Collegiate Times

Seth Greenberg celebrates after Tech's 4 point vicitory over the Maryland Terrapins. The Hokies trailed most of the way but stormed back in the final minutes to take the game.

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"It meant a lot to us," said Virginia Tech head coach Seth Greenberg. "We lost three games in a row. We got embarrassed at North Carolina. We didn't play well against (N.C.) State-- as well as I would've liked. Obviously, Miami's better than (people) think they are. Yeah, it meant a lot to sweep Maryland. Look at those banners. That's a Hall of Fame coach over there. Yeah, it means a lot to us."

The win brings the Hokies to 15-11 overall on the season and 6-6 in Atlantic Coast Conference play, and marks the first ever win by a visiting team in the Virginia Tech-Maryland series since both became members of the ACC.

"It means a lot to me, especially since I haven't gotten a win here," said senior Deron Washington, who finished with 12 points and 5 assists. "Also, after losing three games and coming up here to get a win-- it feels much better, especially for the guys from close ... like Malcolm (Delaney) and Jeff (Allen)."

The Hokies got off to a slow start, just as they had in their previous two road games at North Carolina State and North Carolina. The Terrapins converted on open shots from behind the three-point line and on post feeds to Bambale Osby to take a 12-4 lead.

Four turnovers and two missed free throws didn't help the Tech's cause on the offensive end. The Hokies, for the third consecutive road game, found themselves down by at least 10 points, this time 16-4, less than nine minutes into the game. In fact, it took the Terrapins just over five minutes to open up a double-digit cushion.

"We didn't worry about the turnovers," said Tech guard Hank Thorns. "Mistakes are going to happen, so we just stayed positive with it and we played with it -- it's going to happen."

But Tech began to get things going following two Thorns steals on the defensive end and two A.D. Vassallo baskets helped spark an 8-2 run to bring the score to 18-12.

"I've been working on my defense throughout the season," Thorns said. "I felt like that was a part of me that I could get better at ... Basically, I just use my speed and quickness to help me with my size against bigger guards."

The Terrapins answered with an 8-0 run, sparked by a technical foul call on Greenberg for arguing with officials. Although the run resulted in a 14-point Maryland lead, 28-14, which was its largest of the game, it seemed to have a positive effect on Greenberg's players.

"It kind of fires us up," Washington said of Greenberg's technical foul. "It gets us going a little more. When he gets like that he gets more intense with us ... and we ran with it."

"That was why I did what I did," Greenberg said. "I think we were not in the present and if I had to shock them to get in the present, I was going to shock them to get in the present."

Despite Maryland's momentum, the Hokies would once again respond. An 11-0 run by the visitors in maroon would cut the Terrapin lead to three points -- the smallest it had been since the 18:38 mark.

Empty possessions on the back end of the run prevented the Hokies from pulling closer than 25-28 during the Terrapin scoreless streak that lasted more than nine minutes.

"We started attacking them more instead of letting them attack us," said Tech guard Malcolm Delaney. The Baltimore native scored nine points in his return to his home state. "That's how they were getting a lot of points -- attacking us. We started getting rebounds and attacking them. We got open looks and everybody started finishing."

The game took a turn for the gross with 59.1 seconds remaining when Dorenzo Hudson vomited on Comcast Center floor, resulting in a lengthy stoppage of play.

"I've never seen anybody vomit in a game before in my life," Washington said. "The way he did it was pretty funny ... After the game we got a new nickname for him -- Willie Beamen from 'Any Given Sunday.' He kept on throwing up on the field, so that's what we're about to call him from here on out."

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