Another defensive gem combined with a hat trick by junior attackman Braden Erksa yielded what has become a most predictable outcome for the Maryland men’s lacrosse team this time of the year: a trip to the NCAA tournament’s Final Four.

The fastest sport on two feet was reduced to a crawl, and that suited Maryland men’s lacrosse just fine. The No. 2 seed Terps employed a suffocating defense and a just-enough offense to hold off unseeded Georgetown,

ANNAPOLIS, Md — There was little doubt about the excitement for Maryland men’s lacrosse and Georgetown’s first meeting since 2012. 17,721 spectators filed into Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium to set an NCAA tournament quarterfinals record.