Eagles complete comeback: BC 76, Terps 67

Tuesday night's game against Boston College was just another typical, routine loss for the Terrapin men's basketball team.

You know: the type where the Terps come out firing, eventually become complacent and then try to hold on for dear life in the second half as they watch their lead completely vanish.

For the third time in as many weeks, the Terps (13-7, 2-4 ACC) blew a double-digit advantage - this one 16 points large - as Boston College came into Comcast Center and pilfered a 76-67 victory from the reeling young squad. It's the Terps' fifth loss in their last seven games.

It appeared as if the Terps had shaken the demons of their 41-point loss at Duke over the weekend. The Terps responded to their brutal 44-point performance by scoring 40 first-half points against Boston College, taking an 11-point lead into the break.

But then, as Terps coach Gary Williams put it, "the game changed at halftime."

The Terps shot 52.9 percent from the field in the first half, then came out and hit only 29.7 percent of their shots after halftime. The defense also broke down, allowing the Eagles to shoot 60 percent from the floor during the game's final 20 minutes.

"We didn't come out with the same fire as we did the first 20 minutes of the game, and we paid for it," Williams said.

The Terps slowed down Boston College's top scorer, holding Tyrese Rice to just four points before the senior point guard hit six free throws to ice the game. But the Eagles' attack proved to be more diverse than just the talented Rice, as they beat the Terps defense with six players scoring nine or more points.

The Terps' second-half lag corresponded with the play of Landon Milbourne, who has been the most consistent team member throughout January. In the first half, Milbourne led all scorers with 12 points and then put down a ferocious dunk to kick off scoring in the second half.

But that was the last impact Milbourne made, as he went scoreless the rest of the way.

"The way we came out, we gave them confidence, and in the ACC, you can't do that," Milbourne said. "When you get a lead, you've got to keep it."

The loss pushes the Terps to 2-4 in conference play. They still have games against the conference's top teams - North Carolina (twice), Duke and Wake Forest - who have all been ranked first in the nation at one point this season. A home game against a middle-of-the-pack Eagles squad was one the Terps could ill afford to lose.

"When we don't get wins in games you should win, that hurts you in conference play, especially in a conference like this," Williams said.

Though these second-half meltdowns keep occurring, the Terps can't seem to put a finger on how to diagnose the problem. Guard Greivis Vasquez struggled to even put his feelings in English, noting that there's a Spanish phrase that would describe it best. And Williams, in his 20th year with the Terps, seemed just as puzzled.

"I really don't know [why this keeps happening]," the disgruntled coach said after the game. "If I knew, it wouldn't happen; I'd find a way to fix it."

The fans, who toughed out inclement weather for the game, flowed for the exits with more than a minute left on the game clock. Their Terps once again left them feeling empty after 20 minutes of such promise.

Williams said he was encouraged by the way the Terps bounced back from the Duke game to play so well in the first half.

But in the end, the same losing result left just as much of a sting.

"This hurts a lot more," Neal said, comparing it to the Duke blowout. "We were up by [16], then they come back in the second half and take the lead. ... I think we were leading the game, the whole entire game, until like the [seven] minute mark. When that happens, it's terrible."

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