Demon Deacons

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - If Ken Niumatalolo was looking for a game to define his first full season as Navy's football coach, it came yesterday against Wake Forest at BB&T Field. If Niumatalolo was looking for a way to separate himself from his mentor, Paul Johnson, he found that, too, in a 24-17 upset of the 16th-ranked Demon Deacons, the first time Navy had beaten a team ranked in both major polls since 1985. Despite playing without Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada for the entire second half after the senior quarterback reinjured a hamstring late in the first half, then letting a 17-0 halftime lead quickly evaporate, Navy (3-2)

Are changes coming to Maryland's offense? Maryland coach Randy Edsall hinted at change following the team's 19-14 victory over Wake Forest. "I would have hoped that we would be a little further along offensively, but that is just something that we will continue to work at ," the coach said. "I don't want to mention anything right now until I have a chance to really evaluate the film, but I think there will be some things from a personnel standpoint that will be a little bit different as we go into next week on offense.

Farnold Degand hit two 3-pointers in the decisive second-half run that helped host North Carolina State beat No. 23 Wake Forest, 68-54, on Saturday. Tracy Smith scored 14 points to lead the Wolfpack (15-13, 3-10 Atlantic Coast Conference), which led the entire game but needed three straight 3s from Degand and Javi Gonzalez with about six minutes left to get control. N.C. State broke a five-game losing streak, earned its first league victory in a month and beat its instate rival at home for the fifth straight time.

As it prepares to open its Atlantic Coast Conference schedule Saturday against Wake Forest, Maryland is in an unaccustomed position. The Terps - who lost their last seven conference games last season - find themselves as favorites to beat the Demon Deacons and avenge a 21-point loss last season. The Terps (2-2), who were beset by early-season injuries, are as healthy as they have been all season. In Wake Forest (3-2, 1-2 ACC), they will encounter a team ranked near the bottom of the ACC in most statistical defensive categories.

Ishmael Smith scored 15 points and added five assists to lead Wake Forest to a 64-61 overtime win over host Virginia on Saturday. Al-Farouq Aminu had 13 points and 10 rebounds for the Demon Deacons (16-5, 6-3 Atlantic Coast Conference), who improved to 4-0 in overtime games this season. "I just thought it was a hard-fought ACC game," Wake Forest coach Dino Gaudio said. "We're very fortunate to win. I just thought Virginia's kids played really, really hard. I thought our kids played very hard.

Maryland will try against Wake Forest on Saturday to do what Duke recently did against the Terrapins — rebound after a trying loss. The No. 5 Blue Devils beat Maryland 80-62 on Wednesday night. That game, along with a 74-57 loss to Virginia Tech, were Maryland's worst losses ever at Comcast Center. The Blue Devils had previously lost by 15 points to St. John's. "Going into the Wake game, we'll see if we can do the same thing — get really ready to play after a tough loss," Maryland coach Gary Williams said Friday.

Maryland@Wake Forest 8 p.m [chs. 54, 20] Watch for a game that goes down to the wire. The Demon Deacons, led by sophomore forward Al-Farouq Aminu, left, lost their most recent game by one point to Miami and won their previous two in overtime.

What: Second round, NCAA East Regional.Where: Baltimore Arena.When: Today, approximately 2:40 p.m.TV: Channel 13.First-round results: Wake Forest routed North Carolina A&T, 79-47. Saint Louis defeated Minnesota, 64-61, in overtime.Outlook: North Carolina's loss to Boston College last year was the only time since 1990 a No. 1 seed didn't get to the Sweet 16, but Demon Deacons center Tim Duncan said that reminder was irrelevant to Wake Forest's focus. The Demon Deacons have won 11 in a row, are playing together and have a considerable size advantage on the Billikens.

Maryland (2-3, 1-0 ACC) at Wake Forest (3-2, 1-1 ACC) Time:: 6:30 p.m. TV:: ESPN360.com Radio:: 105.7 FM, 1300 AM Line: : Wake Forest by 12 1/2 Series: : Maryland leads 41-15-1. Last meeting:: Maryland won, 26-0, on Oct. 18, 2008, in College Park. Maryland offense vs. Wake Forest defense:: With Da'Rel Scott (broken wrist) out, the Terps will rotate Davin Meggett and Gary Douglas at running back. Coaches might also play one of two freshmen running backs - Caleb Porzel or D.J. Adams.

Matchup -- Maryland (2-1) @Wake Forest (1-2, 0-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) Time -- 3:30 p.m. TV/Radio -- ESPNU/105.7 FM, 1300 AM Line -- Wake Forest by 3 1/2 Series -- Maryland leads, 40-14-1. Last meeting -- Wake Forest won, 38-24, on Nov. 25, 2006, in College Park. Maryland offense vs. Wake Forest defense -- Maryland's running game has been dependable, but the Terps will face the fourth-best rushing defense in the ACC. The Demon Deacons are allowing just 86.7 rushing yards per game, and of the 99 rushing attempts against Wake, only two have been for more than 11 yards.

As the final minutes wound down in sixth-ranked Maryland's 73-58 victory over Wake Forest in Saturday's Atlantic Coast Conference women's basketball tournament semifinals, Lynetta Kizer implored Terrapins supporters at Greensboro Coliseum to rise and join her in celebrating the moment. The senior center certainly was soaking in third-seeded Maryland's 13th trip to the ACC title game, and her performance contributed considerably to her team's fifth straight win and 12th in a row over the Demon Deacons.

As the 2011 NFL season is thrown further and further into doubt by the ongoing disagreement between owners and players, more and more fans might turn to the college football season as an unwavering source of entertainment. Local fans, especially, can look forward to several former Howard County standouts who are excelling at the next level. One example is Wake Forest rising redshirt sophomore Michael Campanaro, a former two-time player of the year while at River Hill (2008)

— Gary Williams strode into his post-game news conference Saturday wearing his usual expression, that of a man who'd just had to put his dog down. Moments earlier, Maryland had rebounded from Wednesday's 18-point loss to Duke with a 91-70 thrashing of Wake Forest at Comcast Center. Williams wasn't exactly celebrating this one, though. Wake, after all, is a terrible team (8-15, 1-6 in the ACC), one of the worst conference teams in recent memory. No wonder Demon Deacons coach Jeff Bzdelik, who coached at UMBC in the '80s, looks so much older.

Maryland will try against Wake Forest on Saturday to do what Duke recently did against the Terrapins — rebound after a trying loss. The No. 5 Blue Devils beat Maryland 80-62 on Wednesday night. That game, along with a 74-57 loss to Virginia Tech, were Maryland's worst losses ever at Comcast Center. The Blue Devils had previously lost by 15 points to St. John's. "Going into the Wake game, we'll see if we can do the same thing — get really ready to play after a tough loss," Maryland coach Gary Williams said Friday.

With a considerable size advantage over most if its opponents, the 14th-ranked Maryland women's basketball team prefers to conduct virtually all of its meaningful business inside. Then there are those rare instances when that plan isn't the most conducive option and the Terrapins' post players defer to a teammate with command from outside. During a 75-44 victory over Wake Forest on Friday night, junior guard Kim Rodgers became that centerpiece of the offense, triggering a 17-0 burst to close the first half that all but decided the outcome before an announced 4,682 at Comcast Center.

On Dec. 8, Maryland center Jordan Williams expressed frustration that his team had kept coming close to upending nationally ranked opponents without breaking through for wins. Five weeks — and one more defeat to a Top 25 team — later, the sophomore found himself wearing the same pained expression and singing the same refrain. "We're looking for that one big win," Williams said after the Terps defeated struggling Wake Forest to push their record to a respectable — but not glowing — 11-5 (1-2 Atlantic Coast Conference)

Wake Forest (2-5, 1-3 ACC) at Maryland (5-2, 2-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) Time: 3:30 p.m. Site: Byrd Stadium Television: ESPNU Radio: 105.7 FM, 1300 AM Series: Maryland leads 41-16-1 Last meeting: Wake Forest def. Maryland, 42-32, on Oct. 10 in Winston-Salem, N.C. Maryland offense vs. Wake Forest defense: The Terps (44 and 43 rushing yards, respectively, the last two games)...

Maryland coach Gary Williams is far too competitive to feel satisfied after a loss. His losses remain with him like hundreds of tiny scars. But Maryland's 71-64 defeat to top-ranked Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium appears to be in a class with other elite losses that — while not exactly acceptable — at least contain enough positives that they can be of benefit. "You can use that to your advantage, the fact that we competed," Williams said Tuesday of the Duke game, in which the Terps held the Blue Devils to 40.3 percent shooting and minimized their advantage on the boards.

College field hockey Terps win ACC championship for third straight season Junior Jemma Buckley had three goals to lift top-seeded Maryland (19-1, 5-0) to a 5-2 victory over second-seeded North Carolina (19-2, 4-1) on Sunday in Winston-Salem, N.C., for its third straight Atlantic Coast Conference championship and ninth overall. Tournament Most Valuable Player Katie O'Donnell , the four-time ACC Offensive Player of the Year, added a goal and three assists. Buckley, freshman Jill Witmer and junior Lauren Barr were named to the all-tournament team.