Bowie's Energy Boosts Terps
Maryland 71, Wake Forest 64

By Marc Carig
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, January 16, 2008

With about 14 minutes left in the game last night, Maryland freshman guard Adrian Bowie made another play to reinvigorate his team, stealing an inbounds pass and drawing a foul. As he turned toward the free throw line, he raised his arms, eliciting a loud ovation from an appreciative crowd at Comcast Center. Then, his nerves kept him from making his free throws.

But after his second miss, Bowie recovered the ball after it was tipped by teammate Greivis Vasquez. Once again, Bowie drew a shooting foul. This time, he made both tries from the line.

For both Bowie and the Terrapins, the performance had its share of imperfections. But, in the end, it was good enough for a 71-64 victory over Wake Forest.

"It wasn't pretty, but we're not going to do things exactly right," said Coach Gary Williams after his team avoided its first 0-3 start in ACC play since the 1999-2000 season. "We just have to make up for any mistakes we might make with effort. And I thought we did that tonight."

While other Terrapins had better statistical games -- guard Vasquez led Maryland with 22 points and center Bambale Osby recorded his fourth double-double of the season with 16 points and 11 rebounds -- Bowie's contribution stood out both because of its nature and its timing.

With point guard Eric Hayes on the bench for the third straight game with a sprained left ankle, Bowie filled the void. After playing 28 minutes against Virginia Tech on Saturday, he logged 32 minutes off the bench against Wake Forest, scoring 10 points while adding eight rebounds and three steals.

"Adrian has been a real impact player the past two games and it's really helping us out," forward James Gist said.

More important, Bowie showed no hesitation in functioning as the team's lightning rod, giving Maryland such an energy boost that Williams kept him on the court most of the game, which surprised some of his teammates.

"I was just thinking about bringing energy, first on the defensive side of the ball, knowing that my offense would come," Bowie said. "The team looked flat so I just wanted to bring some energy and try to win the game."

Ishmael Smith scored 16 points to lead Wake Forest, which looked much better in its first game since a 112-73 loss at Boston College, the worst loss by the program since 1983. The Demon Deacons jumped out to a 7-0 lead, prompting an angry Williams to call a timeout less than three minutes into the game.

Into the game went Osby, who didn't start because of an undisclosed violation of team rules, and Bowie, who took over for a struggling Cliff Tucker. The moves jump-started the Terrapins.

"I just let it flow," Bowie said. "Being on the court always helps you out in being comfortable."

Behind Bowie and Osby, Maryland embarked on a 20-9 run over a nine-minute span in which the Demon Deacons failed to convert a field goal.

"I think Adrian was really tentative for a while," Williams said. "Now it just seems like he's letting it go."

Over the past two weeks Bowie said he drew notice from Williams by turning up his defensive intensity in practice. A bandage covering a gash under Bowie's left eye served as evidence. The cut came during practice last week when Bowie dove on the floor to wrestle a loose ball away from Vasquez, whose elbow opened a cut that required three stitches to close.

"He's proving that he's got a chance to be a very good player in our program as time goes by," Williams said.