Terps’ win over Virginia Tech delights Turgeon, ends 3-game skid

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Maryland guard Terrell Stoglin drives past Virginia Tech guard Robert Brown in the second half in College Park, Md., Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012. Stoglin contributed a game-high 28 points to Maryland’s 73-69 win. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

Story Topics

• Sports
• Mark Turgeon
• Sean Mosley
• Virginia Polytechnic Institute And State University
• Terrell Stoglin

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The combination of two hours of a typical high-wire Maryland game and the weariness of battling a cold left Mark Turgeon’s mind wandering in the aftermath of the Terrapins’ 73-69 defeat of Virginia Tech.

He was sick of being sick and probably a little weary of inevitably close games. What he wasn’t tired of was his team.

That probably wasn’t always the case all season. Yet Turgeon witnessed in the last week substantial progress in preparation, a step in maturity that finally netted a victory Saturday to snap a three-game skid.

“I don’t want to brag too much because it’s just three games, and we lost two of them,” Turgeon said. “But it’s a lot more fun to be around, and it’s a lot more fun to coach.”

The win no doubt went a long way to pleasing Turgeon, whose Terps (13-7, 3-3 ACC) find themselves in the middle of a massive midpack scrum in the conference as their January schedule comes to a close. Terrell Stoglin scored 28 points and Sean Mosley added 15 as Maryland outlasted the reeling Hokies (12-9, 1-5).

But run down a checklist of Turgeon’s perpetually daily hopes, and the Terps came closer than ever to filling them all.

Commit to defense? Yielding 19 points in the first half and maintaining a 63-55 lead with two minutes to go is ample evidence.

Rebound? The Terps held percentage advantages on both the offensive and defensive ends.

Shoot wisely? Maryland’s 46.8 percent work from the floor was its second-best figure in conference play.

Maybe Maryland didn’t value possession quite like it should have. But the Terps surely followed Turgeon’s message that preceded a productive Friday practice.

“Have fun, hustle and good things will happen,” Turgeon recounted.

It’s a change of pace from Turgeon, if only because of a different approach from his team. When Turgeon entered the locker room after an 84-70 loss at Florida State on Jan. 17 that featured a shoddy second half, he found players laughing and joking around. It did not go over well.

Perhaps it led to some self-reflection. Maryland played well deep into losses to Temple and Duke. Then came Saturday, when it never trailed and led by as many as 15 and left Turgeon reasonably, if not thoroughly, satisfied.

“I can see it,” said forward Ashton Pankey, who matched a career-best with 11 rebounds. “He’s been happier in practice. He’s proud of us. Guys are getting to practice early and we’re showing we want to work hard. That pleases him, so he’s proud of us and he’s really starting to enjoy coaching now.”

Sitting at .500 in league play entering a brutal February – six of the next nine are on the road, including trips to Duke, North Carolina and Virginia – will make someone happier. But it is the day-to-day elements that have left Turgeon especially pleased.

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