LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Gonzaga coach Mark Few wasn’t surprised by Maryland’s big win over Michigan State on Thursday.
“That wasn’t an eye-opener to me,” he said. “If you paint Maryland into a corner they come out with a win every time.”
The No. 9 Bulldogs managed to hold down the Terrapins on Friday, getting 22 points from Josh Heytvelt in an 81-59 victory in the semifinals of the Old Spice Classic.
“We did everything well and it wore on them,” Heytvelt said.
The Terrapins made nine of 19 3-pointers in the 80-62 upset of No. 5 Michigan State but went 1-for-13 from beyond the arc against Gonzaga, which pulled away in the second half.
“Coming off last night, I didn’t know what to expect,” Terps coach Gary Williams said. “It was a great win and I was hoping we’d have carried the momentum into this game.”
The Bulldogs (4-0) advanced to the tournament championship Sunday against Tennessee, a 90-78 winner over Georgetown in the other semi. The Vols beat Gonzaga 82-72 in Seattle last season.
“They’re just so disruptive and opportunistic,” Few said. “They’re so quick with their hands and we didn’t deal with that so well last year.”
Greivis Vasquez had 16 points for Maryland (4-1), which plays the Hoyas for third place. The Terrapins shot 38 percent and were outrebounded 41-30.
Austin Daye had 17 points and 10 rebounds for Gonzaga, which finished a close first half with a 10-2 run to take a 38-29 halftime lead.
Landon Milbourne opened the second half with a reverse layup to cut Gonzaga’s lead to seven but the Bulldogs scored 19 of the next 28 points. Matt Bouldin’s two free throws with just over 10 minutes left put Gonzaga ahead 57-40.
Vasquez made a 3 early in the game to become the 47th Maryland player to reach 1,000 career points.
The Terrapins were shooting for their second win over a ranked nonconference opponent since 2003. Their first was Thursday against Michigan State.
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