(AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Sitting on the bench after fouling out with 23 seconds to go, Greivis Vasquez buried his face in a towel as Boston College secured its 76-67 victory, Tuesday, over the Terps.
He emerged, briefly, sporting a pained look, and then went back into hiding.
I thought to myself: ‘Maybe that emotion—that pain—Vasquez just showed means that he’s back to being emotionally invested in the team after not playing with his usual fire the past few games.’
Those are the “positive” signs Maryland fans are forced to look for when their team again squanders a double-digit lead at home. It’s that type of season.
The Terps played inspired basketball for the first 25 minutes—as one might expect from a team coming off an historic 41-point drubbing—and held a 10-point lead with 14:20 remaining in the game.
Before then, the Terps had shut down Boston College and its star Tyrese Rice, limiting the Eagles to 38 percent shooting in the first half. Meanwhile, the Terps shot the ball well, making 53 percent of their first-half shots.
In the second half, however, the Terps allowed Boston College to shoot 60 percent and get to the line at will. In the first half, the Eagles went 2-for-4 from the line. Second half? 16-for-20.
And the Terps lost their scoring touch, making only 30 percent of their second-half shots.
As they gave up their big lead, they just couldn’t buy a basket or a defensive stop. Boston College overcame the Maryland 16-point lead for good at the 4:35 mark.
The Eagles especially dominated the Terps in the paint in the second half, outscoring them 26-18. In the first half, Maryland had won the inside scoring battle 26-12.
To give Gary Williams and the players some credit, the Terps played with much more enthusiasm and energy than the Duke game. Vasquez was engaged and active. The team played hard and aggressive, especially in the first half. Even Eric Hayes, who went 1-for-8 for three points, didn’t pass up open shots or hesitate.
I still think Williams is an outstanding coach. He really maximizes his teams’ talent. His recruiting woes were the subject of a few excellent Baltimore Sun articles this week, but as a teacher and motivator, Williams is great.
Watching his team repeatedly collapse like this must be dreadfully hard for Williams to stomach. If he can somehow salvage this season, it should go down as one of his best efforts.
The Terps host Miami on Saturday night at 8 p.m. TV=Raycom.
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