tickets and more information, log on to www.umterps.com/sports/w-baskbl/2011_ncaa_tournament.html.
Maryland is ranked No. 5 in the latest ESPN/USA Today Division I Top 25 Coaches' poll and No. 6 in this week's Associated Press rankings.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
-Terps-
