Terps Take Ugly Battle at Littlejohn |
CLEMSON - Having scored just 11 points through better than 17 minutes of play
in the opening half Saturday, Maryland head coach Gary Williams decided there was only one way to kick-start his stagnant offense. With pressure defense. Running as many as four players at Clemson point guard Ed Scott, the 12th-ranked Terrapins forced four turnovers to spark a 13-0 run over a span of 1:22 to get back in the game, then held the Tigers to just four field goals in the second half en route to a 52-47 victory at Littlejohn Coliseum. The loss was Clemson's second straight, third in its last four games and drops its Atlantic Coast Conference record to 1-4 (11-4 overall). "I was kicking myself for not starting in the pressure, really," Williams said. "I thought we came out flat because of that...We thought our drop-back defense was good enough, and it was, but we couldn't score. Sometimes you press just to get your offense moving more, and that's what happened." Once back in the game, Maryland used a 1-2-2 zone to befuddle Clemson's offense for much of the second half. The zone - played with a man extended at the top of the key - provided a double whammy on Scott. Unable to shake free for a 3-pointer and also finding it near impossible to dribble penetrate the lane, the Tigers offense nearly fell apart. Clemson took just 18 shots in the second half, hitting only four. Only an unusually strong showing from the free throw line (15-of-21 for the half) kept it in the game. "We self-inflicted some wounds," said Clemson head coach Larry Shyatt. "Ed got gobbled up a few times and turned the ball over at critical points in the game, which cost us. And we've simply got to hit more shots. "To be quite honest, I think we were just as good, if not better than the team we played today, collectively. Individually, I felt like we didn't get it done." Still, though it trailed by nine points (46-37) with as little as 5:29 to go, Clemson battled back and actually had a chance to tie the game with under 30 seconds to go. It started with four quick points on a Chris Hobbs free throw and Scott's 3-pointer from the top of the key, cutting the lead to 46-41. A two-for-one exchange of baskets by the Terps pushed their advantage back to 50-43 with 2:08 to go, but Scott responded with four consecutive free throws in a span of nine seconds, the last two coming after a steal at the 1:08 mark, slicing the lead to 50-47. A nice defensive effort and rebound by Olu Babalola working against Maryland's John Gilchrist gave Clemson possession again. But Scott missed an open 3-pointer from the left wing that would have tied the game. Instead, the ball bounced out of bounds and gave Maryland possession with :22.8 remaining. Clemson didn't score again the rest of the way. "I knew it would be a tough game," Williams said. "Clemson plays. This (Littlejohn) is one of the great homecourts that doesn't get a lot of credit. I was hoping they would build a new one, but they just renovated." Drew Nicholas was the only Terrapin to reach double figures, finishing with 14 points. Calvin McCall and Blake added eight each for Maryland (12-4, 5-1), which has now won three straight and eight of its last nine. Scott had 16 and Babalola 12 for Clemson. NOTES - Neither team shot well, Maryland finishing at 33.9 percent (19-of-56) and Clemson 31.8 (14-of-44). The Terps opened the game hitting just 3-of-17 from the floor, including missing their first eight. - Maryland held a decided edge on the boards, 39-29, including a 19-11 margin on the offensive end. - Clemson had 19 turnovers, but just six in the second half. All five of Scott's turnovers came in the first half. Maryland gave it away a total of 20 times. MARYLAND (12-4) McCall 3-7 1-2 8, Holden 2-7 0-0 4, Randle 1-5 1-4 3, Nicholas 4-13 4-4 14, Blake 2-10 2-2 8, Smith 2-3 0-0 4, Garrison 3-5 1-1 7, Gilchrist 1-3 0-0 2, McCray 0-0 0-0 0, Caner-Medley 1-3 0-0 2. Totals 19-56 9-13 52. CLEMSON (11-4) Ford 1-4 1-2 3, Babalola 5-8 2-3 12, Henderson 0-4 0-1 0, Scott 5-15 5-6 16, Christie 2-7 3-4 9, Betko 0-0 0-0 0, Nagys 0-0 0-0 0, Robinson 0-1 0-0 0, Hobbs 1-5 5-6 7. Totals 14-44 16-22 47. Halftime-Maryland 24-23. 3-Point goals-Maryland 5-20 (Nicholas 2-7, Blake 2-8, McCall 1-3, Holden 0-2), Clemson 3-11 (Christie 2-2, Scott 1-6, Babalola 0-3). Fouled out-None. Rebounds-Maryland 39 (Holden 11), Clemson 29 (Ford, Babalola 7). Assists-Maryland 12 (Nicholas, Blake 3), Clemson 4 (Scott 3). Total fouls-Maryland 22, Clemson 15. A-10,500. Dan Scott covers Clemson University for the Florence Morning News. He also hosts SportsTalk from 9 a.m.-Noon, Monday-Friday, on WCCP-Fm, 104.9. Click here for Dan Scott's SportsTalk discussion board.
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