Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, March 20, 1994 TAG: 9403200143
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ED MILLER LANDMARK NEWS SERVICE
DATELINE: WICHITA, KAN. LENGTH: Medium
"Who woulda thunk it?"
Johnny Rhodes said it with feeling:
"We got tired of hearing we were too young."
But Exree Hipp said it first. Hipp, the Maryland forward, had been saying all season that the Terrapins would advance to the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16.
Take a bow, Mr. Hipp. Tenth-seeded Maryland is there after a 95-87 upset of second-seeded Massachusetts on Saturday at the Kansas Coliseum. The Terrapins will play third-seeded Michigan on Friday in a Midwest Regional semifinal in Dallas.
The young Terps stunned Massachusetts by shooting 70 percent in the second half as six scorers reached double figures.
"Unbelievable," said John Calipari, the Minutemen's coach.
He kept saying it as he glanced at the Maryland statistics sheet.
Here's what he saw: 22 points from Joe Smith, 20 from Duane Simpkins and 19 from Hipp. What really stunned him, though, were the 10 from Maryland's Mario Lucas, the Terps' 8-of-10 shooting from 3-point range and the 60 percent the Terps shot from the floor.
The Minutemen's Lou Roe couldn't believe it, either.
"We just couldn't guard them," Roe said. "We couldn't stop them at all."
Maryland (18-11) refused to be stopped. The Terrapins got off to a strong start but appeared to be on the verge of being blown out when Massachusetts (28-7) made a 13-0 run late in the first half and when Booth, a starting forward, picked up his fourth foul with 1 minute, 45 seconds left in the half.
"I had to remind them they don't send anyone to Dallas at halftime," said Gary Williams, Maryland's coach.
The Terrapins took the hint, outscoring the Minutemen 57-44 in the second half.
"They really kicked our butts," Roe said.
Lucas, a seldom-used reserve forward, commenced the kicking by hitting a 3-pointer - his second of the season - with 16:44 left. That cut the UMass lead to nine.
"I've been yelling at him not to shoot outside shots and to take the ball to the hole because he's 6-8 and 235 pounds," Williams said. "I guess he showed me."
He showed his teammates, as well. Hipp got hot, Simpkins and Smith splashed in a couple of 3-pointers of their own, and when the dust settled, Maryland was up 74-65 with 8:57 to go.
UMass continued to come apart down the stretch, wilting under Maryland's pressure defense. Freshman Marcus Camby, who had a career-high 32 points, kept a Massachusetts victory within the realm of possibility, but the Terps - with two freshman and three sophomores in the starting lineup - never flinched.
"We wanted it more than they did," Booth said.
Camby dominated at times, especially on the offensive boards, where the 6-11 center kept rebound after rebound alive.
"I don't think he ever played 30 minutes in a game," Smith said. "I think he deserves more time."
Camby got the better of Smith, but the 6-9 Maryland freshman had more help. Lucas filled in ably for Booth, and Simpkins was 4-of-4 from 3-point range. Booth had 14 points, and Rhodes had 10 points and eight rebounds. Hipp scored 15 of his 19 in the second half.
"[Williams] has got guys playing as well as they can possibly play this time of year," Calipari said. "Just about everything he did today turned to gold."
Even Smith said he thought Maryland was a year away from this kind of success. He must have known something, though, because he said he called his mother Friday night and told her to buy an airline ticket to Dallas.
"I might just jump up for joy," Smith said.
Keywords:
BASKETBALL
by CNB