CORAL GABLES, Fla. — CORAL GABLES, Fla. - Everything seemed to be going Maryland's way against Miami last night. The Terps started off shooting their way to a 12-point halftime lead that grew to as many as 17 midway through the second half. The small crowd at BankUnited Center was mute.
Then it all fell apart.
For the second time in a week, Maryland lost a game it had seemingly put away, falling, 62-60. This might have not been as stunning as losing to Morgan State at home, but it hurt just as bad and certainly had more significance coming in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
A three-point shot by former Calvert Hall standout Jack McClinton with 24 seconds to play was the final dagger, giving the Hurricanes the lead. Two three-point shots by Greivis Vasquez in the final five seconds missed, the second one banging off the back rim at the buzzer.
"We played a great first half, really controlled the tempo," Maryland coach Gary Williams said. "I don't think we were playing the same way early in the second half. They eventually got it to a point where they made some great shots that we couldn't stop. And we couldn't score."
It prevented Maryland (12-4, 1-1 ACC) from getting off to a 2-0 start in the ACC and winning for the first time in South Florida since Miami (13-3, 2-1) joined the league five years ago. It also wasted a career-high 23-point performance by sophomore guard Adrian Bowie.
McClinton led the Hurricanes with 18 points, and he hit several big shots late. Though there were no histrionics from Vasquez after his outburst at Comcast Center in Saturday's win over Georgia Tech, there were some pointed words for his teammates.
"We just weren't being tough as a team in the last minute," said Vasquez, who finished with 15 points. "I thought it was our game. When I shot the last shot, I thought it was going in. It was a tough game for us. It was hard because we had the lead the whole game."
But Vasquez said it was an improvement on Maryland's recent performances against Miami, including a 15-point loss here a year ago. And Williams, whose team will remain here until tomorrow before heading to Tallahassee to play Florida State on Saturday, tried to be upbeat as well.
"It was a pretty good effort," Williams said. "I've been there Saturday coming from behind Georgia Tech. They got us tonight. That's a tough loss. We'll see how we can come back against Florida State."
