Hokies streak past Terps in blowout, 74-57

The final minutes of the Terrapin men's basketball game against Virginia Tech on Thursday night went by swiftly with uninspired play and a litter of boos.

Unlike each of their previous losses this season, the Terps had no chance down the stretch to close a deficit and steal a win. Aside from an 11-point second half outburst from guard Cliff Tucker, the Terps failed to match, or even come close to, the Hokies' intensity level.

What started with a 12-0 Virginia Tech run ended as the Terps' largest margin of defeat ever at Comcast Center. There were no moral victories in the Terps' 74-57 drubbing on national television — not even forward Jordan Williams' 12th straight double-double to tie a program record could mitigate the damage done.

But even Williams never looked quite himself, failing to get many touches inside the paint. Virginia Tech (12-5, 3-2 ACC) utilized a 2-3 zone defense and collapsed with several players when Williams tried to find an opening.

The defense forced the Terps (11-6, 1-3) to attack from the perimeter, a range that has bedeviled the team all season.

"Where this came from tonight, the way we played, pretty much the whole game, was a one-game thing," coach Gary Williams said. "The games we've lost before, they weren't like that."

After impressive showings in road losses to then-No. 1 Duke and No. 7 Villanova last week, Williams was left to wonder why his team fell flat in another conference loss at home.

"After a game like that, you wonder where that comes from," Williams said. "We just didn't have the energy that Virginia Tech had."

From tip-off, Virginia Tech took the Terps and the crowd out of the game. In just two minutes the Hokies scored 10 straight points, including a 3-pointer from forward Jeff Allen to force an early Terp timeout.

"We didn't expect them to come out as hard as they did and we obviously didn't come out hard," Tucker said. "We were horrible today on defense."

During that 12-0 run, the Terps missed four shots, committed several turnovers and failed to penetrate the zone inside.

"They came out real fast," guard Adrian Bowie said. "It took a lot of energy to get back from that lead. It was constantly fighting back and fighting back. Eventually they just pulled it out."

By halftime, the Terps faced a 40-29 deficit while Williams had just two points. The ineffective play continued after the break.

"They disturbed our offense," Williams said. "We should have just taken our time and played our game, but we took some dumb shots including myself."

As the Terps guards struggled on their home floor, Hokies guard Erick Green torched the team with his drives to the basket and pull-up jumpers. Green finished with a game- and career-high 24 points on 12 of 16 shooting.

"Defense killed us," said Tucker, who started for the first time in seven games. "You can't do that in the ACC."

Tucker made up for his first-half shooting struggles with a run of 11 straight points, including three 3-pointers, in a two-minute stretch to awaken the crowd midway through the second half. The scoring barrage trimmed the Hokies' lead to eight with 7:15 remaining in the game.

But following an official timeout, a missed free throw and a Virginia Tech timeout, the Terps' energy evaporated, as did any hopes of a comeback. They would never come closer the rest of the game.

"We don't have time to sit and mope around," Tucker said. "We have to have a sense of urgency about us."

The Terps have a short turnaround before Saturday afternoon's game against Clemson, but Williams is looking forward to putting the largest home loss in nearly 12 years behind him.

"I'm glad we're playing," Williams said. "We want to get back on the court."

ceckard@umdbk.com