Cavs’ first ACC road win of season comes at unlikely spot: Maryland
By ED MILLER, The Virginian-Pilot
© February 7, 2003

COLLEGE PARK, Md. — In the final game at Cole Field House last season, Virginia was a compliant guest, doing nothing to spoil the send-off for the venerable barn of a basketball arena. On Thursday night, at Maryland’s gleaming new Comcast Center, Virginia was in a considerably less cooperative mood.
The Cavaliers, sparked by 14 second-half points from Devin Smith, grabbed their first ACC road win in a year, and their first win at Maryland in a decade, upsetting the No. 8 Terrapins 86-78 in front of 17,950 startled fans.

Go figure. Virginia (13-7, 4-4) had lost nine straight ACC road games and was down one ballhandler — suspended point guard Keith Jenifer — against the league’s best pressing team. Critics were wondering when the Cavaliers would ever win another league game on the road.

“Guys just came together and realized how important a game it was, and how winnable a game it was,” guard Todd Billet said.

The win put a happy ending on a difficult week. On Saturday, Virginia fell to Georgia Tech 80-60, its fourth loss in six games. On Monday, Jenifer, who had started 14 games, was suspended indefinitely after being arrested on an assault charge.

“The team was real mature about the situation,” center Travis Watson said. “I hope this is a big change for the team in general.”

Virginia hung with Maryland most of the night, but appeared done when Maryland opened a 12-point lead with 12:30 remaining.

“Our guys didn’t wilt,” coach Pete Gillen said. “It was nine, 10, 12, possibly going to 20.”

Smith, a 6-foot-5 sophomore, brought Virginia back. His fourth 3-pointer of the half pulled Virginia within two points, 69-67, with 6:20 left. A trey by Jermaine Harper 30 seconds later put Virginia ahead for the first time in the half.

A layup by Elton Brown and another trey from Harper pushed the lead to six, 75-69, capping a 16-0 run. Virginia held off Maryland (14-5, 6-2) from there. Maryland had looked inside early in the second half, and got 10 quick points from Ryan Randle and Tahj Holden.

The Terrapins opened leads of nine, 12, and 10 points, but Virginia, riding the 3-point shooting of Smith, responded each time.

Virginia had lost nine straight at Maryland, by an average of 14.3 points. The Terrapins closed Cole with a 112-92 romp, and won 102-67 the previous year.

On Thursday, Virginia signaled early that things would be different. The Cavaliers built a 13-point halftime lead, weathered a 17-2 run by Maryland, then responded with an 8-0 run late in the half.

Brown, an unlikely 3-point threat at 6-9 and 270 pounds, got Virginia started early by canning a pair of treys. Holden, 6-10 and 270 pounds, hit a 3-pointer of his own to pull Maryland within one, at 17-16.

Holden was called for a technical foul about a minute later, after fouling Nick Vander Laan under the basket. Vander Laan made a layup and the free throw to complete the three-point play, and Billet added a technical free throw to complete a 10-0 Virginia spurt.

Virginia took its biggest lead, 33-20, on a Smith 3-pointer with 9:02 left. Maryland turned up its defensive pressure and pulled ahead on a Drew Nicholas 3-pointer that put the senior guard at precisely 1,000 points for his career. Nicholas finished with a game-high 20 points, but Maryland shot just 36 percent in the second half.

Watson, the team’s only senior who plays, said the win was particularly sweet because he’d never won in College Park.

“I’ll never play here again,” he said. “And now I can say I won here.”
 

Debut in Comcast a winner

The Cavaliers finally put on a good show on the road, ending a nine-game road losing streak in ACC play.

By DOUG DOUGHTY
THE ROANOKE TIMES

   COLLEGE PARK, Md. - A first trip to the Comcast Center couldn't have turned out any sweeter for Virginia men's basketball coach Pete Gillen, who never won a game at Cole Field House.

    The Cavaliers, who hadn't won in College Park since 1993 and had lost nine consecutive ACC road games, overcame a 10-point second-half deficit Wednesday night and stunned eighth-ranked Maryland 86-78.

    The Terrapins, reigning national champions, lost for the third time in their last 28 conference games. Maryland (14-5, 6-2) did not make a field goal in the final 9:07.

    "You can go decades without winning here," said Gillen, whose team was a 13-point underdog. "They've got great players, a great coach and great fans."

    After squandering a 13-point first-half lead, Virginia (13-7, 4-4) turned to its bench in the second half. Sophomore guard Devin Smith hit four of his five 3-pointers and scored 15 of his team-high 17 points after intermission.

    The Cavaliers also got 15 points and 10 rebounds from senior Travis Watson, as well as 11 points from Majestic Mapp, who hit nine of 10 free throws, including seven of eight over the final 2:43.

    "We're tired of all the negativity," said Mapp, who played 19 minutes in his longest stint since missing 2 1/2 seasons with knee problems. "Things will be a lot more positive now that we've finally got a road win."

    The Cavaliers got 43 points from their bench, including two key 3-pointers by sophomore Jermaine Harper, who had scored a total of two points in the previous four games. Harper's second 3-pointer, with 6:20 remaining, gave the Cavaliers a lead they would not surrender at 70-69.

    "We thought we needed to make 10 3s to win," said Gillen, who was not aware that the Cavaliers had gone 12-of-22 from beyond the arc.

    After committing 20 turnovers in the first 30 minutes, Virginia did not have a turnover the rest of the way.

    "That was key," said Gillen, praising Mapp for his leadership at the end. "Poise would be a good way to describe it. It was our night."

    The Cavaliers, showing few ill effects from the absence of suspended point guard Keith Jenifer, took a 33-20 lead with 9:03 remaining in the first half when Smith hit their fifth 3-point field goal of the game.

    Maryland stepped up its defense and held Virginia without a field goal on the Cavaliers' next nine possessions, including four turnovers. The Terrapins took a 37-35 lead by virtue of a 17-2 run, but the Cavaliers did not wilt.

    UVa restored its lead to 43-37 before Maryland forced a 45-45 tie on a shot by freshman Chris McCray with 9.3 seconds left. The Cavaliers quickly got the ball to freshman Derrick Byars, who slashed to the basket for a layup that put UVa on top 47-45 at the break.

    Maryland coach Gary Williams raged at his players for giving up an easy basket, as he had several times during a half when Virginia shot 55.2 percent from the field. The Terrapins' salvation was 13 first-half UVa turnovers, including three apiece by Todd Billet and Elton Brown.

    Maryland had eight turnovers, four by senior point guard Steve Blake. His backcourt partner, Drew Nicholas, led all scorers with 13 points at the half and had four assists, with no turnovers.

    The Terrapins scored the first eight points of the second half and enjoyed their biggest lead at 69-59 after a basket by Travis Garrison. UVa scored the next 16 points, including two 3-pointers apiece by Smith and Harper.

U.Va. stuns No.8 Maryland
ACC road losing streak stopped at nine games
Feb 07, 2003
VIRGINIA 86 MARYLAND 78

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Cole Field House was a house of horrors for the Virginia Cavaliers. They like the University of Maryland's new basketball arena just fine.

The team that couldn't win on the road in the ACC pulled off a shocking upset last night. U.Va. beat defending NCAA champion Maryland 86-78 before an ESPN2 audience and a disbelieving sellout crowd of 17,950 at the Comcast Center.

"It was a special victory," Cavaliers coach Pete Gillen said. "We beat a terrific team in a very tough place to play."

The win came five days after Virginia lost by 20 at Georgia Tech and three days after sophomore point guard Keith Jenifer was charged with misdemeanor assault and battery and suspended indefinitely from the team. Criticism rained down on the Cavs from every direction, it seemed.

"It's been hell for us," point guard Majestic Mapp said, "because as a team, we don't like to hear negatives. We just matured. It we didn't get this one, it would have been more negatives down the road."

The Cavaliers had lost nine straight to the Terrapins in this town, all at Cole. They'd also dropped nine straight ACC road games before last night.

"They played with a lot of emotion and passion tonight," Maryland coach Gary Williams said. "Sometimes you go through difficulties and it brings a team a little closer together."

The victory was U.Va.'s first over a top-10 opponent on the road since Jan. 17, 1993, when it upset No. 3 Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

A remarkable 16-0 run by the Cavaliers (4-4, 13-7) in the second half wiped out a 10-point deficit and turned the game in their favor.

It started with a dunk by senior forward Travis Watson with 8:51 remaining. It ended with a 3-pointer by reserve guard Jermaine Harper that gave U.Va. a 75-69 lead with 3:55 left. Earlier in the run, the 6-3 sophomore had buried a trey from the same spot in the left corner.

"I would say those are the biggest shots I've hit in my basketball career," Harper said.

The eighth-ranked Terrapins (6-2, 14-5) saw their 14-game ACC home winning streak snapped. They lost for only the third time in their past 28 ACC regular-season games, and no one saw this coming. Maryland outscored Virginia 20-6 in the first 7:14 of the second half to take a 65-53 lead and seemed headed for its sixth straight victory.

"I'm most proud of the fact that we had a lead, and then Maryland went up by nine or 10, and our kids didn't wilt," Gillen said.

With 1:20 left, with U.Va. clinging to a four-point lead, sophomore center Elton Brown missed a base line jumper, but freshman forward Derrick Byars grabbed a crucial offensive rebound. "I was just like, 'I have to have it,'" Byars said.

Moments later, Mapp was fouled, and he hit both free throws to push Virginia's lead to 79-73. Maryland never got closer than five thereafter.

Four players scored in double figures for Virginia, led by reserve forward Devin Smith. In a dazzling display of shooting, the 6-5 sophomore from New Castle, Del., scored 14 of his 17 points after intermission. Smith hit four of his five 3-pointers in a 5:31 span of the second half.

Watson, the lone senior in Virginia's rotation, finished with 15 points, 10 rebounds, four steals and three assists. Mapp came off the bench to contribute 11 points in a season-high 19 minutes, and Brown added 10 points and five rebounds.

Senior shooting guard Drew Nicholas led Maryland with 20 points, and senior point guard Steve Blake added 12. Blake became the first player in ACC history to total 1,000 points, 800 assists, 400 rebounds and 200 steals in his career.

U.Va. stunned the Terps by racing to a 33-20 lead. Maryland didn't panic. It answered with a 17-2 run to regain the lead. The Terrapins made up ground in a hurry. Senior center Ryan Randle's three-point play pulled them to 34-31, Blake's 3-pointer made it 34-34, and Nicholas' trey made it 37-34 with 4:09 left in the half.

Similar runs by home teams have triggered U.Va. collapses, but not this time. Five straight points by Watson gave the Wahoos a 40-37 lead, and junior guard Todd Billet followed with a catch-and-shoot trey to make it a six-point game.
 

The last hurrah
Virginia roars to upset of No. 8 Maryland with 16-0 run
Posted: Thursday February 06, 2003 11:29 PM
Updated: Friday February 07, 2003 12:24 AM

Jermaine Hooper helped Virginia win at Maryland for the first time since 1993. AP
COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) -- Virginia won its first Atlantic Coast Conference road game of the season in improbable fashion -- and at an unlikely location.

Reserve Devin Smith scored 17 points and keyed a 16-0 second-half run as the Cavaliers erased a 12-point deficit and stunned No. 8 Maryland 86-78 Thursday night.

Down 65-53 with 12:50 remaining, Virginia appeared headed to its 10th straight defeat at Maryland. But Smith sparked the shocking comeback, twice hitting successive 3-pointers to spark the Cavaliers to their second road win of the year -- the first in the ACC after four defeats.

"We beat an excellent team in a very tough place to play," Virginia coach Pete Gillen said. "It was a special victory."

Virginia was winless at Maryland since 1993, losing the last five games by an average of 18 points.

Travis Watson had 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Cavaliers (13-7, 4-4).

Ryan Randle scored 17 for the Terrapins (14-5, 6-2), whose five-game winning streak ended in surprise fashion. The defending NCAA champions had won 14 straight ACC home games and were 11-1 at home.

"It looked like tonight we thought we could win without our A-game," Maryland coach Gary Williams said. "I thought Virginia worked harder than we did. We let them come back because we didn't cover anyone."

Drew Nicholas and Steve Blake became the 38th and 39th players in Maryland history to surpass 1,000 career points. Nicholas scored 20 for a 1,007 total and Blake had 12 for 1,001 points.

The Cavaliers trailed by 12 before Smith hit two straight from beyond the arc. Maryland then went up by 10 before Virginia began its decisive run.

Watson scored inside and Smith hit two straight 3-pointers before Jermaine Harper put the Cavaliers up for good with a 3. Elton Brown then made a layup, and Harper capped the burst with a 3-pointer to make it 75-69 with 3:56 to go.

"We've been playing good defense all year, but not tonight," Williams said.

The Cavaliers shot 49 percent, including 12-for-22 from 3-point range, against a team that was leading the nation in field goal percentage defense.

"It was just our night, hitting 3s like that," Gillen said. "I think poise is a good word. We played with courage and we played to win."

Down 49-47 at halftime, the Terrapins used the inside play of Randle to regain the lead. The senior center scored on a follow, then made a layup before Tahj Holden scored on a tip-in. Randle capped the 8-0 spurt with a jumper in the lane to put Maryland up by six.

After going 16-for-29 from the field before halftime, Virginia missed its first five shots of the second half. Smith ended the drought, but Randle answered with a layup and Nicholas made a three-point play to make it 58-49.

Minutes later, Blake reached the 1,000-point plateau with a 3-pointer and Holden followed with a driving layup for a 65-53 lead.

Smith then brought the Cavaliers back.

"This boosts our confidence a lot," Smith said. "We came in here expecting to win, even though nobody expected us to. It was a very big win."

Virginia played well early, getting four points apiece from Watson and Jason Clark in a 14-5 run that made it 17-11. Minutes later, the Cavaliers reeled off 10 straight points to go up 28-16.

Williams called a timeout in the midst of the run, seeking to settle a defense that permitted Virginia to make 10 of its first 14 shots.

But the trend continued when Smith hit a 3-pointer to make it 33-20.

Maryland then went on a 17-2 run to temporarily regain the lead. Nicholas capped the surge with a 3-pointer, giving him exactly 1,000 points for his career.
 

Cavaliers 1-0 at Comcast
U.Va. upsets Terps for 1st ACC road win
By Dave Johnson
Daily Press
Published February 7, 2003

COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- If you can't figure Virginia's basketball team, you're in decent company - neither can its coach. The same group that didn't appear capable of beating anybody outside its own zip code just knocked off the nation's eighth-ranked team in hostile territory.

The Cavaliers rallied from 10 points down in the final nine minutes to defeat Maryland 86-78 Thursday night in the Comcast Center, ending a streak of nine consecutive losses in this town. Reserves Devin Smith and Jermaine Harper each hit a pair of 3-pointers during a crucial 16-0 run as Virginia (13-7, 4-4 ACC) won for only the second time this season in an opponent's gym.

"Unbelievable," guard Todd Billet said. "It was unbelievable how we were able to come back from 10 points down when I'll bet 98 percent of the people watching it thought it was over. The only guys who weren't thinking that were wearing this uniform. That's all we needed to get this win."

Well, that along with 49-percent shooting from the field, a strong defensive effort and a 43-point night from the reserves. Smith broke out of a month-long shooting slump by going 5-of-7 from the 3-point arc and finishing with 17 points. Majestic Mapp added 11, shooting 9-of-10 from the foul line, in 19 minutes.

"Everybody who played contributed," Virginia coach Pete Gillen said.

Each time it was supposed to fold, Virginia didn't. The Cavaliers led by as many as 13 points in the first half but found themselves trailing 69-59 with 9:05 remaining. It had to be over. But starting with a Travis Watson dunk, the Cavaliers began their comeback. Smith hit back-to-back 3-pointers and Harper knocked down a trey to put Virginia in front 70-69.

Watson then fed Elton Brown for a layup to bump the lead to three with 5:39 left. And when Harper hit another 3-pointer from the left corner, Virginia led 75-69 with 3:56 left.

"Team effort and maturity," Mapp said. "I can sum it up in that many words."

Maryland went scoreless until Nik Caner-Medley hit a pair of free throws with 3:02 remaining. That ended a drought that lasted 6 minutes, 3 seconds, but it wasn't enough. The Cavaliers hit their free throws down the stretch to hold on.

"We just came out and played like we had nothing to lose," said Watson, who had 15 points and 10 rebounds. "Nobody out there thought we would win it, anyway. We just never gave up."

Defensively, Virginia forced Steve Blake into a five-assist, six-turnover game and Drew Nicholas into a 5-for-16 shooting night.

"When you're the eighth-ranked team in the country and the defending national champion, you have a responsibility to know that you're going to get the other team's best shot," Maryland coach Gary Williams said. "Tonight, we thought we could get away with not playing our A-game."

Virginia was playing its first game without point guard Keith Jenifer, who was placed on indefinite suspension Monday following his arrest on assault and battery charges over the weekend. Jenifer, the team's assist leader, had started 14 games.

So who saw this one coming?

"The last 10 years, I haven't figured out any team I've coached," Gillen said. "I can't figure it out. I should. I'm not proud to say it. But I can't."
 

Va. changes lanes on UM
Winless on ACC road, Cavs warm to Comcast with flurry of threes, 86-78; 1 basket in last 9:00 sinks Terps; 16-0 run kills 65-53 lead; defeat is first at home to ACC foe in nearly 2 years
By Gary Lambrecht
Sun Staff
Originally published February 7, 2003

COLLEGE PARK - After losing nine consecutive games at the University of Maryland's former home at Cole Field House, the Virginia Cavaliers finally enjoyed some payback last night in their first visit to Comcast Center.

Sparked by great three-point shooting and an outstanding night by backup sophomore guard Devin Smith, Virginia erased a 12-point second-half deficit with a furious rally and upset No. 8 Maryland, 86-78, before a stunned sellout crowd.

With the loss, Maryland's first to an unranked team this year and first at home to an Atlantic Coast Conference opponent in 15 games - a stretch spanning nearly two years - the Terps (14-5, 6-2) concluded the first half of their league schedule by falling into a first-place tie with Wake Forest. Virginia broke Maryland's five-game winning streak.

It also marked the first road conference victory of the season by Virginia (13-7, 4-4), which beat Maryland overall for only the third time in the past 11 meetings between the schools. Overall, it was only the eighth road victory in the conference this season.

Smith led Virginia with 17 points, highlighted by 5-for-7 shooting from three-point range. Senior center Travis Watson scored 15 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for the Cavaliers, who also got 11 points from point guard Majestic Mapp and 10 points from forward Elton Brown.

The Cavaliers shot 49.1 percent, the highest percentage allowed by Maryland this season. Virginia, which got an astounding 43 points from its bench, had six different players make three-pointers, as the Cavaliers made 12 of 22 (54.5 percent) from beyond the arc.

Smith scored 14 of his points in the second half, when Virginia turned a 65-53 Maryland lead into an improbable victory.

"Virginia was better prepared tonight in terms of their effort and energy. They played with a lot of emotion and passion. We got caught not playing great defense," said Maryland coach Gary Williams, whose Terps had spotted the Cavaliers an early 33-20 lead before charging back to take a 37-35 lead late in the first half.

"We gave [Virginia] some looks, they made shots, and they got their confidence. When you're the eighth-ranked team and the defending national champions, you have a certain responsibility to know you're going to get a team's best shot. It looked like tonight we thought we could get away without playing our A game."

Maryland senior guard Drew Nicholas led all scorers with 20 points. Senior center Ryan Randle added 17 points and six rebounds. Senior point guard Steve Blake added 12 points on a night that he and Nicholas each reached the 1,000-point career mark.

That offered little consolation for Maryland, which scored just one basket over the game's final 9:06 - a meaningless, last-second dunk by Nicholas - did not force a single turnover over that stretch, and could not prevent the Cavaliers from scoring as their 69-59 lead evaporated.

"We didn't compete at times. That's the most frustrating thing," said Maryland senior forward Tahj Holden, who had 11 points. "When you're up by 10 with about 10 minutes left, you're supposed to put teams away, especially when you're the No. 8 team in the country. Everybody had their downfalls today."

The Terps started uncharacteristically by playing slipshod defense and leaving too many shooters open. The Cavaliers torched Maryland with 47 first-half points on 55.1 percent shooting, marking the Terps' worst defensive first half of the year.

Still, Maryland opened the second half with a 13-2 run and seemed to be settling down. That run featured Randle, who scored eight points to help Maryland quickly erase a 47-45 halftime lead and take a 58-49 lead with 14:29 left in the game.

Only Smith's three-point shooting kept Virginia from falling too far behind, and Smith would single-handedly quiet the home crowd with an outside shooting display in the second half.

When reserve forward Travis Garrison made an 18-foot jumper to give Maryland a 69-59 advantage with 9:06 to go, the Terps appeared to have gained control of the contest. But Smith, who made four three-pointers in the second half, would not allow it to happen.

Following a slam by Watson that trimmed lead to 69-61, Smith made back-to-back threes to make it 69-67.

Then, following another missed shot by the Terps, backup guard Jermaine Harper nailed a three-pointer from the left corner, giving Virginia a 70-69 lead with 6:21 left. Harper made another three with 3:55 left, completing a stunning 16-0 run by Virginia, which took a 75-69 lead with 3:58 to go.

The closest the Terps would get was 77-73, after Holden and backup forward Nik Caner-Medley (seven points, seven rebounds) made a combined four free throws.

"We beat an excellent basketball team in Maryland in a tough place to play. I'm most proud of the fact that we had a lead, and then Maryland went up by nine or 10, and our kids didn't wilt," Virginia coach Pete Gillen said.

"We had poise. This is a tough venue. As they get the lead, the crowd gets louder and you get out of sync. We just kept throwing guys in and out, so when someone was out of sync, someone else came in and fortunately did a good job. It was just our night."
 

Pack loses offensive coordinator
By NEIL AMATO : The Herald-Sun
namato@heraldsun.com
Feb 6, 2003 : 11:40 pm ET

Marty Galbraith, an N.C. State assistant coach for the past three seasons, is leaving the Wolfpack for the NFL.

Galbraith, 52, has been named the tight ends coach of the Arizona Cardinals, putting him back in pro football for the first time since 1986.

"It just kind of came out of the blue," Galbraith said Thursday night. "I just thought it was the best thing for me to do at this time."

Galbraith said he had an interest in becoming a head coach someday and thought that working for an NFL team would help his chances. Also, Galbraith will work under offensive coordinator Jerry Sullivan, who coached with Galbraith at LSU.

The first pro game the Missouri native saw was the St. Louis Cardinals hosting the Dallas Cowboys, and the chance to return to that franchise meant something to him.

"Sometimes things come up, and they’re just right," he said. "I just think it’s an opportunity to get back to the National Football League. At this point in my life and career, it’s the best thing to do. … It’s a good fit and a challenge."

Galbraith said it was difficult to leave N.C. State, which has gone to three straight bowl games under Coach Chuck Amato. The Pack capped off an 11-3 season by beating Notre Dame 28-6 in the Gator Bowl on Jan. 1.

"I talked to [some players], and I just explained to them and told them what was going on," Galbraith said. "I had an opportunity, and sometimes you just make decisions."

Amato declined comment, other than to say he would issue a statement today.

Cardinals coach Dave McGinnis praised the experience of Galbraith, who has 29 seasons in coaching.

"Marty Galbraith is one of the most respected offensive coaches in college football," Cardinals coach Dave McGinnis said. "He brings a wealth of knowledge to the NFL, and his creative ideas will be a great addition."

Galbraith was offensive line coach for one season at N.C. State before adding the role of offensive coordinator. He replaced coordinator Norm Chow, who left N.C. State for the same job at Southern California.

Galbraith guided N.C. State offenses that were creative and productive under quarterback Philip Rivers. The Wolfpack regularly ran unconventional sets, incorporating reverses, passes to the quarterback and its own version of the fumblerooski.

Before coming to N.C. State, Galbraith was offensive coordinator at Marshall, where he tutored current New York Jets quarterback Chad Pennington. He also has worked at Wake Forest, LSU, Georgia Tech and other colleges. He worked as offensive line coach of the Kansas City Chiefs for one season and also has coached in high school and in the defunct USFL.

 

On This Night, Terps Fade Away
Cavs Rally From 12 Down To Knock Off No. 8 U-Md. : Virginia 86, Maryland 78
By Josh Barr
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, February 7, 2003; Page D01

Gary Williams was irate by halftime and did not feel any better after 20 more minutes of basketball. Eighth-ranked Maryland rallied from a 13-point deficit, built a 12-point lead, then watched it slip away in an 86-78 loss to Virginia last night.

"I hope it hurts for 21/2 days," the Terrapins' coach said in a voice filled with displeasure after his team's first ACC home loss in 15 games. "I hope it really hurts, 24 hours a day, 60 minutes an hour, until the ball gets thrown up [Sunday] at Georgia Tech, then we'll put it behind.

"When you're the eighth-ranked team in the country, the defending national champion, you have a certain responsibility to know you're going to take the other team's best shot. It looked like we thought we could get away with not playing our 'A' game. . . . That's what happened tonight."

Maryland (14-5, 6-2 ACC) had won 10 of its previous 11 games largely because of defense, surging to first place in the conference by limiting opponents to 36 percent shooting, tied for the best in the nation. Last night, however, Virginia had few problems with the Terrapins' press in the first half and handled their man-to-man defense down the stretch.

Virginia led 33-20 midway through the first half and trailed 65-53 with 121/2 minutes left. That's when junior college transfer Devin Smith started his barrage of three-pointers and soon the Cavaliers (13-7, 4-4) were on their way to their first conference road victory in more than a year and their first victory in College Park in 10 seasons.

"We beat an excellent team in a very tough place to play," said Virginia Coach Pete Gillen, whose team had lost four of its previous six games. "It was a special victory."

Smith made a pair three-pointers from the right side to bring the Cavaliers within 65-59. John Gilchrist fed Tahj Holden on a back-door cut for a dunk and Travis Garrison's jumper made it 69-59, but Maryland went scoreless for six minutes and did not make another basket until five seconds remained. Meantime, Smith made a pair of three-pointers from the left side, Jermaine Harper made a pair of open threes from the left corner and soon Virginia had a 75-69 lead.

"You have to give them credit for making the shots," Holden said, "but we left them open.

"We just didn't compete. It's frustrating, it's embarrassing to have a team come in here and out-compete us. That's it in a nutshell."

And Virginia took advantage. After going 8 of 24 from three-point range in seven previous ACC games, Smith was 5 of 7 from behind the arc. As a team, the Cavaliers shot 49 percent (the highest by a Maryland opponent this season), made 12 of 22 three-pointers (also a season high by a Maryland opponent, as was the 55-percent rate). Playing without point guard Keith Jenifer, suspended Monday after being charged with misdemeanor assault and battery for his role in an off-campus fight, Virginia scored the most points allowed by the Terrapins this season.

Williams seemed particularly irked at the defensive showing. After allowing a last-second basket to fall behind 47-45 at halftime, he ran after his players as they went toward the locker room and screamed, "Run!" By that point, the Cavaliers had shot 55 percent.

Maryland played better after halftime, using three baskets by center Ryan Randle and a tip-in by Holden to take a 53-47 lead. Smith scored on a second-chance jumper in the lane, but a three-pointer by Steve Blake and a drive by Holden made it 65-53.

At that point the Terrapins seemed in control, but that's when things fell apart. And everyone, it appeared, chipped in, missing shots, committing turnovers or making bad decisions on defense. Drew Nicholas (team-high 20 points and six assists) threw a bad pass. Nik Caner-Medley was called for a charge. Garrison missed a jumper and had a pass stolen. Randle missed the front-end of a one-and-one.

"I thought we had all kinds of good looks and we didn't make those shots," said Williams, whose team fell into a tie for the ACC lead with Wake Forest. "And we couldn't get an offensive rebound back in the basket either, so that's a bad combination."
 

Cavs Go the Distance in Comeback
Three-Point Shooting by Smith, Harper Sparks Second-Half Rally
By Jim Reedy
Special to The Washington Post
Friday, February 7, 2003; Page D09

With 121/2 minutes left in last night's game against Maryland, Virginia seemed headed for another in a long string of road losses. The Terrapins owned a 65-53 lead -- and eighth-ranked teams don't often blow 12-point leads, especially to opponents with such demonstrated ineffectiveness away from home.

But the Cavaliers, unlike in so many of their road games this season, kept fighting. Six three-pointers by Devin Smith and Jermaine Harper over the next 81/2 minutes pushed Virginia in front, 75-69. Four minutes later, the Cavaliers had an 86-78 win, their first ACC road victory since January 2002.

"It was just our night, when we're hitting threes like that," Virginia Coach Pete Gillen said. "They were swish, they were dead bottom."

Virginia (13-7, 4-4 ACC) finished with a season-high 12 three-pointers on 22 attempts, including five from Smith and two apiece from Harper, Todd Billet and Elton Brown.

"Going into the game, besides Billet, they hadn't been particularly effective from the three-point line," Maryland Coach Gary Williams said. "We gave them some looks, they made them and they got their confidence. I've seen that happen before."

Junior tri-captain Majestic Mapp, who helped Billet run the offense in the absence of suspended point guard Keith Jenifer, said that confidence was key for the Cavaliers, who had lost six of their seven road games this season.

"We just didn't relax," said Mapp, who scored 11 points in 19 minutes. "Other games we'd get down and we'd relax and think the game's over. Today we just showed maturity. I think for the first time this season besides the [Maui Invitational] we showed maturity.

"We picked each other up and we just got better as a team."

Virginia's 22-4 surge started when Smith (17 points) hit his second three-pointer, spotting up from the wing after Travis Watson rebounded a teammate's missed jumper. Smith hit another on the next possession while falling down to cut the Maryland lead to 65-59.

The Terrapins (14-5, 6-2) led by eight a few minutes later, but they left Smith alone for another three-pointer from the wing. He added his fourth with seven minutes remaining, slicing the Maryland lead to 69-67 and prompting Gillen -- kneeling, as always, on the sideline -- to slap the floor in excitement and exhort his team to complete the comeback.

Harper fulfilled that request on the next possession with a three-pointer from in front of the Virginia bench. Maryland's lead was gone for good.

"Coming into this game we knew we had a chance to win if we played our game, even though everybody expected us to lose," Smith said.

Said Harper: "In practice, Coach said we needed 10 threes tonight. Everybody was confident. Hopefully we can continue to hit big shots for the rest of the season."