Diggy Coit’s 30 points not enough as Maryland men’s basketball falls 88-71 to USC

Photo by Grayson Belanger/Maryland Terrapins. Photo courtesy of Maryland Athletics.

Diggy Coit became the first Maryland basketball player to score 30 or more points on the road since Jahmir Young against Michigan State in 2024, and was the game’s leading scorer.

But the guard’s effort wasn’t enough as Maryland fell 88-71 to USC at the Galen Center on Tuesday. The Terps remain winless in conference play and rank last in the Big Ten.

The game started similarly to recent games for the Terps (7-10, 0-6 Big Ten): a strong start with the Terps leading at the first media timeout, only to come out of the first stoppage with a lengthy scoring drought.

But the Terps clawed their way back from a deficit early, holding the lead for the last three minutes of the first half. That was, until Trojan guard Kam Woods drilled two free throws with three seconds left in the first frame to give the Trojans (14-3, 3-3 Big Ten) a 42-41 lead at halftime. 

“I wish we could combine the first half against USC and the second half against UCLA,” head coach Buzz Williams said. “Unfortunately, they don’t let you do that.”

The half was one of Maryland’s best the entire season, shooting 50% from the floor and 42% from beyond the arc. 

Coming out of halftime, the Terps used two Trojan scoring droughts to go on an 11-6 run, re-taking a 52-48 lead. But a frequent problem for Maryland emerged: turnovers.

The Terps finished with 12 turnovers to USC’s six, resulting in 15 Trojan points. Multiple of those turnovers came from sloppy passes, while three illegal screens ended Maryland’s scoring chances early in possessions.

Despite a similar problem against UCLA on Saturday, the Terps used rebounding prowess to keep that game close until the end. They finished with a +19 rebounding margin against the Bruins. Against USC, Maryland was -11 on the glass. 

A major reason for the Terps’ lack of success under the rim was Solomon Washington’s early foul trouble. The Terps’ leading rebounder since Pharrel Payne’s injury played just 23 minutes after reaching his fourth personal foul with 13 minutes remaining. 

“We’re still working on finding a down-back-down if Solo’s in foul trouble,” Williams said. “I think we have … accepted where we’re deficient and how we need to improve.”

The Terps also had no answer for the Trojans’ balanced offensive attack. While USC has mainly relied on success in the paint this season, with 64% of its points coming underneath the hoop, the Trojans found a lot of success from mid-range, especially from guard Jordan Marsh, who replaced Woods after getting into foul trouble. Marsh scored 17 points and shot 50% in the second half. 

With the season slipping further out of reach, Maryland will return to College Park to play Penn State on Sunday.