Langhorne, Terps Hold On For Double OT Win

No. 4 Maryland 99, Georgia Tech 95

The Maryland players should know better. They shouldn't put a woman in her 33rd week of pregnancy through this much drama. The fourth-ranked Terrapins risked inducing labor yesterday afternoon at Comcast Center before prevailing, 99-95, in double overtime against Georgia Tech.

Maryland Coach Brenda Frese, pregnant with twins, was far more active than usual on the sideline, jumping up and clapping for her players, encouraging them during dispiriting moments.

"I tried to loosen the girls up in those huddles going into overtime and double overtime because I had to go to the bathroom so bad when regulation ended," Frese said. "I think I'll be pretty sore tomorrow, but the best thing was just being here and being able to witness the win. I thought we showed just tremendous character down the stretch. . . . They have said they want me to get [the pregnancy over with] so maybe that was their purpose to help it along."

The excitement proved too much for one fan. A man in a wheelchair near the Maryland bench collapsed with 45 seconds remaining in the second overtime and was unconscious for several minutes. Medical personnel administered CPR for several minutes after the game ended. According to school officials, the man was revived in the ambulance en route to the hospital. His condition was not known.

The inside tandem of Crystal Langhorne and Laura Harper were too much for Georgia Tech. Langhorne scored 31 points and grabbed 15 rebounds, while Harper added 24 points and a career-high 20 rebounds.

The 10,670 fans were treated to a tight contest from tip-off. No team led by more than seven, and there were 23 lead changes. From the start, the game had an uncanny resemblance to Maryland's loss to Mississippi in the NCAA tournament last season. If the Terrapins (22-1, 6-0 ACC) have a weakness, it is that they struggle against teams with strong, aggressive guards. Mississippi and Georgia Tech both were physical in their victories over Maryland last season.

The Yellow Jackets (16-3, 3-2) benefited not only from a smothering defense that forced Maryland into 26 turnovers, but also deft shot-making. Georgia Tech may have the ninth-best field goal percentage in the ACC, but the Yellow Jackets seemingly couldn't miss against the Terrapins. They made 12 of their final 13 shots before halftime to shoot 56.3 percent in the first half. They came up with crucial shots whenever they needed them.

When Kristi Toliver sank a pair of free throws to put Maryland ahead 82-79 with 21 seconds to play, it appeared that the Terrapins were on their way to victory. Maryland, however, allowed Janie Mitchell to heave a three-point shot at the basket from the right wing that somehow found the net with 10 seconds left in regulation. Mitchell had made only two three-pointers this season.

"That's not her shot," Georgia Tech Coach MaChelle Joseph said. "That's not a play we would have called for her to shoot the three."

The Terrapins turned the ball over on their ensuing possession leaving Georgia Tech with a chance to win. Jacqua Williams missed a running jumper at the buzzer, sending the game into the first overtime.

The Terps' outlook seemed grim when Georgia Tech scored the first six points of overtime. Then Marissa Coleman sank a three to cut the Yellow Jackets lead to 88-85, and Langhorne answered a Iasia Hemingway layup with a five-point surge to tie the score at 90. Langhorne forced a turnover and was fouled. She made both her free throws to put Maryland back in the lead. But Georgia Tech refused to go away. Jill Ingram scored with 20 seconds left in overtime to tie the score at 92. Coleman had an open three to end the game, but her shot hit the front of the rim. Marah Strickland fouled Williams while going for the rebound, sending her to the free throw line to win the game with 1.6 seconds remaining. Williams missed the first shot of the one-and-one and Harper grabbed the rebound to force a second overtime.

Maryland, which went 36 of 44 at the free throw line, made 6 of 6 foul shots in the final minutes to come away with the victory. Georgia Tech made only 12 trips to the free throw line in the game, scoring six points.

"It was a very emotional game, especially with the crowd," Coleman said. "The crowd kept us in the game. Whenever we play Georgia Tech, it's going to be a tough game, especially with them beating us last year. . . . We fought through it as a team, and we stayed composed."