Terrapins Upset by Sooners

Oklahoma caught Maryland at the right time Friday night.

The No. 2-ranked Terrapins were coming off a 10-day break for final exams and it showed against the No. 22-ranked Sooners.

Oklahoma held Maryland to 38% shooting, forced the Terrapins into a season-high 21 turnovers and held standout guard Juan Dixon to 11 points in a 72-56 victory at Norman, Okla.

Ebi Ere scored 19 points and Aaron McGhee had 16 points and 11 rebounds as the Sooners (9-1) won their eighth in a row and ended Maryland’s eight-game winning streak.

“This one’s special because I know how good Maryland is,” Sooner Coach Kelvin Sampson said. “This is certainly one of the best defensive performances we’ve had.”

Coach Gary Williams of Maryland (8-2) said the layoff had nothing to do with Oklahoma’s rebounding dominance in the second half when the Sooners broke the game open.

“It might affect your ball handling, your shooting, but in terms of the intensity level, I thought Oklahoma took it to us in the second half,” he said.

The Terrapins had a 22-18 edge on the backboards in the first half, when they trailed by only two. But the Sooners outrebounded them, 26-14, in the second half.

Jabahri Brown, a 6-foot-10 transfer from Florida International who only became eligible last weekend, had 14 rebounds, 11 on the defensive end.

“This is a great feeling,” Brown said. “This is why I came to Oklahoma, to be in situations like this.”

McGhee picked up two fouls in the first half and played only nine minutes. The score was tied at 38 when McGhee made a free throw and a follow shot to start an 8-3 run that gave the Sooners the lead for good, 46-41. Maryland turned the ball over five times during that stretch and missed four of five shots.

The Terrapins got within 52-49 when Byron Mouton came up with a steal and a layup with 7:17 left, but Maryland didn’t make another field goal for six minutes and a 10-0 spurt by Sooners extended the lead to 62-49 with four minutes left.

Dixon, who came in averaging 18 points a game, scored nine in the first half but got only three shots in the second. Chris Wilcox led Maryland with 15 points.

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No. 10 Boston College 76, Arkansas State 70--Troy Bell scored 16 of his 20 points in the second half at Honolulu as the Eagles (10-1) rebounded from a loss a night earlier to Miami of Ohio.

Georgia State 95, No. 15 Saint Joseph’s 90--Thomas Terrell scored 36 points and Nate Williams had 27 points and 13 rebounds at Charlotte, N.C., as the Panthers (6-3) scored their first-ever victory against a ranked opponent. The Hawks fell to 6-2.

No. 23 Alabama 90, Alabama A&M; 54--Erwin Dudley scored 19 points and Rod Grizzard had 13 rebounds at Tuscaloosa, Ala., as the Crimson Tide (9-2) rolled to a victory.

No. 24 Gonzaga 105, Eastern Oregon 45--Freshman center Ronny Turiaf scored a career-high 23 points at Spokane, Wash., as the Bulldogs (10-2) scored the most lopsided victory in school history.

No. 25 Cincinnati 90, Mississippi State 56--Senior guard Steve Logan scored a career-high 40 points at Las Vegas as the Bearcats (10-1) handed the Bulldogs (11-1) their first loss.

OTHER GAMES

California 78, Mount Saint Mary’s 50--Joe Shipp scored a game-high 18 points at Berkeley as the Golden Bears (7-1) rolled to a victory.

Georgia 64, Miami of Ohio 59--The Bulldogs (11-1) held off the RedHawks (3-5) at Honolulu for their sixth victory in a row.

College of Charleston 66, North Carolina 60--Troy Wheless scored 21 points at Charlotte, N.C., as the Cougars (7-1) upended the Tar Heels (2-5).

Utah 75, Idaho State 58--Chris Burgess had 17 points at Salt Lake City as the Utes (7-3) won their fourth in a row.