Amid questions, a big answer

Adrian Bowie hadn't looked quite himself Sunday against NC State, opting to pull back on several fast breaks and not attacking the hoop with the vigor he's often shown this season. Whether it stemmed from lingering effects of pink eye or just a lack of confidence, Bowie was all but absent from the game's proceedings — he didn't attempt a single shot against the Wolfpack.

Fortunately for the Terps, the senior guard showed up when they most needed him. With a performance reminiscent of his early-season form, Bowie helped secure a dominant 78-62 victory against Florida State last night that kept the Terps' NCAA Tournament hopes within reach for one more night. Bowie's 12 points and team-high six assists paced an offense that regularly shredded one of the nation's stoutest defensive outfits.

"Good teams find what works in games," coach Gary Williams said. "We didn't take many shots on the perimeter that were contested. And that's probably the best man-to-man we've played in a while. We were carrying out assignments very well. It's a tremendous team effort."

From tip-off, the Seminoles clogged the lane and made it difficult for forwards Dino Gregory and Jordan Williams to find their shots early on, putting the game in the hands of the Terps' perimeter players.

Williams, the Terps' (18-10, 7-6 ACC) unquestioned offensive leader this season, didn't even register a shot until more than 13 minutes into last night's game against Florida State (19-8, 9-4 ACC).

So the Terps instead fired away from behind the 3-point arc and scored off the fast break. After attempting just one shot from deep against the Wolfpack on Sunday, they hit seven of 14 last night.

"For all of you who thought the 3-pointer was no longer part of our offense, there it is," Williams said. "Seven of 14, is that OK? The idea is to win basketball games, and we're going to win it however we can. If we don't shoot 3s and we win, that's OK. If we shoot 3s and win, that's OK, too."

Against the Terps, who shot 52.1 percent from the field, the Seminoles allowed their second-highest point total all season.

"We knew if we could stop these guys, we knew we could score," Bowie said. "We knew we could attack them at all times. That's just not being selfish and looking for others."

Williams (11 points, 11 rebounds) eventually started scoring and finished with his first double-double in four games. But it was perimeter scoring from Bowie and fellow guards Terrell Stoglin and Sean Mosley that powered the Terps' offense against Florida State, whose defense entering last night had allowed just 61.8 points per game.

Bowie scored 10 of his 12 points in the first half, while Stoglin picked up the load in the second half and finished with a team-high 17 points.

"He just looked comfortable," Gary Williams said of Bowie. "He got into a good zone early. I wish someone would knock him down and make him mad. He's a senior guard that's made big shots and played in big games. You need guys like that."

Florida State started the game quickly, ripping off a 9-2 run led by guard Deividas Dulkys, who sank two 3-pointers and completed a three-point play in the paint to quiet an already thin Comcast Center crowd.

But as Dulkys cooled off and the cracks in the Seminoles' turnover-prone offense started to show, the Terps began hitting shots. Bowie, Stoglin and guard Pe'Shon Howard worked efficiently to cut into the lead, dishing a combined nine first-half assists to go with just one turnover.

After Howard hit two free throws to put the Terps up nine with just less than four minutes to play before intermission, the Seminoles finished the half on a 10-2 run to close the deficit to just one.

But the Terps came out of the break strong and embarked on an early 13-3 run to take a 15-point lead. Florida State never recovered as it fell at the hands of a Terp team playing some of its best — and most timely —basketball of the season.

"It's definitely huge for our confidence to beat a great team like Florida State," Jordan Williams said. "We're being patient, being efficient, making the extra passes. Like I said before, we're a versatile team. The more we buy into that, we can be a great team."

ceckard@umdbk.com