NCAA Game Summary - Maryland at North Carolina

Chapel Hill, NC (Basketball News) - Rashad McCants scored 25 points to lead No. 14 North Carolina to a 97-86 win over Maryland in an Atlantic Coast Conference battle at the Smith Center.

Jawad Williams added 23 points for North Carolina (15-7, 5-6 ACC), which avenged a 90-84 loss at Maryland earlier this season. The win allowed the Tar Heels to avoid being swept by the Terrapins in the regular season for the third straight year.

North Carolina also bounced back from a loss to Georgia Tech in its last game, thanks to 14 points apiece from Sean May and Jackie Manuel in this one.

Chris McCray led Maryland (13-8, 4-6) with 16 points in the losing effort. Jamar Smith added 14 points and eight rebounds as the Terrapins lost for the first time in three games. Nik Caner-Medley chipped in 13 points and John Gilchrist contributed 12 points and eight assists.

The difference in the contest came from the free-throw line, with the Tar Heels attempting an astounding 50 shots from the stripe. They made 36 of those attempts, compared to just 20-of-30 shooting from the line for Maryland.

North Carolina led 70-56 with just under 13 minutes remaining when its star point guard Raymond Felton picked up his fourth foul. Maryland immediately began to pressure the Tar Heels, and embarked on a 10-2 run to pull within 72-66 around the midway point of the second half. Ekene Ibekwe started the spurt with a pair of monstrous dunks and Smith finished it off with a lay-in and a three-pointer, helping Maryland close within six.

The Tar Heels, however, showed their resiliency as they never let Maryland take the lead despite several threats down the stretch. Gilchrist nailed a three-pointer for Maryland to make it 82-79 with just under five minutes to play, but McCants immediately answered with a three of his own to push the lead back up to six.

McCants continued his offensive assault when he put the game away with a long- range desperation three-pointer off the glass with two minutes remaining, giving North Carolina an insurmountable nine-point cushion.

North Carolina emerged victorious despite a sub-par effort from Felton, who scored just three points on 0-for-4 shooting. He also committed seven turnovers in the contest.

The Tar Heels played almost to perfection in the first half, opening an 18-11 lead after a basket by May just under seven minutes into the game. Several minutes later the lead grew to double-digits at 28-18 after yet another basket by May near the midway point of the first half.

Two free throws by Williams with 7:02 remaining allowed North Carolina’s lead to balloon to 15 points at 35-20.

Maryland later closed within 12 at 45-33, thanks to a basket by D.J. Strawberry with just under two minutes left to play in the opening half. However, North Carolina continued to get out in transition and get easy shots, using a 10-2 spurt to close out the half to take a 20-point bulge into halftime.

Four North Carolina players reached double-digits in the first half alone, with Williams and Manuel leading the way with 12 points apiece. Williams added 11 and May 10 as the Tar Heels claimed a 55-35 lead at the break.

A 13-5 run to start the second half, capped by a driving lay-in by Caner Medley, pulled the Terrapins within 60-48. North Carolina, though, responded with the next seven points to push the margin by up to 19.