The Terps go into the locker room 42-33 against N.C. State in the first round of the ACC tournament.
Maryland knew coming into this game that they had to win four in a row in order to gain an NCAA tournament bid, and it showed in the first few minutes of the half. Maryland shot 4 for 4 from the field and held an early 12-2 lead over the Wolpack.
But as the half went on, Maryland got a little careless and gave some ground to Sidney Lowe's team. Late in the half the Wolfpack went on an 8-0 run in order to cut the Maryland lead to just six points. But The final possession of the half provided a little momentum swing for the Terps. Freshman Terrell Stoglin found James Padgett in the paint with less than ten seconds to go in the half, and Padgett finished the play off with a bucket and getting fouled. With that, the Terps extended their lead back to nine going into halftime.
Maryland's leading scorer, as usual, is Jordan Williams with 10 points. What's interesting in this game so far is that Gary Williams is giving his players more balanced playing time in an effort to preserve each player so that they are fresh for a four game run (if they get that far).
But an epic ACC tournament run will be all for naught if they do not finish off N.C. State in the second half.