ATLANTA – Early on, it didn’t look good for Maryland. The Terrapins looked to be on the verge of another early exit from the ACC Tournament, as they did not get out of the first round the past two seasons, including a loss to the No. 12 seed in 2007. They fell behind 21-8, as they couldn’t get anything going with NC State’s strong defense.
That’s when Eric Hayes came in.
The junior guard was coming on of late, having scored in double figures in six of the last nine games. Here, it didn’t take him long to get going, as he hit three three-pointers in a short span to give the offense some life. And when the Terrapins walked off the court with a 74-69 win over the Wolfpack, Hayes was a prime reason.
It wasn’t just his game-high 21 points on 5-6 shooting from long range, as well as 6-8 from the line. His early three-pointers woke up the offense, and the defense seemed to follow. That set the stage for the Terrapins’ late run that took the game over.
“Sometimes that’s all it takes, you make one or two shots and everybody relaxes,” said head coach Gary Williams. “It’s a team thing when Hayes hit those shots.”
Indeed, those shots touched off a 20-4 run that saw the Terrapins eventually take the lead before the remainder of the half went back and forth.
“Eric stepped up enormous this game,” said senior forward Dave Neal. “I said someone needed to step up, and Eric definitely took on that role and stepped up as a leader for this game. I am extremely proud of him.”
Hayes has been counted on to do things since arriving in College Park a couple of years ago. At the time, it was thought that he would stabilize the point guard spot, which is a lot to ask of a freshman. As it’s turned out, Greivis Vasquez has been the man there, although at times the Terrapins will play both of them together since both are capable of scoring. But he’s been a steady performer, and this time came through in a big way.
The second half saw both teams go back and forth, with 17 lead changes. The teams matched each other stop for stop, basket for basket, until a Sean Mosley layup made it 63-62. When Vasquez, who had 17 points and 10 assists, made a three-pointer to push the lead to 66-62, it was finally more than a one-possession game, and the Terrapins were in the midst of a decisive 11-0 run.
Vasquez, who seemingly never lacks confidence, said that this team is playing for Sunday, and knew a win Thursday would give them a shot at Wake Forest a night later. The Terrapins certainly need a good run in this tournament to have a shot at the NCAA Tournament, and Thursday night gives them a chance to continue that. It’s also a good sign because of how the game started.
“They almost blew us away there early in the game, so we had to fight hard to get back,” said Williams. “That’s what makes this win special, when you play against a team that’s playing pretty well and we were able to get back into it and stay tough to win the game.”
On Friday, the Terrapins will go up against a Wake Forest team that is certainly playing pretty well and appears to have found some more consistency after a period where one didn’t know which Wake team was going to show up. The Demon Deacons eked out a two-point win in College Park during a regular season-ending four-game winning streak.
