Terps get share of ACC regular season title from the free throw line

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Gary Williams knows how hard it must have been for his Terrapin men's basketball players to avoid thinking about their ACC positioning in recent days. The 21st-year coach acknowledged letting his mind occasionally wander toward the prospect of his team's first regular season crown since 2002.

But Williams never talked about it with the Terps, imploring them to consider each game individually. He couldn't deviate from the focused strategy that helped put the Terps in position to lock up a share of the title with a win against Virginia on Saturday.

Sitting behind a table inside the John Paul Jones Arena media room after the game, it was suddenly easier to talk about those feelings.

The Terps survived a second-half surge to beat the Cavaliers 74-68 to close out their most successful conference season since winning their lone National Championship eight years ago. They share the title with No. 4 Duke, which blasted North Carolina 82-50 Saturday night to also finish 13-3 in ACC play.

Although they never trailed, the Terps squandered nearly all of a 14-point second-half lead amid a late Cavalier shooting barrage. But guard Greivis Vasquez scored 13 of his game-high 23 points in the final 6:06, and Virginia coach Tony Bennett picked up a costly technical foul in the final minute as the Terps won for the first time at the Cavaliers' four-year-old arena.

"I thought about it, so I'm sure the players thought about it," Williams said of earning at least a share of his third regular season conference title. "It's great for them because we went through a lot of things to get to here."

The Terps (23-7, 13-3 ACC) followed up their emotional win against the Blue Devils on Wednesday by sending the struggling Cavaliers, who were without suspended star guard Sylven Landesberg, to their ninth straight loss.

Virginia (14-15, 5-11) fought back in the second half with hot shooting. The home team shot 65 percent in the second half and made nine of its last eleven field goals, including a stretch of eight in a row.

The Cavaliers trimmed a double-digit second-half deficit to one point on forward Will Sherrill's layup with 1:39 left. They had a chance to take the lead after a Vasquez charge on the next possession.

But guard Mustapha Farrakhan traveled, turning the ball back to the Terps. And on the ensuing possession, officials whistled Virginia's Jerome Meyinsse for a block on guard Sean Mosley. Bennett walked onto the court to protest the questionable call and spiked his jacket to the floor, earning his first technical foul of the season. Vasquez and Mosley each knocked down a pair of free throws to lift the lead back to five.

The Terps went 8-for-8 from the foul line in the final 39 seconds.

"They almost got us," said Vasquez, who endured a nearly 27-minute scoring drought before hitting three 3-pointers in the game's final minutes. "They almost got us crying. You have to give them credit."

After several blowout wins to start conference play, the Terps earned their sixth consecutive single-digit win — and seventh straight victory overall. By holding on in a game they led 38-27 at halftime, the Terps remained the lone ACC team to win each game they have led after 20 minutes — even if they benefited from Bennett's self-described lapse in judgment "in the heat of battle" to ensure the streak continued.

"It wasn't about how it looked," Williams said. "It was just getting a win."

Early on, it seemed as if the Terps might cruise they way they did against the Cavaliers in a 19-point win in College Park on Feb. 15. Using a balanced scoring attack and a big rebounding advantage, they led by as many 14 in the first half. They finished with a 35-21 edge on the boards and outscored Virginia 22-2 on second chance points.

But the Cavaliers hung around and methodically plodded back in the closing minutes while the Terps' offense stagnated.

"Once they saw that they could play with us, they went after us, and they did a great job," Williams said.

As Virginia chipped away at the deficit, normally steady guard Eric Hayes committed a charge and a traveling violation. Forward Landon Milbourne, who shot just 1-for-7 from the field, wildly punched the air in frustration when one of his short jumpers spun out with about 11 minutes left. Vasquez, known for his ability to hit circus shots, air-balled one and threw another off the side of the backboard.

But on their Senior Day, the Cavaliers couldn't complete the shocker. True to their recent form, the Terps made just enough plays down the stretch to ensure they will roll into this week's ACC Tournament as the conference's hottest team.

They'll be the No. 2-seed in Greensboro, N.C., when they kick off play Friday after a first-round bye. But on Saturday, the Terps relished an opportunity to finally celebrate their regular season accomplishments.

"We worked hard the whole season to get where we are today," said Mosley, who added 10 points. "It's one of them feelings I'll never forget."

edetweiler@umdbk.com