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Terps Beat Pack Despite Strong Shooting by Gannon, McClain

By Tim Peeler, GoPack.com

Feb 21, 2008

College Park, Md. — Editor's Note: WRAL.com and GoPack.com are looking back to N.C. State's 1983 championship season with video and stories that recap what was happening 25 years ago. On Jan. 29, 1983, the Wolfpack lost at Maryland for its sixth loss in eight games. State's chances for even making the NCAA Tournament looked bleak. But what no one knew at the time was State would lose only three more games all season. Some stunning victories were coming in the weeks ahead.

The 3-point shot ruled in Saturday night’s game between N.C. State and Maryland, and Terrapin coach Lefty Driesell didn’t like it one bit.

Maybe that’s because his Terps nearly let a 17-point lead slip away in the final three and a half minutes of the game, thanks to stellar shooting performances by Wolfpack sophomore Terry Gannon and freshman George McClain. Still, the Terps held on for an 86-81 victory at Cole Field House, thanks to a career-high 29 points from reserve guard Steve Rivers.

Rivers, relegated to a reserve role after five starts early in the season, came off the bench to hit 11 of 14 field goals for the Terps, including six of his seven attempts from the ACC’s experimental 3-point line.

“I didn’t expect to do what I did, but I never gave up,” Rivers said after the game. “You have to keep a good attitude, and if you do that, you time is going to come.”

The 6-foot-3 junior guard, who had scored just 18 points in the Terps’ previous 11 games, got his chance because of his effort this week in practice,  Driesell said.

“He did a great job in practice, so we played him a lot tonight and it paid off,” said the coach.