“Virginia did a great job taking away Jordan Williams. No one had done that, like that, this year,” said Maryland coach Gary Williams. “Our seniors were tremendous tonight.”

In addition to Bowie, Maryland got solid work from classmates Cliff Tucker (13 points) and Dino Gregory (8 points, 5 rebounds). Freshman Pe’Shon Howard (9 points, 4 assists) excelled off the bench, hitting 4 of 5 shots from the floor.

But it was the play of Bowie that was crucial. During an 8-minute, 44-second span that bridged the halves, Bowie scored 12 of the Terps’ 19 points, helping transform a five-point deficit into an 11-point lead.

In the first half, Bowie sparked a 14-1 run with a three-pointer. In the second half, he scored the first seven points of a 9-0 run as the Terps took a 35-24 lead.

“I thought he took over the game for us,” said Gary Williams. “It was great.”

In a season in which Gary Williams has depended heavily on top scorer Jordan Williams, while playing musical chairs with his crooked-shooting guards, the 6-foot-2 Bowie has emerged as the Terps’ most reliable backcourt scorer.

Thursday was the eighth time in the last nine games that Bowie hit double digits. No Maryland guard approaches his marksmanship from the floor (50 percent) or the free-throw line (80 percent).

“As each game goes by, I’m getting more confident attacking the basket and looking to score more,” said Bowie. “I see a lot more avenues, driving to the basket and either getting to the free-throw line or finishing.”

Maryland shot 54 percent from the floor and 47 percent (7-of-13) from beyond the arc, while Virginia made just 33 percent from the floor, 23 percent (4-of-17) from three-point range, and a season-low 46 percent (6-of-13) from the free-throw line. No Cavalier finished in double figures. Starting guards K.T. Harrell and Mustapha Farrakhan were a combined 5 of 21.

“I wish it wouldn’t be contagious,” said Virginia coach Tony Bennett. “A number of our guys were certainly cold. That’s where I wish one guy could step up and get us going.”

The most demoralizing play for Virginia (11-9, 2-4) came when the Cavaliers, trailing 44-34, got an offensive rebound from junior Assane Sene (5 points, 15 rebounds, 6 turnovers), but his telegraphed pass was picked off by Bowie, who dribbled the other way for a breakaway three-point-play with 8:22 to go.

It was Maryland’s first win by a double-digit margin in Charlottesville since 1975.

“You never, ever, ever expect that,” said Gary Williams. “It was a big win for us to play like that.”

It was a fortunate trip for the Terps all-around. By pushing practice up a few hours on Wednesday, they got out of College Park minutes before school was closed. The trip, normally two hours and 20 minutes, still took six hours. But compared to the horror stories he heard of stalled traffic in and around the Beltway, Williams considered the Terps lucky.

The only downside was the end of Jordan Williams’ streak. The 6-10 sophomore took only five shots as Virginia collapsed inside, preventing him from getting the ball. But coming in a victory, Gary Williams saw it as a positive.

“I’m glad it’s over. I feel bad for Jordan,” said Gary Williams. “It’s gonna end sometime. So to end on a win, now he can forget about that and start playing. Tonight, I thought he might have been thinking about that. Now it’s over. He can start another streak.”

Notes: Virginia’s 42 points were its least since scoring 41 in a loss to Duke in 1998 … Virginia plays Saturday at last-place Wake Forest (7-13, 0-5). The Cavaliers have lost five in a row to the Demon Deacons. But this year’s Wake squad bears little resemblance to those of the past several seasons. Freshman Travis McKie is Wake’s top scorer (13.0 ppg) and rebounder (7.5 pg).

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