Virginia Stuns No. 12 Maryland 60-57
COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) -- Coming off a rare 60-minute game, the last thing a weary Virginia squad needed was to go into overtime against No. 12 Maryland.
So the Cavaliers took care of business with a strong finish in regulation.
Ariana Moorer scored 17 points and Whitny Edwards made two clutch foul shots with 11.2 seconds left to carry Virginia to 60-57 victory Sunday.
Because the Cavaliers needed four overtimes to beat North Carolina State on Thursday night, coach Debbie Ryan opted to have her team skip the morning shootaround, a move she said she had never done before.
"It was really a good decision, just because we were exhausted," she said.
Virginia was the better team at the start and at the finish. The Cavaliers opened up an early 10-point lead, then rallied at the end.
The Terrapins led 55-52 with 3 minutes left before Moorer scored on a drive, Simone Egwu added a layup and Ataira Franklin hit a jumper in the lane to put Virginia up 58-55.
After Anjale Barrett scored for Maryland, Edwards made two foul shots for a three-point lead.
"To be honest, I was a little nervous coming to the line," Edwards said. "But I knew I was going to make the two shots, we'd go up three and then we'd get a stop."
Maryland's final chance came when Barrett launched a 3-point attempt under pressure that bounced off the backboard an instant before the final buzzer sounded.
"We're confident playing in overtime, so either way we'd be fine," Edwards said.
Edwards scored 13 points and Franklin had 11 for Virginia (14-13, 4-8 Atlantic Coast Conference).
Alyssa Thomas scored 14 for Maryland (20-5, 6-4). It was the second straight loss for the Terrapins, who shot 39 percent and committed 17 turnovers.
"It's a disappointing game from our end," coach Brenda Frese said. "Obviously Virginia came in here with a lot of intensity, playing with a lot of confidence and with something to prove."
Maryland donned pink uniforms, and Frese wore a pink blouse, in honor of breast cancer research.
The Terrapins won the first game between the teams last month in overtime, and the rematch was similarly close.
A three-point play by Alicia DeVaughn put Maryland up 28-27 with 16:17 left, its first lead since 1-0. The Terps expanded the margin to six points, but Virginia promptly went on an 11-4 run to move back in front.
Neither team led by more than four points the rest of the way.
The Terrapins had more turnovers (nine) than baskets (eight) in falling behind 25-23 at halftime.
Maryland got off to a horrid start, missing nine of its first 10 shots and committing four turnovers. The Cavaliers also had trouble finding the basket, however, and led 8-3 with nine minutes elapsed.
"We've had three slow starts, and anytime you're in ACC play you can't come out and play flat," Frese said. "We've got to be able to learn and understand just how good these teams are in league play, how we've got to start from the tip."
After a 3-pointer by Edwards made it 17-7, Maryland's Diandra Tchatchouang connected twice from beyond the arc during a 16-6 spurt that tied it.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
