It's no secret what Cliff Tucker wanted Wednesday for his 22nd birthday. The Maryland senior has been hoping to win back the starting position he lost five games ago.
But Tucker didn't want to complain, particularly on his special day. So he gladly settled for scoring a season-high 21 points off the bench to lead a 74-55 victory over Wake Forest that was Maryland's first Atlantic Coast Conference win of the season.
Maryland (11-5, 1-2 ACC) needed Tucker's shooting and energy on a night when leading scorer Jordan Williams shot 2-for-13 from the floor but still managed his 10th straight double double with 13 points and 15 rebounds. Len Elmore is the only Terp to have posted more consecutive double doubles than Williams. Elmore had 12 straight in 1973-74.
Desperate to avoid an 0-3 start in the conference, Tucker and his Maryland teammates went against a rebuilding Demon Deacons team (7-10, 0-2) that entered the game ranked last in the ACC in scoring margin, rebounding margin and turnover margin.
Wake Forest turned the ball over 18 times, leading directly to 24 Maryland points. It was a gift for Tucker and his teammates that kept on giving. Wake Forest's 55 points were the fewest for the team at Joel Coliseum since 1999.
"I think we had some bad turnovers that allowed them some spurts," Wake Forest coach Jeff Bzdelik said.
Tucker had two of Maryland's 10 steals. He was also in the middle of a decisive second-half Maryland run.
"Cliff played great [in the last game] at Duke, and he's just carrying it on," guard Adrian Bowie said. "That helps us a lot. He's knocking down shots, getting to the basket, making free throws. He's not thinking anymore, he's just playing."
After leading by as many as 14 points in the first half, the Demon Deacons cut the margin to 46-40 before Tucker led the the Terps on a 15-0 streak.
The Terps led 48-40 when Tucker made a steal and hit the first of four straight free throws. Moments later, a lay-in by Terrell Stoglin upped Maryland's advantage to 56-40.
Wake Forest never came within single digits after that.
Maryland coach Gary Williams said the Terps were "a little tired after Sunday night emotionally and physically." The Terps lost, 71-64, at Duke on Sunday.
Duke had played a rugged man-to-man defense. Wake Forest largely played a zone, and Williams said his Terps "started to get into the rhythm of the zone rather than play at our pace."
It was Tucker's fifth straight game scoring in double digits off the bench. He topped his season high of 17, set against Pittsburgh. He fell one point shy of his career best, set against North Carolina in 2009.
Tucker has not been shy about expressing his belief that he has earned the right to start during his career.
"Coach knows I want to start. But I'm not going to pout about it," Tucker said.
The senior has played energetically off the bench, erasing the memory of earlier shooting struggles in losses to Illinois and Temple.
"He's a starter," Gary Williams said. "He's not starting the game, but in my mind he's a starter."
Maryland needed Tucker's performance — and its usual tight defense — on a night when both teams struggled from the floor. The Terps shot 38.2 percent and were 5-for-18 on 3-pointers. Maryland won by forcing turnovers and dominating in the paint. Jordan Williams was repeatedly fouled by Wake Forest defenders when he got the ball in the lane.
He has struggled from the foul line at times this season but was 9-for-14 on Wednesday night.
If Maryland was uneven, Wake Forest was worse. The Demon Deacons — who had used seven different starting lineups entering the game — played as if their starters were never properly introduced.
Wake Forest has a proud tradition, evidenced by the banners hanging from Joel Coliseum honoring Tim Duncan and other former luminaries.
But Wake has a young team and a new coach in Bzdelik. It was Maryland — not the Demon Deacons — that ended the night with its first ACC win of the season.
"The main thing was to get the win," Tucker said. "Now we might celebrate [my birthday] afterward."
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