COLLEGE PARK, MD - Sometimes, lightning does strike the same spot twice. Maryland pulled out an amazing, last second win over Georgia Tech Saturday afternoon on a last-second three pointer by junior guard Cliff Tucker, who hit the shot off of a perfect inbound pass from senior guard Eric Hayes with one and a half seconds remaining in the game.

 

A few moments earlier, Georgia Tech freshman forward Derrick Favors hit a layup that put the Yellow Jackets up by one, 74-73. Following the shot, Maryland inbounded the ball to senior guard Greivis Vasquez , who quickly streaked up to midcourt and launched a three-point prayer that banked off the backboard and into the basket. The Comcast Center erupted into cheers. There was only one problem; Maryland called a timeout before Vasquez shot the ball.
 
As the officials reviewed how much time to put back onto the clock and where to give the Terps the ball out of bounds, the crowd at the Comcast stared in disbelief at what they just saw. Fortunately for the Terps and the capacity crowd at the Comcast Center, head Coach Gary Williams was drawing up a play that again would give Maryland the win.
 
After the officials put one and a half seconds back on the clock and gave Maryland the ball at mid-court, the Terps designed a play for Tucker, thinking that Georgia Tech would likely try to double team senior guard Greivis Vasquez.
 
“Our number one thing was to not let Vasquez touch the ball,” said Georgia Tech head coach Paul Hewitt, whose Yellow Jackets dropped their ninth straight game to the Terps.
 
“In the huddle, coach had a play where Greivis was supposed to hit a back screen and I was supposed to go for a lob, but as we got out there, we realized it was too far away” said junior guard Cliff Tucker, who hit the game winning shot. “So I kind of just looked at Eric and told him I was going to go to the three point line. Greivis hit the back screen and I went to the three point line and I kind of gave a little pump fake and I just shot it and it happened to go in.”
 
The ball rolled around the basket for a moment before dropping in and the crowd again leapt to their feet in amazement at what they just saw.
 
The shot made by Tucker wasn’t the only difficult part of the play. Senior guard Eric Hayes had to execute a perfect sideline pass to Tucker to allow him to quickly shoot the ball in the brief one and a half seconds that remained on the clock.
 
“When I came out, I saw Favors was going to be on the ball, so I was kind of concerned a little but about the size he has, so I kind of looked him off a little bit” said Hayes, who finished with 15 points and five assists. “I gave a little ball fake and it kind of opened up the sideline for me so I was able to make a strong, crisp pass to Cliff.”
 
Lost in the excitement of the game was Vasquez eclipsing the 2,000 point plateau for his career, becoming the first player in ACC history to record 2,000 points, 700 assists and 600 rebounds.  Vasquez finished the game with a team high 18-points and five assists.
 
“I think it speaks for itself. Greivis has his critics but the numbers are there and when you look at what he has done for the team this year, he has always done everything he could” said Williams about Vasquez.” Last year he led the team in points, rebounds and assists and for anybody who thinks that he doesn’t belong in the top five to seven players that have ever been here, they don’t know the game very well.”
 
While the end of the game produced the most excitement, the first half was also a very back and forth affair that saw six lead changes and seven ties.  The Terps built a small five point lead, but every time they appeared as if they were going to build on that lead, sophomore guard Iman Shumpert, who finished the game with 17 points, seemed to hit a three point basket to keep the game close for Tech.
 
With one minute remaining in the half, Maryland looked to go into intermission with a six-point lead, their largest of the game.  But a layup by Derrick Favors, who finished with a game high 21 points and 18 rebounds, cut the Maryland lead to four. On the ensuing possession, sophomore guard Sean Mosley (six points, six rebounds) shot and missed a three point attempt with enough time to allow Georgia Tech to get down the court and convert another shot before the buzzer sounded, cutting the Terps’ lead to two at the half.
 
As the second half unfolded, the Terps again built a small lead but again the Yellow Jackets refused to go quietly into the afternoon sun.  Relying on excellent three point shooting and the stellar play of freshman forward Derrick Favors, Georgia tied the score with just less than seven minutes remaining. A few moments later, Georgia Tech had built a five-point lead with just over five minutes remaining. It appeared that Maryland might have been tiring, playing in their forth game in eight days. Shortly after Tech took the lead, coach Williams removed his suit jacket in frustration, a rare event in his twenty plus years of coaching.

Fortunately for coach Williams, Cliff Tucker hit a three pointer that cut the Yellow Jackets’ lead down to two, preventing them from running away with the game late. A few minutes later, after a missed shot by Georgia Tech, freshman center Jordan Williams, who was one point shy of recording another double-double with nine points and 12 rebounds, dove to the floor to secure a loose rebound and was fouled. Amid cheers from the crowd, Williams jumped to his feet and threw his hands into the air, sending the fans into a screaming tizzy.  A jumper by Williams a few minutes later cut the Tech lead down to one with just over three and a half minutes remaining.
 
As time was winding down, each team traded a one-point lead twice in the final minute until Tucker’s remarkable three pointer sealed the victory for Maryland.
 
Game Notes:
 
Tucker’s game winner was the first for Maryland since Drew Nicholas’ famous game winner in 2003 against UNC Wilmington in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Maryland’s next game is on Wednesday, February 24th at home against Clemson at 9:00 PM.