Maryland men’s basketball falls to Iowa, 81-67

Despite having a quiet first half and having only five seconds on the shot clock, Kris Murray squared up against Donta Scott before bursting past with his quick first step on the baseline, rising for a two-handed reverse dunk. 

Murray entered the half with just two points but caught fire in the second, finishing with 19 points. The junior forward was one of four Hawkeyes to reach double figures. Tony Perkins finished with a career-high 22 points to go along with four rebounds and three assists. 

Although Maryland men’s basketball had answers for Iowa’s offensive output, its long-stringing runs lead to its demise, as the Hawkeyes defeated the Terps, 81-67.

“I thought we took a step in the right direction, believe it or not,” coach Kevin Willard said. “I thought we battled on the road, got down 14, kept battling, came out in the second half and did some nice things. Our defense intensity on the road is really lacking.”

Senior forward Patrick Emilien was out with a sprained ankle for the contest, and the Terps could’ve used his size on the defensive end against the much bigger Iowa squad.

“He’s been hurt in every loss,” Willard said. “You look at his 17 minutes a game and you look at his stats, you don’t think he’s that valuable, but he’s probably the most valuable guy we have. Cause he doesn’t only jack up Juju [Reese], he backs up Donta [Scott].”

For the Terps, graduate student Jahmir Young continued his high-level play in Big Ten matchups, tallying 20 points, five rebounds and three assists. 

Scott was the other beneficiary for Maryland, as he recorded a double-double with 15 points and 11 boards. 

In the first few minutes of action, Maryland took the first lead of the game courtesy of two inside looks by sophomore forward Julian Reese. Iowa responded with a sudden 8-0 run, with four different Hawkeyes scoring. 

Turnovers and slow offensive starts have been issues for the Terps in their Big Ten matchups this season and those trends continued against the Hawkeyes. Maryland turned the ball over four times — all of which off steals — in the first eight minutes of action. 

With 11 minutes still to play in the first half, Murray picked up two fouls and headed towards the bench. However, the Iowa offense didn’t skip a beat. Perkins converted an and-one in transition, carrying the offensive load with nine of the Hawkeyes’ first 19 points. 

After sitting on the bench with two fouls, Reese re-entered the game with eight minutes to go in the first half and immediately made an impact. Reese began backing down his defender, using his size and strength to finish through contact and score his eighth point in the paint.

Reese’s score was part of a small run from the Terps, as they pounded the rock inside the paint. Their first 18 points came inside even against the tall and lengthy Iowa forwards. 

Soon after, Iowa caught fire on the offensive end, raining threes and picking apart Maryland’s zone defense. Threes by junior guard Ahron Ulis and graduate student guard/forward Connor McCaffrey extended the Hawkeyes’ lead to 14. 

For Maryland, unforced turnovers sabotaged its offense. The Hawkeyes were in passing lanes repeatedly, forcing steals while they converted on the offensive end. 

At halftime, Perkins led all scorers with 15 points, showcasing his ability to drive in the lane and knock down the pull-up jump shot. Perkins and sophomore guard Payton Sandfort combined for 24 of Iowa’s 43 first-half points. 

“I’m a huge fan of the way he plays,” Willard said. “I think he’s kinda like their glue guy. He doesn’t have to score but I thought coming off the last two games he hadn’t been great, I just think watching him he’s been their glue guy and I’ve always been a big fan of his. I think he’s a heck of a player.”

Iowa was winning the turnover and rebounding battles due to its size advantage. The Hawkeyes were also sharing the basketball, recording nine first half assists to Maryland’s three. 

Back-to-back threes by Hart and Scott to open the second half gave the Terps a good start to the second half. Both buckets were  part of a 7-0 run offensively that propelled them back into the game and cut their deficit down to just two points. 

After the strong start, the Terps shot one of their last eight from the field and allowed Murray to get loose and score five quick points, moving Iowa’s lead back to 11. 

Iowa continued to get the ball in the hands of its shooters to attack the Maryland 2-3 zone. The Hawkeyes also attacked Reese, who picked up his fourth foul with eight minutes to go. Maryland had its answers, but Iowa had its runs. 

“We found ways to get buckets, we found ways to get some offensive rebounds, I thought Hak [Hart] had an and-one and they called it a travel, we had a good post up play, Willard said.” “I thought we had some opportunities we just couldn’t get over the hump.”

The Terps continued to hold on throughout the game but their costly turnovers and streaky shooting prevented them from sustaining a consistent game plan for attacking their much larger opponent. Iowa’s patience on offense and fastbreak offense led to good shots and an offensive output from its entire team. 

Maryland will now travel back home to College Park for a Big Ten rematch against Michigan Jan. 19 at the XFINITY Center.