Terps steal one at FSU
An aggressive, sharp-shooting Derwin Kitchen was on full display during Florida State's game with Maryland on Thursday.
And if Kitchen's performance is a sign of things to come, then the Seminoles could be a very real threat as the Atlantic Coast Conference season reaches its climax.
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For now though, Kitchen and his teammates are left, yet again, reeling from a tough loss to the Terrapins.
Kitchen shattered his career-best with 29 points, but FSU couldn't overcome a hot Maryland shooting performance in the second half, and fell to the Terrapins, 71-67, in front of 9,228 fans at the Tucker Center.
"It's tough, man. It's tough," said Kitchen, who was 12-of-16 from the floor, and 3-for-3 from beyond the arc. "Scoring points, it really doesn't define me as a player. I'd rather win any day. I'd rather score two points and get a 'W' any day."
Trailing 66-64 with under 40 seconds to play, FSU's Michael Snaer was called for a charge on Maryland's Dino Gregory - after his shot went through the basket - to pick up his fifth foul.
Gregory's feet appeared to be moving as Snaer pulled up to shoot, but referee Karl Hess blew the whistle and sent Maryland's Greivis Vasquez to the free throw line.
Vasquez, who led the Terrapins with 23 points, knocked down both shots to effectively put the game out of reach.
"I knew he was going to try to take a charge," said Snaer, who scored nine points in 19 minutes of action. "I was saying it in my head - 'I'm going to go straight up.' I went straight up, and I don't know. I can't say nothing about. The refs, they make their calls. But it's just a part of the game."
FSU (16-6, 4-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) led 29-24 at the half despite shooting just 12-of-36 (33.3 percent from the floor).
The Terrapins (15-6, 5-2 ACC) raced out of the gate in the second half, scoring seven quick points to claim a lead that they never relinquished. Maryland shot over 46 percent in the second half and over 42 percent for the game.
"In the second half, when they made their run, you could see it," Kitchen said. "They were hungrier"
Solomon Alabi's jumper with just under two minutes to go tied the game at 64, but Maryland went on a 7-3 run to close it out.
Kitchen said that he has made a concerted effort to be more aggressive offensively, and that he doesn't expect that to change when the Seminoles host Miami on Saturday at 8 p.m.
"He was great," Maryland coach Gary Williams said of Kitchen. "We couldn't stop him. The clock just ran out, that's all. I don't think we ever stopped him."
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