ATLANTA — Maryland figured it needed two more wins to lock up a spot in the NCAA tournament.

It got just that — and a chance at another one — Friday night when Greivis Vasquez scored 22 points and the Terrapins advanced to the semifinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament with a crucial 75-64 upset of No. 9 Wake Forest, which was doomed by its worst shooting performance of the season.

Maryland (20-12) pulled away from a 36-31 halftime lead as the Demon Deacons (24-6) missed time and time again, finishing at 29.7 percent from the field. The Terps made up for a 65-63 loss to Wake Forest 10 days earlier and won for the second straight night, following up a win over North Carolina State.

Before the tournament, coach Gary Williams said two wins should put Maryland in "good shape." The Terps moved on to face No. 9 Duke or Boston College in the semis Saturday, giving them yet another chance to impress the NCAA tournament selection committee.

James Johnson led Wake Forest with 20 points. The Demon Deacons have already done plenty to land an NCAA bid, but the one-and-done showing at the Georgia Dome could hurt their seeding.

The Terps essentially locked up the game with a 14-2 spurt at the start of the second half. A decisive series of 3-pointers finished off the run.

L.D. Williams missed a trey from the corner for Wake Forest. Vasquez hit one at the other end for Maryland. James Johnson of the Demon Deacons clanked one from outside the arc. The Terps' Sean Mosley swished a long-range shot.

Wake Forest called timeout, then failed to get off a shot before the 35-second clock expired. Landon Milbourne hit a turnaround jumper to give Maryland its biggest lead, 50-33, with 15 minutes remaining.

The Demon Deacons didn't get closer than eight points the rest of the way, finishing 22 of 74 from the field. It was their worst shooting percentage of the season, eclipsing a 31.7 percent showing against Miami in early February.

Among the starters, Al-Farouq Aminu was 2 of 12, Jeff Teague made only 3 of 13, Williams went 3 of 9, and Chas McFarland missed all four of his shots. Johnson connected on half of his 18 attempts, but the top five still combined for a dismal 17-of-56.

The Deacons were bad no matter where they shot from — inside or out. They made only 3 of 25 outside the arc, a 12 percent success rate that also was their worst of the season.

In the second half, Wake Forest put up 15 3-pointers in an increasingly futile attempt to slice into Maryland's lead. Only one went in.

The Terps turned it over 17 times, but the sloppiness didn't hurt them. Vasquez usually came up with the big shot or pass when his team needed it, and the Venezuelan got plenty of help from the supporting cast. Mosley had 12 points, Eric Hayes 11 and Dave Neal 10. Milbourne worked the boards, coming up with 10 rebounds.

Johnson was basically a one-man show for Wake Forest. He also has led his team with 12 rebounds, but Teague, with 11 points, was the only other player in double figures. No one else had more than seven rebounds.