"Green" Party: Sophomore Guard Leads Tech to 74-57 Victory over Maryland

Raise your hand if you saw this one coming. Don't lie, nobody saw this coming. Erick Green had a career game, scoring 24 points as the Hokies rolled over the Maryland Terrapins 74-57 Thursday night. The 17-point defeat was the worst for Maryland in the nine years in the Comcast Center and the biggest margin of defeat at home since an 18-point loss to Duke at Cole Field House in 1999.

Green was fantastic in every aspect of the game. The sophomore was an astounding 12-of-16 (75%) from the field and was hitting shots from wherever he wanted to when he wanted to. The coming-out party also included four steals and two assists. Since moving into the starting lineup, Green has hit double figures in every game, averaging 14 points, 3 assists, and 2 steals per game. Not to mention the Hokies are 8-1 in those games.

The Hokies (12-5, 3-2 ACC) opened up the game on a 12-0 run in the first four minutes and never allowed Maryland (11-7, 1-3) to get back within four points. The Terps had gotten within eight in the last minute of the first half, but Manny Atkins drained a three-pointer with one second remaining to give Tech a 40-29 cushion at halftime.

The lead expanded to as many as 17 in the second half before three trey's from the Terps' Cliff Tucker cut the lead down to eight with nine minutes remaining. However, the Hokies responded with a 13-4 run to close the game and seal a dominating 17-point road victory.

Malcolm Delaney called out the Maryland student section earlier in the week, saying "they might have the worst fans ever." Facing a chorus of boo's all night, Delaney delivered another great performance with 19 points and seven assists. Three of those assists went to Victor Davila, who continued his recent offensive outburst with 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting.

Davila and Jeff Allen (7 points, 10 boards) did a great job containing Maryland's Jordan Williams. The super sophomore didn't score for the first 15 minutes of the game and finished with a rather pedestrian 11 points and 11 rebounds. Pedestrian, of course, for him. In general, Tech did a great job of not letting Maryland do what it does best: rebound. Coming into the game averaging 42 rpg, Tech actually outrebounded Maryland 37-30 and allowed just 11 offensive boards.

In an odd statistical quirk, both teams attempted 56 shots. The key was that Tech made 30 (54%) and the Terps connected on just 20 (36%). The Hokies has 42 points in the paint against the taller Terps and forced UMD into 16 turnovers. Even walk-on Paul Debnam, who saw action for the second-straight ACC game, forced a turnover in his one minute of play.

Now as big as this win is, it would become even bigger if the Hokies complete the season sweep against the Terps in February. In addition, this win cancels out the home loss to UVA back in December. Tech now has a quick turnaround with its next game coming against Longwood on Saturday night. Tip-off in Cassell Coliseum is set for 7 p.m.