Wake Forest

NO. 6 MARYLAND VS. WAKE FOREST At Greensboro, N.C. Today, 1:30p.m. TV: ESPNU The sixth-ranked Maryland women's basketball team poured it on early against Virginia on Friday night, parlaying balanced scoring, supremacy inside and deft 3-point shooting into a 70-58 victory in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament quarterfinals at Greensboro Coliseum. The win was third-seeded Maryland's fifth in a row overall and third straight this season against the Cavaliers.

McDonogh soccer standout George Campbell, a first-team All-Metro selection and the 2012-13 Gatorade Maryland Player of the Year, has made a commitment to Maryland. The junior midfielder, who finished with six goals and nine assists for the Eagles last season, chose Maryland over scholarship offers from North Carolina, Wake Forest, Louisville and Duke.  glenn.graham@baltsun.com

Roy Kramer, head of the NCAA basketball tournament selection committee, made a clarification yesterday that will please Wake Forest fans.Kramer was quoted recently as saying teams that do not have .500 or better records in their conference would have a difficult time getting into the tournament.Wake Forest (17-10) lost its last three ACC games to finish 7-9 in the league."What I really hoped I was saying and apparently did not say . . . was that should a team not have a winning record within a conference, there have to be some additional factors," Kramer said.

Before the season began, Maryland coach Mark Turgeon told me he had a goal centered on free throws. Here was the goal: "We try to make more free throws than our opponents shoot. " When that happens, Maryland usually prevails. It happened last night in Maryland's 75-62 victory over Wake Forest in the ACC tournament. Maryland made 22 free throws and the Deacons shot 21. It happened the last time Maryland played Wake in the regular season. It happened the last time Maryland played Duke.

With a two-week hiatus to regroup and mend wounds, Navy's football team plays host to Wake Forest (2-7) of the Atlantic Coast Conference at Navy-Marine Corps Stadium tomorrow with a 1:30 p.m. kickoff.The Deacons are headed by one of the nation's most respected coaches, Bill Dooley, the Mississippian in his silver anniversary year as a head coach with a record of 151-114-5.After upsetting Duke two weeks ago, 31-14, the Deacons fell to Aloha Bowl-bound Georgia Tech last Saturday, 27-3, in the Yellow Jackets' 17th consecutive victory at home.

Mount Hebron's Alisha Mosley, the Howard County basketball Player of the Year last year as a junior, has orally committed to attend Wake Forest University."

WINSTON SALEM, N.C. -- Lindsay Seawright scored 16 points and had eight rebounds, leading host Wake Forest to a 73-63 victory over Maryland in an Atlantic Coast Conference game last night, ending an eight-game losing streak.The Deacons' victory was only the sixth win in 34 games against Maryland and their first conference win of the season. Last February, Wake Forest (10-10, 1-8) upset the Terps at College Park, 69-64.Lillian Purvis led Maryland with 19 points and Karon Ferguson added 14.MARYLAND -- Cross 3-12 4-4 11, Chase 0-10 3-5 3, Ohman 2-6 3-4 7, Purvis 7-18 4-4 19, Ferguson 7-11 0-0 14, Camper 1-4 2-2 4, Cimmier 1-2 3-4 5. Totals 21-63 19-23 63.WAKE FOREST -- Hodge 6-10 0-0 12, Seawright 6-7 4-6 16, Walker 4-6 0-0 8, Mulholland 0-9 7-10 7, Hollifield 2-7 4-6 10, Connor 4-7 1-3 9, Hawes 3-8 0-0 9, Helms 1-1 0-1 2, McMillian 0-1 1-2 1, Quinn 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 26-56 17-28 73.Halftime--Wake Forest 35-27.

More than 100 colleges contacted Howard's DaLawn Parrish about playing football next season.The Division 1-A colleges told him he'd play defensive back; the Division 1-AA schools promised him a quarterback spot.The preseason All-America selection visited Wake Forest, Rutgers and North Carolina State, and then gave 1-A Wake Forest his verbal commitment on Dec. 30."I'll be competing for a spot at cornerback, punt returner and kick returner," Parrish said. "I'm looking forward to a new challenge.

Seed: No.1Record: 24-5Conference: Atlantic Coast (12-4, tied for first)Last NCAA appearance: 1994 (lost in second round to Kansas, 69-58)NCAA history: 16-12.Rank: No. 3Highest rank: No. 3.PLAYERS TO WATCH:Randolph ChildressPosition: GHeight: 6-2Weight: 188Strengths: Can penetrate or shoot from the perimeter as well as anyone in the nation. He thrives on carrying Wake Forest, especially looks for shot late in the game.Tim DuncanPosition: CHeight: 6-10Weight: 238Strengths: GRabs half of his rebounds on the offensive end. He is considered to be one of the most fundamentally sound big men in the country, recording an ACC-leading 18 double doubles.

What went right Maryland linebacker Erin Henderson had a team-high 12 tackles (seven solo), one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and one interception. What went wrong Maryland's offense was exposed in overtime, starting on the Wake Forest 25-yard line and finishing on the 47. Defining moment Late in the third quarter, Wake Forest cornerback Alphonso Smith intercepted Jordan Steffy's pass in the end zone and ran it back 100 yards for a touchdown. What it means Against probably their first competition of the same caliber, the Terps didn't match up, and the offense was the reason.

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Unlikely to ascend to the NCAA tournament, Maryland hoped to hang around and savor the sights and sounds of the Atlantic Coast Conference tourney. It's not the big dance, but it has its own traditions and charm. The seventh-seeded Terps extended their visit to Greensboro Coliseum by defeating Wake Forest, 75-62, on Thursday night behind Dez Wells' strong second half. It sets up their third meeting of the season with Duke in Friday night's quarterfinals. The second-seeded Blue Devils had a first-round bye. Wells scored 14 of his 21 points in the second half - including nine of Maryland's first 11 after the break.

- Arriving at the site of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament, Maryland swingman Dez Wells began thinking about the most memorable players - Juan Dixon, Jay Williams, Shane Battier - he had watched in the tournament as a young fan who was more than a little star struck. Years ago, Wells sent a letter to Williams, the former Duke star who was the tournament's most valuable player in 2000. Asked what the letter said, Wells, who is from Raleigh, N.C., replied with a sheepish smile: "I wish I could be like you. " That's the thing about the ACC tournament - its tradition has a way of energizing players, particularly the younger ones.

Maryland will be the No. 7 seed in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament and will begin play Thursday at 7p.m. in Greensboro, N.C. The Terps will play against the No. 10 seed -- either Wake Forest or Virginia Tech. Those teams play Sunday afternoon, and the winner will get the 10th slot. Florida State clinched the sixth seed Saturday afternoon with a win over N.C. State. If Maryland advances, it will meet second-seeded Duke on Friday night at 7. Duke has a first-round bye. Maryland swept both Virginia Tech and Wake Forest this season.

A constant theme for Maryland coach Mark Turgeon when talking about his team this season has been its collective lack of mental toughness, particularly on the road. It had contributed to several losses, most recently at Boston College and Georgia Tech. Which is why Saturday's 67-57 win at Wake Forest was pretty surprising. The Terps didn't beat a great team -- maybe not even a good one -- but they hung together despite a huge discrepancy in foul calls and the fact that Turgeon had to sit Alex Len and Dez Wells when each picked up his third foul in the opening minute of the second half.

Along with Dez Wells scoring 23 points in Saturday's 10-point win at Wake Forest, the most important contribution came from junior point guard Pe'Shon Howard. The much-maligned Howard, who has spent most of the Atlantic Coast Conference season “in and out” of Mark Turgeon's doghouse, made his first start in nearly two months and wound up playing a team-high 30 minutes. Howard finished with eight points, four assists, three rebounds, two steals and only two turnovers. Howard also a played a significant role in C.J. Harris, Wake Forest's leading scorer and a former AAU teammate of Howard's on a team sponsored by former Demon Deacons star and current Los Angeles Clippers All-Pro Chris Paul, shooting 5 of 16 from the field.

How important was Maryland's 67-57 victory over Wake Forest? Let's count the ways it mattered. * It was critical if the Terps are to retain any fragment of hope of an NCAA tournament berth. Maryland needs that hope to inspire it. When you're trying to summon effort late in a close game, it helps to imagine that you're playing for a big, tangible goal like March Madness. “Every win from here on out is a must win for us,” said Dez Wells, who slashed to the basket effectively all day. “We really want to get to the NCAA tournament.” * It restored a positive sense of identity.

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- The giant neon billboard outside the Lawrence Joel Memorial Coliseum promises that today's bill of fare here will feature mud and monsters from those giant-wheeled trucks.For 40 minutes last night, Maryland and Wake Forest sloshed their way through some mud and played some monstrously bad basketball, with turnovers here, missed open shots and lots of bodies on the floor.In the end, however, Maryland got out of the mire long enough to grit out a 77-66 upset, keeping alive their hopes of staying out of the Atlantic Coast Conference's first-ever elimination game before next week's tournament.

COLLEGE PARK -- They have had four days to recover from Sunday's nationally televised upset of North Carolina. They will have less than two days to prepare for Saturday's regular-season finale at home against Virginia.Somewhere in between those two emotional settings, the Maryland Terrapins will have to get ready for tonight's 9 o'clock Atlantic Coast Conference game against Wake Forest at the Lawrence Joel Coliseum in Winston-Salem, N.C."What I worry about as a coach is that we don't look at the North Carolina game as a tap-off to the season," Maryland coach Gary Williams said earlier this week.

The ninth-ranked Maryland women's basketball had begun to pull away in its regular season finale Sunday afternoon when the Terps backslid briefly, surrendering consecutive 3-pointers near the end of the first half that allowed Wake Forest a glimmer of hope. Then in the closing seconds before intermission, senior forward Tianna Hawkins collected a pass from Alyssa Thomas on a fast break, pulled up behind the 3-point line and swished a jumper at the buzzer to send Maryland into the locker room with momentum.

Whistles blew as Maryland center Alex Len lay on the court in a tangle of arms and legs, refusing to release his grip on the ball. It was the final moments of Maryland's desperately needed 67-57 victory over Wake Forest on Saturday, and Len had flopped to the floor trying to beat the Demon Deacons' Devin Thomas to a loose ball. Officials frantically tried to signal the end of the play as players formed a circle around Len and Thomas. Maryland coach Mark Turgeon crouched near the outside of the scrum, looking as if he might wade in after the ball himself.