Maryland basketball coach Gary Williams was pleased Sunday when his team escaped Atlanta with a 74-63 defeat of Georgia Tech.
He was arguably just as happy Sean Mosley broke out of an extended funk.
The junior scored 16 points --- his largest output since the season opener --- and thrived against the undersized Yellow Jackets as Maryland won its third straight game.
"I hope he was just playing," Williams said. "We all try to overthink things sometimes. Sean is a great player when he's flying around out there. If you miss a shot, if you're flying around you don't even think about it. But if you're a little worried about things, you miss a shot and that can build. Tonight he was just loose and relaxed. We needed it and it really came through."
The greater issue for the Terrapins (14-7, 4-3 ACC) is whether it can continue over the final 10 games of the regular season and beyond.
Mosley was pegged as the perimeter option most likely to emerge as a consistent scorer at the start of the season. Sure, Greivis Vasquez and Eric Hayes were gone, but Mosley started for a season and a half and possessed a scoring pedigree from his high school career in Baltimore.
The grinding guard instead enters Wednesday's date with No. 6 Duke at Comcast Center fifth on Maryland's roster in scoring, has nearly as many turnovers (47) as assists (52) and is shooting 42.6 percent from the floor.
Mosley acknowledged Sunday he felt good against the Yellow Jackets. He had eight points in the first 10 minutes, and seemed as involved as at any point all season. His 13 shots matched a season-high, and he reached double figures in scoring for the first time in 2011.
Yet he seemed bemused when it was suggested it was a breakout game of sorts.
"I wouldn't say I needed a game like this, because even if I'm not scoring the basketball, I do other things to contribute and help the team to win," Mosley said. "It was great for me to come out here early and start attacking early, getting to the free throw line and make some jumpers. It felt good for me, but I wanted to do anything to help my team win tonight."
Still, it was obvious it was the most complete game Mosley pieced together in a while, an opinion Williams offered unsolicited. In some ways, it was the ideal team for Mosley to shred.
Georgia Tech doesn't possess much size, and it was often forced to deploy a four-guard set against the Terps. At one point, the Yellow Jackets didn't have a player taller than 6-foot-5 on the floor.
Mosley, who outworked players in the paint during his high school career, was well-equipped to take advantage of the matchup, particularly when Williams shortened his rotation to seven players in the second half. When Jordan Williams and Dino Gregory took a break, it was Mosley who slid to the power forward spot.
"He's so versatile, and he moves so well to any position we give him," Jordan Williams said. "Coach Williams throws a whole bunch of plays at him and he always knows what to do."
Mosley shrugged off any great significance, grateful to collect a victory and move on to Maryland's February schedule. It starts with perhaps the Terps' last, best chance to collect a signature victory --- what could prove to be the only ranked team paying a visit to Comcast Center this season.
Maryland has moved itself into NCAA tournament contention without Mosley at what anyone would consider his best. If Sunday was a sign of a re-emergence on offense, the Terps know what it could mean for their postseason push.
"We know Sean can do that," Jordan Williams said. "He's a great player. He's one of the main leaders of this team. For him to get his swag back is unbelievable. Him playing the play he's playing he is now, going to play Duke at our house is going to be an unbelievable."
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