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Jan. 19, 2005
By DAVID GINSBURG
AP Sports Writer
COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Nik Caner-Medley scored 26 points, and Marylandkept Virginia winless in the Atlantic Coast Conference by pulling away to an82-68 victory Wednesday night.
Ekene Ibekwe had 12 points for Maryland (11-4, 2-2), including seven in apivotal run that brought the Terrapins back from a 51-46 deficit.
Elton Brown scored 18 points and Devin Smith had 17 for the Cavaliers (9-6,0-5). Virginia last started 0-5 in the ACC during the 1998-99 season, coachPete Gillen’s first at the school.
The Cavaliers went 7-for-31 from the floor in the second half and scoredonly 27 points over the final 20 minutes. Virginia is 1-11 in its last 12 gamesat Maryland.
Down by five early in the second half, the Terrapins used a 14-2 spree to goup 60-53 with 12 minutes left. Caner-Medley scored the first seven points on adrive, a 3-pointer and a jumper in the lane, and Ibekwe capped it with twobaskets and a three-point play.
After Jason Cain scored for Virginia, Maryland’s Mike Jones hit a 3-pointerand Ibekwe added a dunk for a 10-point cushion.
Before the game, the Terrapins announced that sophomore guard D.J.Strawberry would be lost for the season with a torn ligament in his right knee.Strawberry, who was averaging 7.0 points a game, started three times thisseason.
Virginia also played short-handed. The Cavaliers announced Wednesday thatforward Jason Clark, who started 12 games, would miss the rest of the seasonfor academic reasons. Virginia was also without reserve center Donte Minter,who has a broken finger on his shooting hand.
Sean Singletary hit two 3-pointers to open the second half, helping theCavaliers take a 49-42 lead, but the Cavaliers went cold after that.
After trailing by nine points with 7:45 left in the first half, Virginiaclosed strong to go up 41-40 at the break.
Caner-Medley scored 15 of the Terrapins’ first 31 points, but Smith had 11in the opening 12 minutes to keep the Cavaliers close. A driving layup by Smithbrought Virginia to 28-23, but Caner-Medley answered with a 3-pointer andIbekwe sank a free throw to give Maryland its biggest lead.
Smith then made two layups and J.R. Reynolds scored five points in a 12-0spurt that put the Cavaliers in front 35-31.