Though the Terps' game at Georgia Tech tonight wasn't televised or webcast, there was a live radio feed, so the BCs got to listen. And thanks to the fast-talking GT announcer (from WREK.com), we got the gist. Our general impression: it wasn't the prettiest of games.
Despite some early foul trouble and 11 turnovers in the first half, Maryland was able to take a 7-point lead into the locker room at the break, 27-20. But the Terps were undone by their TOs in the second half (15!), and with 17:10 left, the Yellow Jackets took their first lead of the game. But one thing we know: the Terps never quit. (Remember Purdue? Remember UVA?) Maryland clawed its way back from a 5-point deficit, and with 2:12 left in the game, Maryland led by a single point, 53-52.
And then the lights went out in Georgia. Literally.
No lights, no scoreboard, no nothing. A power surge in the arena had momentarily knocked out all the electronics. It took about 15 minutes for the lights to warm up after that, with a total game delay in excess of 20 minutes. So much for Maryland's momentum!
The stoppage in play was so long that the teams had to go through their warmups all over again. After play resumed, the Terps went cold for 2:10 seconds . . . unable to score, even from the free throw line. Meanwhile, Georgia Tech managed to tie the score at 53. So with 1.6 seconds left and Maryland inbounding the ball, it looked like this already-too-long game was headed for overtime.
But no! With 1.2 seconds left on the clock, Kim Rodgers launched a three . . . and it was good! The WREK.com radio announcer was such a, uhmm, wreck, he couldn't even tell us for several minutes who had hit the shot. But we later learned it was Kimmie . . . her only 3-pointer of the night. Before that, she was 0-3 from beyond the arc. Kim's timing could not have been better! Maryland wins, 56-53! What a heart-stopper of an ending!
Only two Terps were in double figures tonight . . . the usual suspects. Lynetta Kizer led all scorers with 19 points, while super frosh Alyssa Thomas was close behind, with 17. (BTW, Alyssa picked up her 5th ACC Rookie-of-the-Week award on Monday. Congrats Alyssa!)
With tonight's win, the Terps improve to 5-2 in the ACC. And since Miami lost to Duke this evening and Maryland handed Georgia Tech another loss, the Terps (for the moment at least) have now climbed to 5th place in the conference standings. Though the Devils sit alone at the top, there are 5 more teams bunched up and vying to be one of the top four teams, as each earns a bye in the first round of next month's ACC Tournament. So every game down the stretch is critical.
Next up for Maryland is a noon match on Sunday at Comcast against NC State. It's an early tip-off, so we can catch all the action and still make it to our Super Bowl parties in plenty of time!
Go Terps . . . Beat the Wolfpack!
Photo Credit: ACC via Twitter
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