The buzzer sounded and Maryland’s Lonny Baxter threw the ball so high it nearly reached the roof of the Carrier Dome. This was a fitting exclamation point to a wondrous East Regional final, which his Terrapins won.
It was also out of character for the senior forward, who is normally unemotional. “I was just happy to be going back to the Final Four,” he explained, laconically, of course. “It’s been a tough season.”
“The players were laughing about it in the locker room,” said Gary Williams, his coach. “He’s not like that. Usually it’s, `Lonny, you’re the greatest player on the floor.’ `OK, Coach.’ `Lonny, you’re the worst player on the floor.’ `OK, coach.’ That’s how Lonny is. He just goes about life.”
On Sunday he also helped drive his team to their win, scoring 29 points and grabbing a game-high nine rebounds and delivering in the face of UConn’s constant pressure. Huskies center Emeka Okafor, a renowned shot blocker, couldn’t stop him and was limited to 23 minutes by the foul trouble he got into contending with Baxter.
Not having Okafor on the floor “changes so much for us,” said Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun. “But Baxter’s a load. He’s a tremendously efficient offensive player.”
Mike Hayes, who spelled Okafor, couldn’t stop Baxter and picked up four fouls in only eight minutes. The Huskies, in fact, had no answers for Baxter, who was named the regional’s most outstanding player.
He earned it while going 7-of-12 from the field and 15-of-18 from the line while scoring crucial points down the stretch. With his Terps trailing by three at 4:27, he hit a pair of free throws to keep them close. With the game tied at 2:08, he made a tough hook that nestled in off the glass. Then with his team up two at 1:14, he got his last points of the night with another pair of free throws.
“They were making big plays, but we just stayed with it,” he said. “We just know how to win.”
