Maryland Is On Guard as Terps Handle Florida State

COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton's losing streak in College Park is still alive. So to are Maryland's NCAA tournament hopes.

Terrell Stoglin scored 17 points to lead five Terrapins in double figures as Maryland (18-10, 7-6 in the ACC) dropped Florida State (19-8, 9-4) 78-62 at Comcast Center, the fifth time in five tries Maryland has beaten Florida State in College Park since Hamilton took over in 2003.

The Terps took their time to get going after the 9 p.m. tip. Florida State's Deividas Dulkys hit his first three shots to give the Seminoles an early 9-2 lead, forcing Maryland coach Gary Williams to call a timeout 1:54 in.

It was all Maryland afterward. The Terps took a one-point lead at halftime and tacked on a 13-4 run early into the second to take a 55-44 advantage with 11:49 to play. Maryland's lead never again dipped into single digits.

Derwin Kitchen led a sloppy Florida State team with 16 points. Dulkys added 14. The Seminoles, who were playing without star Chris Singleton, who remains sidelined after fracturing his foot earlier this month, committed 17 turnovers against just 13 assists.

The loss denied Florida State its third straight 10-win season in the ACC.

Dino Gregory, Adrian Bowie, Jordan Williams and Sean Mosley also scored in double figures for Maryland.

How It Was Won: Offensive balance. Florida State packed the lane against Terps star Jordan Williams and dared anyone but the sophomore post star to beat them. The Terps obliged. Maryland's underperforming perimeter had its most complete game of the year, while Williams quietly went about getting another double-double.

How It Was Lost: Florida State's defense didn't answer the bell without Singleton in the lineup. The Seminoles let Maryland shoot better than 50 percent, just the second opponent to hit more than half of its field goals against Maryland this year.

What It Means: The Seminoles will try and hang on to third place in the ACC without Singleton, and remain a game up on Virginia Tech. The Hokies host Duke Saturday while Florida State finishes out its schedule at home. Meanwhile, Maryland looked the part of an NCAA tournament team and at 7-6 in the ACC with a win over a top-50 RPI team, the Terps' once hazy NCAA tournament chances now seem much more promising. A weekend trip to Chapel Hill could be a ticket-puncher.