ENGELKE: At last, Terps manage to keep it drama-free

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – As the clock ticked down to zero last night, coach Gary Williams stood calmly on the sideline, watching as the Terrapin men's basketball team held firm on the court. For the first time in nearly two weeks, Williams had no reason to be stressed at a game's end.

The Terps didn't falter late as they have so many times this season, instead finishing the game with clutch 3-point shooting and good play on the defensive side of the ball en route to a 66-42 victory over Virginia.

The Terps have watched leads slip away multiple times this season — against Boston College, against Duke and, most dramatically, against Villanova.

But for the second straight game, the Terps finished on top. Their two-point victory over Clemson six days ago was a little too close for comfort, but last night's 24-point drubbing was nothing of the sort.

"It was a big win for us," guard Pe'Shon Howard said. "Virginia's about the same level as us, so if we lost, it would've hurt us a lot."

It didn't matter that the game was sloppy in the first half. The Terps turned around their initial struggles finding the basket when it mattered most — in the game's final frame of action.

After shooting just 40 percent from the field in the first half, the Terps rebounded, hitting 68 percent of their shots in the second. They also hit 75 percent of their free throws in the game's final 20 minutes.

"We gradually got better as the game went on at seeing what was open because of what they were doing," Gary Williams said. "That was the key. We made pretty good adjustments in the second half."

After dropping six close games earlier this season, in addition to a 17-point defeat at the hands of Virginia Tech, the Terps are slowly improving and starting to look like a team worthy of an NCAA Tournament bid.

Sure, they beat a weak Virginia squad, but it's not whom the Terps beat that matters. Rather, it's what they did on the court that shows how much progress they're making in areas that have been their weak spots all season.

Free throws, 3-point shooting and having someone — anyone — besides Jordan Williams actually do some damage on the score sheet all have plagued the Terps this year. Last night all three of those areas looked better than they have for most of the year.

Williams, who scored only six points and ended his streak of consecutive double-doubles at 13, was limited all game, a product of being double- and triple-teamed by the Cavaliers. But the Terps' outside shooters — Howard, Cliff Tucker, Terrell Stoglin and Adrian Bowie — stepped up.

Bowie was especially effective, scoring a season-high 22 points and hitting three of five shots from long range.

"When your spacing's good and the other team's doubling, you have a chance to get some open looks," Gary Williams said. "Cliff, Adrian, guys like that really stepped up and hit shots, which they had to do."

The Terps' place on Selection Sunday is anything but certain, and at the moment, most bracketologists have them on the outside looking in. But if they can end games the way they did last night and avoid another Virginia Tech-esque fiasco, don't be surprised if this team can earn an invitation to the Big Dance.

"One of the main things is a sense of urgency," Tucker said. "When we lost to Virginia Tech, that gave us three losses [in the ACC]. We realized if we want to go to the NCAA Tournament, we've got to start winning now. We can't give up too many more games."

At this point in the season, players realize what's at stake. Just how much the Terps care about it was evident last night against the Cavaliers.

jengelke@umdbk.com