Wolfpack dodges Terrapins' comeback

RALEIGH -- N.C. State talked big before its first ACC game. On Sunday against Maryland, the Wolfpack took the first step in backing it up.

Eleven league wins and the NCAA tournament are the team's goals, coach Mark Gottfried said before the game and repeated again after a 79-74 win over the Terrapins on Sunday night at the RBC Center.

With 20 points and 11 rebounds from C.J. Leslie, Gottfried won his first ACC game, and in the process, ended a nine-game losing streak to the Terps.

Gottfried wasn't interested in backpedaling from his pre-game public proclamations or slipping into coachspeak.

"That's our goal. I'm not afraid to say it," Gottfried said.

State hasn't been to the NCAA tournament since 2006, the longest drought in the ACC, and only five times in the past 20 years. It has lost at least 10 conference games in each of the past five seasons and has won 11 games in the ACC only once since 1975.

"It's a tall order for our team, let's be real honest," Gottfried said. "Let's keep our eye on the ball and figure out where we've been. We all know in this room where this program has been."

State (12-4, 1-0 ACC) had been abused by Maryland since the 2005-06 season. With coach Gary Williams retired and Jordan Williams and Greivis Vasquez safely in the NBA, it's not the same Maryland program under first-year coach Mark Turgeon, but the Terps still have Terrell Stoglin.

Stoglin, the ACC's leading scorer, turned in 25 points, but the sophomore guard could only do so much against a balanced State scoring effort. Scott Wood (19 points) did his damage from the free-throw line late while Maryland rallied in vain. Lorenzo Brown tallied 11 points and Rich Howell added 10.

"It's definitely the first step for us," Howell said. "This win should give us some confidence."

The Pack started to create separation with 10 minutes left in the game. Forward DeShawn Painter's dunk in transition on one of nine assists by Brown gave State a 56-51 lead.

The Pack outscored the Terps 13-2 during the 4-minute stretch, getting a three-point play from Painter, another from Leslie on an acrobatic follow and a 3-pointer from the left corner by Williams.

Brown's putback at the 5-minute mark widened State's margin to 67-53. Then the Pack went cold and Stoglin kept firing.

Freshman forward Alex Len (12 points) whittled State's lead to 67-62 with one minute, 53 seconds left.

State went from Brown's last field goal to the 1:30 mark without scoring but Wood and Williams closed the game out from the free-throw line.

"We knew to get the ball to Scott," Brown said.

Wood went 6-for-6 from the free-throw line and has made all 37 of his tries this season.

Gottfried said there were still some end-game situations that needed to be ironed out and that the number of turnovers (13) must be reduced. But the win was a good start towards the team's very public goals.

"I didn't come here to play in anything other than the NCAA tournament," Gottfried said. "Now, whether we get there or not, that's a whole 'nother story. We do probably do have a long, long way to go but I'm not ever going to hide from that."

Percentages: FG .433, FT .619. 3-Point Goals: 9-21, .429 (Stoglin 6-12, Parker 1-1, Faust 1-2, Mosley 1-4, Howard 0-2). Team Rebounds: 5. Blocked Shots: 4 (Len 2, Pankey 2). Turnovers: 15 (Howard 3, Len 3, Faust 2, Stoglin 2, Mosley 2, Parker, Padgett, Pankey). Steals: 5 (Parker 3, Faust, Mosley). Technical Fouls: None.

Percentages: FG .475, FT .875. 3-Point Goals: 2-9, .222 (Williams 1-3, Wood 1-4, Brown 0-1, A. Johnson 0-1). Team Rebounds: 3. Blocked Shots: 4 (Wood 2, Williams, Brown). Turnovers: 13 (Leslie 5, Howell 2, Williams 2, Wood, Painter, A. Johnson, Brown). Steals: 4 (Leslie 2, A. Johnson 2). Technical Fouls: None.