Minnesota trailed for 26 minutes of Sunday night’s contest with Maryland. After a Jahmir Young layup gave the Terps a one-point lead — eventually growing that advantage to double-digits — the Golden Gophers were forced to claw their way back.
With one shot, Elijah Hawkins stopped the clawing for good.
After a second-half offensive possession stalled out, the 5-foot-11 guard received a screen to his left, dribbled away from the defense and sank a 35-foot prayer as the shot clock expired.
Hawkins’ shot gave Minnesota (12-3, 3-1 Big Ten) a 47-45 lead, one it would never give back in an eventual 65-62 win over Maryland men’s basketball (9-6, 1-3 Big Ten). Hawkins put together a well-rounded night of 10 points, nine assists and six steals, while Cam Christie paced the home team with 12 points.
Young, the Terps’ leading scorer, shot 5-for-17 from the field and suffered an off night. But the fifth year guard still managed 20 points, in large part due to his 9-for-10 effort from the free throw line. Young’s sidekick, Julian Reese, started his night off hot with 10 points and five rebounds in the first half. But the forward picked up his fourth foul not long into the second period, keeping him on the bench for an eight-minute stretch where the Gophers grabbed all the momentum.
When Reese exited at the 16:50 mark, Maryland had a comfortable 34-25 advantage. When he re-entered, directly after the Hawkins three, the Terps trailed 47-45. His impact was mitigated the rest of the way as he tried not to pick up his fifth foul, scoring just four second-half points.
Minnesota extended its lead by as many as eight with four minutes remaining. Maryland wouldn’t bow down, hitting a few clutch threes to keep the game within one possession. But ultimately, another poor shooting night — 38 percent from the field and 33 percent from three — limited the Terps offensively as they dropped their third game of Big Ten play.
Maryland’s first possession ended with a Young turnover. That was a common occurrence early on at Williams Arena, as the Terps recorded five turnovers in the opening five minutes and 15 total in the first half.
“I gotta figure this out. I haven’t done a good job putting these guys in some situations, even though some of these turnovers I can’t take credit for,” coach Kevin Willard said. “Some of these turnovers were just absurd early in the game.”
It was a back-and-forth affair early as the Terps and Gophers traded blows. A Donta Scott three started the scoring in the opening minute, but neither team gained much of a lead early. Maryland trailed 12-9 in the sixth minute of action after a layup by forward Joshua Ola-Joseph.
Then Minnesota’s offense went ice cold while Maryland’s exploded.
The Gophers went seven minutes without a made field goal, missing six three point attempts while being dominated on the boards. The Terps took full advantage, using contributions from Young, Reese, DeShawn-Harris Smith and Jamie Kaiser Jr. to score 14 unanswered points and take a 23-12 lead.
But as has been the case with Willard’s squad all season long, the Maryland offense disappeared in a moment’s notice. From the nine-minute mark to the three-minute mark of the first half, the Terps couldn’t find the bottom of the net. They recorded six turnovers in the ugly stretch, allowing Minnesota to snatch the momentum and storm back into the contest, 23-20.
Maryland finished the half out strong, scoring six points off free throws and a Scott hookshot to enter the locker room up 29-22.
Reese, who went scoreless in Maryland’s last game against Purdue and the reigning Naismith Player of the Year Zach Edey, started Sunday’s contest strong. But once he picked up his fourth foul, Willard subbed out his big man to preserve him for later in the game. With Reese out, Maryland saw its lead shrink from nine to three in just two minutes.
The Gophers continued their run from there, tying the game at 40 after a three dropped for Hawkins. Not long after, the junior guard handed his team its first lead since early in the first half after he drained a deep triple with 8:15 remaining in the contest.
Minnesota never looked back from there, claiming a 65-62 win to send the Terps home without anything to show for it.
“This team’s got me a little perplexed because we don’t practice that way and we don’t prepare that way,” Willard said. “It’s a little bit perplexing. It’s disappointing.”
