After two conference games, Adrian Bowie became a College Park favorite Tuesday night.
With Maryland ahead by seven points six minutes into the second half, the freshman guard made three steals within a minute, drawing fouls on two accounts, and eliciting chants of “Bow-ie! Bow-ie!” from an announced crowd of 17,950 at Comcast Center.
With some help from Bowie, who scored 10 points, the Terrapins defeated Wake Forest, 71-64, proving not only could they win in the Atlantic Coast Conference, but they could do so without sophomore guard Eric Hayes ? who missed a third straight game with an ankle injury.
Maryland (11-7 overall, 1-2 ACC) won its first game in conference play, and enters a tough stretch on its ACC slate ? visiting top-ranked North Carolina (17-0 overall, 2-0 ACC) Saturday in Chapel Hill.
And the Terrapins will do so after one of their biggest wins of the young season.
The early-season must-win didn?t start well for Maryland, with the Demon Deacons (11-5 overall, 1-2 ACC) opening on a 7-0 run in the first 2:29. But the Terrapins would make an 11-0 run over 4:50 to grab a 15-13 lead on a Bowie layup with 9:28 remaining in the first half.
The Terrapins led, 31-26, at the half ? thanks in part to eight points from Bowie, who began the game on the bench. The lead expanded to as many as 13 points in the second half before Wake Forest guard Ishmael Smith scored 14 of his team-leading 16 points.
After an uncanny 2-for-14 field goal shooting performance in Saturday?s 67-66 loss at Virginia Tech, Maryland sophomore Greivis Vasquez started lukewarm on Tuesday, scoring just seven first-half points.
But Vasquez scored six straight points over a three-minute stretch during the second half on his way to 22 points ? his fifth 20-point game of the season. The Terrapins shot 46.2 percent from the field, while overcoming 18 turnovers. They also won the rebounding battle, 45-39.
Senior Bambale Osby added 16 points with 11 rebounds off the bench.
