Clemson Earns Its Stripes Under Pressure in Win Over Maryland

The crowd in Cole Field House at College Park, Md., was going berserk and the momentum had clearly shifted to 11th-ranked Maryland, which had battled back from a 12-point deficit to tie No. 3 Clemson, 51-51, with four minutes left in Wednesday night’s Atlantic Coast Conference game.

A year ago, a young Clemson team would have wilted. This season’s team is decidedly different.

Sophomore guard Terrell McIntyre made two three-point shots and another sophomore, forward Harold Jamison had two baskets to provide a cushion for Clemson in a 67-63 victory, its 11th in a row.

Clemson, 15-1 overall and 4-0 in the ACC, has only one starting senior, guard Merl Code, whose two free throws with 6.8 seconds left sealed the victory. The Tigers went 8-10 after Code suffered a season-ending knee injury last year, and an 18-11 record was also due in part to their penchant for losing close games on the road.

“To come in here and to show that type of poise is a real compliment to our players,” Clemson Coach Rick Barnes said. “Our non-league schedule [including road victories over Kentucky and South Carolina] has really helped us prepare for conference play. “We’ve been in some environments like this. It’s just experience starting to build up.”

Keith Booth led Maryland (14-2, 4-1) with 16 points. The Terrapins were looking to go 15-1 for the first time in school history but were hurt by two-of-14 three-point shooting. They made 62% of their two-point shots.

No. 2 Wake Forest 58, Virginia 54--The Demon Deacons (13-0, 5-0) had their first scare of the season, with center Tim Duncan scoring on two bank shots in the final 1:04 to assure their 25th consecutive home victory in the ACC game at Winston-Salem, N.C.

On a night when Wake Forest unveiled its 1996 ACC championship banner, the Demon Deacons needed all of Duncan’s 22nd consecutive game of double-figure scoring (28 points) and rebounding (14) and 71st in his career.

Wake Forest, shooting 55% for the season, missed 15 of its first 19 shots and went 12 minutes without a field goal in the second half.

But Wake Forest, ranked No. 1 in the nation field-goal percentage defense, held Virginia (11-5, 2-3) scoreless over the final five minutes. Two Cavalier turnovers preceded Duncan’s late baskets.

No. 10 Louisville 92, Houston 78--Freshman forward Nate Johnson was made 11 of 13 shots and had 24 points for the Cardinals (14-1, 3-0) in a Conference USA game at Louisville.

Louisville shot a season-high 57% and became the first team this season to shoot better than 50% against Houston (8-6, 0-2). The victory was the Cardinals’ 500th against 61 losses in 41 seasons at Freedom Hall.

No. 13 Duke 87, North Carolina Greensboro 49--Five players scored in double figures for the Blue Devils (13-4), who led by as many as 40 points in the nonconference game at Greensboro, N.C.

Duke center Greg Newton, sporting a shaved head after three consecutive games without scoring in the first half, had seven of his 18 points before halftime.

North Carolina Greensboro is 6-10.

No. 17 Indiana 66, Northwestern 63--Guard Neil Reed, benched for the entire first half by Coach Bob Knight, scored 16 of the Hoosiers’ last 17 points in the final 5:23 of the Big Ten game at Evanston, Ill.

Indiana (15-3, 2-2) extended its winning streak over Northwestern (5-10, 0-4) to 16 games and and avoided its first three-game conference losing streak since 1990.

No. 19 Boston College 81, Fairfield 79--Forward Antonio Granger scored on driving shot in the lane as time ran out in overtime as the Eagles (12-2) escaped with a nonconference victory over the Stags (5-7) at New Haven, Conn.

Forward Danya Abrams had 26 points and nine rebounds but missed a shot in close as time ran out in regulation for Boston College, which is off its best start since 1981-82.

Earlier, Boston College Coach Jim O’Brien, who reportedly threatened to quit earlier in the season over a disagreement with administrators, agreed to terms on a multiyear contract extension.

O’Brien, in his 11th year at Boston College, wrangled with the school’s administration over admissions, most recently in November when three Boston-area high school recruits who had met previous standards were denied admission.

Mississippi State 75, No. 20 Mississippi 64--All five starters scored in double figures for the Bulldogs (8-9, 2-2) in a Southeastern Conference game at Starkville, Miss. The Rebels (11-4, 3-2) were coming off a 73-69 victory over defending national champion Kentucky last Saturday that moved them into the national rankings for the first time in their history.

Mississippi State, which lost all five starters from last season’s Final Four team, made 13 of 14 free throws in the final 1:16 to pull away. Guard Bert Hyche made nine of 10 free throws in that span and finished with a team-high 20 points.

No. 22 North Carolina 59, North Carolina State 56--Antawn Jamison’s spin move and layup with 12 seconds left sealed the ACC victory at Chapel Hill, N.C., for the Tar Heels (10-4, 1-3), who avoided falling into unprecedented possession of last place.

Jamison, who had 13 points and 12 rebounds, had guaranteed a victory over the Wolfpack (8-5, 0-4) after North Carolina fell to 0-3 for the first time in 44 seasons in the ACC. “We’re going to bounce back,” said Jamison after Saturday’s home loss to Virginia. “I have the most confidence in the world it’s going to start Wednesday night. I’d put my life on that game.”

North Carolina missed its first 11 shots of the second half but scored the game’s last 12 points with the help of six North Carolina State turnovers in the final 2:21.

No. 23 Texas 86, Texas A&M; 76--Guard Reggie Freeman made 15 of 17 free throws and had 30 points to lead the Longhorns (9-4, 3-1) to a Big 12 overtime victory at College Station, Texas.

It was Texas’ seventh consecutive victory over Texas A&M; (6-8, 0-4).

No. 25 Texas Tech 67, Oklahoma 62--Guard Cory Carr scored 11 of his 26 points in the final 3 1/2 minutes for the Red Raiders (11-3, 3-1) in a Big 12 Conference game at Norman, Okla.

Oklahoma (9-4, 1-2) went 11 minutes without a field goal during span that covered the first and second halves and finished with 32% shooting.

OTHER GAMES

Iowa, 14-3 overall and at 5-0 the Big Ten’s only unbeaten team, got 27 points from guard Andre Woolridge in a 76-62 victory over Ohio State (7-7, 2-3) at Iowa City. The Hawkeyes, off to their best Big Ten start since 1987, made 27 more free throws for the Buckeyes, with Woolridge--the conference’s leading scorer at 19.1 points a game--making 13 of 16. The victory was also No. 100 in the Big Ten for Coach Tom Davis. . . . Guard Chauncey Billups scored the last nine points of overtime for Colorado (13-3, 4-0) in a 78-74 Big Eight victory over Oklahoma State (8-6, 1-3) at Boulder, Colo. Billups had 22 points for Colorado, which is off to its best start since 1968-69. . . . Coppin State’s (4-7) home-court winning streak ended at 42 games in a 76-70 nonconference loss to North Carolina A&T; (5-4). Coppin State, located in Baltimore, had the nation’s second-longest home winning streak to Kansas.

Center Adonal Foyle had his streak of double-figure points and rebounds end at 23 games but Colgate (5-9, 3-0) won its fifth in a row, defeating Holy Cross, 95-79, in a Patriot League game at Worcester, Mass. Adonal Foyle, averaging 25.8 points a game, had 17 points, nine rebounds and six blocked shots. . . . South Carolina (10-5, 4-0) overcame a 16-point deficit in the final six minutes, with BJ McKie’s layup with five seconds left giving the Gamecocks an 80-79 SEC victory over Florida (8-8, 1-3) at Gainesville, Fla. . . . Coach Nolan Richardson got his 400th victory as Arkansas (9-4, 3-2) was a 72-68 SEC winner over Alabama (11-5, 1-2) at Tuscaloosa, Ala.

College Basketball Notes

Connecticut said it believes the men’s basketball program has violated NCAA rules, and that it is being investigated by the NCAA and Big East Conference. The suspected violations were not disclosed. The Huskies (11-3, 4-2 in the Big East) play No. 1 Kansas Sunday.