04, 2014
COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) – Nick Faust scored 16 points, and Maryland launched the home portion of its final trip through the Atlantic Coast Conference by defeating Georgia Tech 77-61 Saturday.
The Terrapins never trailed in their seventh-straight home win over the Yellow Jackets. Maryland (10-5, 2-0) built a double-digit lead in the opening four minutes, upped the margin to 20 early in the second half and coasted to the finish.
Evan Smotrycz contributed 14 points, Dez Well scored 11 and Charles Mitchell collected 11 rebounds for the Terrapins, who have won three straight and five of six.
This is Maryland’s last season in the ACC before moving to the Big Ten. With the win, the Terrapins improved to 36-36 against the Yellow Jackets in ACC play.
Marcus Georges-Hunt led Georgia Tech (9-5, 0-1) with 11 points. The Yellow Jackets have lost eight-straight ACC openers and haven’t started league play with a victory since winning at Maryland in 1993.
Georgia Tech was without the ACC’s leading rebounder, Robert Carter Jr., who started 44-straight games before sustaining a meniscus tear in his left knee against Charlotte last Sunday.
Up by 14 at halftime, Maryland used a three-point plays by Shaquille Cleare and Roddy Peters to make it 49-29 early in the second half. After the Yellow Jackets closed to 56-44, Faust drilled a 3-pointer, Cleare sank a jumper and Seth Allen connected from long range to make it 64-44 with 8:41 left.
Georgia Tech never got closer than 12 points the rest of the way.
Maryland went 7 for 12 from beyond the arc and got nine points apiece from Smotrycz and Faust in grabbing a 43-29 halftime lead.
The Terrapins took control at the outset, getting a pair of 3-pointers from Jake Layman in a game-opening 15-4 run.
It was 24-13 before Georgia Tech sandwiched a layup by Stacey Poole Jr. and a 3-pointer by Jason Morris around a Maryland free throw to make it 25-18.
After a runner in the lane by Daniel Miller got the Yellow Jackets to 27-22, Faust drilled a pair of long-range jumpers in a 13-4 burst that increased the margin to 14.
