Clemson Turns Terps Inside-Out

Tigers Attack the Basket From Near and Far in Biggest Win Ever Over U-Md.: Clemson 93, Maryland 64

CLEMSON, S.C., Feb. 17 -- Late in the first half on Tuesday night, Maryland's formula for a fourth victory in five games -- and for a much-needed win on the road over a ranked opponent -- was coalescing despite some missing ingredients. Even though Terrapins Coach Gary Williams estimated that his team ran only a handful of offensive sets correctly before the intermission, Maryland trailed by just four points to No. 13 Clemson.

But with 2.3 seconds remaining in the first half, the remnants of Maryland's momentum evaporated, as Clemson swingman K.C. Rivers intercepted a pass Greivis Vasquez had intended for Dave Neal and surged downcourt for a last-second dunk.

A series of such isolated plays eventually translated into a game that got out of hand long before the final horn sounded. Clemson combined its superior inside presence with keen outside shooting to form a combination the upset-minded Terrapins could not overcome. The Tigers defeated Maryland, 93-64, in front of raucous Littlejohn Coliseum crowd and sent the visiting squad home with seemingly little on which to hang its collective hat.

Coming off what Williams regarded as their most complete performance of the season -- an 83-73 home victory over Virginia Tech on Saturday -- the Terrapins (16-9, 5-6 ACC) were unable to muster the same game-long focus a second straight time. Clemson Coach Oliver Purnell applauded Maryland for "staring back at us" in the first half, before noting his Tigers (21-4, 7-4) were "kind of wearing on [the Terrapins] all night."

Williams, who already had changed out of his suit and was prepared to board the team bus as he entered the postgame news conference, scoffed at the notion that his team had lost any of the steam that it had built up in recent weeks.

"What happened?" Williams asked after his team lost to Clemson by the widest margin in series history. "Nothing's happened. You negative guys back at Maryland, just understand that we're a good basketball team. We're 5-6 in this league, and we've got some big games coming up, and that's our attitude."

With a daunting slate of games ahead against No. 3 North Carolina, No. 9 Duke and No. 8 Wake Forest, Clemson appeared to be Maryland's best chance for victory against a ranked foe. The Tigers entered the night fresh off an overtime loss at Virginia -- an ACC bottom-dweller -- on Sunday.

"I feel like in the first half, they weren't as aggressive as they usually are," Neal said. "We did a good job breaking their press in the first half. And then as the second half goes on, I mean, when a team presses like that, yeah you wear down, but you've still got to stay composed."

A few key plays for Clemson on offense and continued struggles for Maryland when it possessed the ball kept the Terrapins from doing so.

Clemson guard Terrence Oglesby missed a three-point attempt from the corner with 17 minutes 40 seconds remaining, but forward-center Trevor Booker flushed the errant ball through the net with a sweeping one-handed slam, pushing the Tigers' lead to seven.

"The Booker dunk kind of ignited us, kind of gave us little bit of a jolt and maybe deflated them a little bit," Purnell said.

Less than three minutes later, Booker received an entry pass and drew the attention of several Maryland defenders. He kicked the ball back out to guard Andre Young, who hit an open three-pointer from the wing. Clemson's lead stood at 14, and it only would grow from there.

"We had to match Clemson right there, scoring-wise, and we didn't do that," Williams said. "They got us."

Terrapins junior forward Landon Milbourne, who recorded a team-high 13 points, said Maryland never was able to find any rhythm on offense. The Terrapins shot 38.3 percent and tallied 14 turnovers. Williams said Clemson was able to take Maryland out of its offensive sets by being quick to the ballhandler and applying intense pressure.

The Terrapins were able to match Clemson's defensive intensity throughout most of the first half, though the Tigers laid the foundation for what eventually would cause their minimal lead to expand explosively.

Clemson established its interior superiority early by continuously feeding the ball to Booker and center-forward Raymond Sykes. When Maryland devoted more attention to double-teaming the Tigers' post players, Clemson passed the ball out to a number of deft long-range shooters. The Tigers outscored Maryland in the paint, 44-30, and shot 46.2 percent from three-point range.

"You pick your poison, and you have to gamble a little bit," Williams said. "I don't think you can let Booker go crazy. He's a proven player, a veteran player in this league. But see, they have a good combination. They have good three-point shooters and they have good inside scorers. So it's tough to defend them."