RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) -- Juan Dixon knew he wasn't himself early in
the game when he was beaten to two loose balls. No. 12 Maryland
didn't allow itself to be beaten without him.
Terence Morris scored 20 points and Lonny Baxter added 18 as the
Terrapins matched their best six-game Atlantic Coast Conference
start with a 75-61 victory over North Carolina State on Sunday.
|  | | Maryland's Lonny Baxter (left) battles North Carolina State's Kenny Inge for a rebound during the first half. |
The Terrapins ((No. 14 ESPN/USA Today, No. 12 AP, 14-4, 5-1 ACC) won without much help from leading
scorer Dixon (19.4), who injured his tailbone in practice Saturday
and didn't play in the second half.
"This was important for the rest of our players," Maryland
coach Gary Williams said. "Juan has gotten a lot of attention and
scored a lot of points for us, but we have some good players and
they have pride and they want to prove they can play. And today
they had to step up. We couldn't use an excuse."
Dixon came in averaging 24.2 points in ACC play and had scored
at least 19 points in 11 straight games. He ended with just two
free throws against the Wolfpack (9-7, 1-4) in 11 minutes top match
his season-low point total.
But Morris and Baxter more than picked up the slack on offense,
combining to go 15-for-24 from the field, as Maryland won for the
13th time in its last 14 after starting the season 1-3.
"You almost get used to their efforts," Williams said of his
two key frontline players.
Dixon said he could have played if needed, but felt he would
hurt more than help after re-injuring his back when he fell in the
first half.
"That's why I made the decision not to play," Dixon said. "I
knew my teammates would do well without me. We showed a lot of
people that we can win without me. We have a great TEAM here."
Dixon was coming off a season-high 30-point game against Wake
Forest.
The Terrapins were leading by four at halftime -- the 18th
straight time this season Maryland has lead at the break -- and
finished off the Wolfpack midway through the period by scoring on
seven straight possessions.
Maryland led 46-38 before getting four straight fast-break
layups, two free throws by Morris, and then two more layups to go
up by 15 with 9:33 left.
"We try to attack pressure," Williams said of the easy
baskets. "And I told the team we were really smart when we didn't
have it we didn't try to take it through it and get in trouble."
The lead reached 21 five minutes later on a 3-pointer by Drew
Nichols as the Terrapins beat the Wolfpack for the 18th time in the
last 22 meetings.
An upset Damien Wilkins said the Wolfpack gave up in the second
half after Maryland built a double-digit lead.
"It's uncharacteristic for this team or for any team to ever
give up at home and play the way we played in the second half,"
Wilkins said. "The effort wasn't there, the intensity wasn't
there. We certainly didn't play any defense."
Maryland also started 5-1 after six games in the ACC under
Williams four times in the 1990s.
The win keeps the Terrapins one-half game behind ACC-leading
Duke and North Carolina. Maryland hosts the second-ranked Blue
Devils on Saturday.
Anthony Grundy scored eight points in the opening 5:23 for the
Wolfpack, but was held to eight the rest of the way after battling
foul trouble to finish with 16.
There were seven lead changes and four ties in the first half as
neither team led by more than seven. But the Wolfpack couldn't hold
it together in the second half with another rough shooting day,
hitting only 34 percent in a season-low point total.
"We've all been around sports long enough to know it (scoring)
is the only thing you get points for, and we're not blind to that
fact," Wolfpack coach Herb Sendek said.
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ALSO SEE
Men's College Basketball Scoreboard
Maryland Clubhouse
North Carolina State Clubhouse
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Maryland's Terence Morris slams one down against N.C. State.
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RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Maryland's Danny Miller hangs in the air for the driving layup against N.C. State.
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RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
N.C. State's Scooter Sherrill steals the rock from Maryland's Steve Blake.
avi: 1006 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
N.C. State's Scooter Sherrill draws the steal and finishes with the drive with a layup.
avi: 824 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
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