A CHAMPAIGN TOAST

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Surrounded by raucous fans who made up walls of orange around the court, the Terrapin men's basketball team had to battle more than just an undefeated opponent.

The Terps had to handle the ear-splitting noise generated by the "Orange Krush" fan base and competed against a streak - as Illinois owned the nation's longest streak without a non-conference home loss at 51 straight games.

Staring down that number and an Assembly Hall capacity crowd, the Terps started quickly and emerged with a lead. While they allowed Illinois to ride a wave of momentum to get back in the game, the Terps were able to flip the switch again late in the game and recapture everything they had lost.

Regaining composure amid chaos, the No. 23-ranked Terps used a final run to silence the crowd and slay the streak, beating the Fighting llini 72-66 last night in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The last time Illinois lost a non-conference game at Assembly Hall was Nov. 17, 1998.

"I was just proud of them for the way they started. I think that's hard to do on this court," coach Gary Williams said. "It's not easy coming in here and getting off to that kind of a start, but we did, and then we hit that lull. ... But we didn't get discouraged - we just kept working and trying to find a way to put the ball in the basket. Finally we got it going."

After pouncing on Illinois out of the gate thanks to 6-of-8 shooting and 10 early points from senior guard Mike Jones, the Terps went cold. Williams attributed a lot of it to the Illini defense, but no matter what caused the drought, the result was ugly. The Terps shot 4-for-17 from the field during about a 16-minute stretch when their 14-point lead turned into a deficit.

"We just rushed a little bit," senior guard D.J. Strawberry said. "We were acting like we were down, and we were rushed. But we were up, so we just had to calm down."

Minutes later, the Terps calmed down and heated up as freshman guard Greivis Vasquez lit the fuse. Vasquez, who finished with 17 points, scored eight points by himself as the Terps clawed back.

Williams likened Vasquez to legendary sixth man John Havlicek. And though Williams said his freshman guard didn't know who Havlicek was, Vasquez orchestrated the Terps' second half comeback jaunts.

"It's really good to have a guy like that coming in the game because he's very excitable," Williams said of Vasquez. "His personality is such that if we're a little flat, he gets us going, just flying around."

Though Williams wasn't sure about how his young players would react to the environment, it took little time to erase that doubt. An initial turnover by freshman guard Eric Hayes to start the game was followed by stellar play out of Vasquez and junior forward Bambale Osby and a quiet six-assist performance from Hayes.

Osby was crucial for the Terps, who were without leading rebounder Ekene Ibekwe. As Ibekwe sat on the bench in his warm-ups, Osby pounded out 10 points, eight rebounds and made the most of his time on the court while in foul trouble.

Even without Ibekwe, the Terps held their own inside against Illinois, actually outscoring the Illini 36-32 in the paint.

But it was more than just the inside game that vaulted the Terps to an 8-0 record - it was the Terps' ability to master a game that swung like a pendulum. When the game appeared to be on the brink of complete disaster, Williams' team jetted out to another run and emerged with its first true road win of the season.

"We got the lead, they came back, they took the lead, but we just kept playing and stayed with it," junior forward James Gist said. "And, in the end, we won. That's how it's gotta be played."

For the Terps, it was another vindication. Able to go into hostile territory and win without Ibekwe, the Terps showed they could emerge victorious from an adverse situation.

"It shows that we're a tough team. It shows that when one man's down doesn't mean we're gonna be down," Gist said. "Playing in a great environment like this, to get a win like this is a great feeling."

Contact reporter Stephen Whyno at whynodbk@gmail.com.