Fran McCaffrey tried everything he could.
Iowa’s head coach threw multiple defenders at Maryland guard Jahmir Young for much of the night. If Young loaded up for a drive to the rim, two Hawkeye defenders were waiting for him in the lane. If he somehow made his way into the paint, multiple bodies hunted him under the rim.
The strategy worked. At least for the first half.
Young was held scoreless for much of the opening period, not hitting his first field goal until over 14 minutes into the contest. The Terps trailed 24-17 at that point, with most of their points coming off four made threes.
But Young couldn’t be contained for long. After scoring just five first-half points, he scored 17 in the second period. He finished the night 7-15 from the field for 22 points, his biggest buckets coming on three straight possessions in the final 90 seconds of the game to lift Maryland men’s basketball (12-8, 4-5 Big Ten) to a dramatic 69-67 win over Iowa (11-8, 3-5 Big Ten) in Iowa City.
Julian Reese also faced heavy defensive pressure from the opening tip. The Hawkeyes double-teamed Reese in the post, forcing him to swing the ball around the perimeter. But the junior forward found his groove, recording 17 points and nine rebounds on 6-for-9 shooting. Reese added five blocks and five offensive rebounds in a complete domination against Iowa freshman big man Owen Freeman, who fouled out late in the contest.
While the Terps were uncharacteristically hot from three to start the game — they shot 57 percent in the first half — Iowa missed its first seven attempts from deep. The Hawkeyes established dominance in the paint early despite that difference, scoring 28 points around the rim in the first 20 minutes of play. That formula gave Iowa a 34-28 advantage heading into the halftime break.
The Hawkeyes jumped out to a quick nine-point lead to start the second period following a made three pointer and a layup. But Maryland didn’t bow down, continuing to scratch and claw away at the deficit.
Reese and Young combined to go on a six-point unanswered run, putting the Terps firmly within striking distance, trailing 41-38. The duo’s dominance continued, scoring six of the team’s next 11 points to take a 50-48 lead midway through the second period.
Iowa then went on a 13-5 run across the ensuing five minutes to open up a six-point advantage, its largest lead since the early second half. The Hawkeyes led 63-57 with 4:43 remaining.
Two pairs of free throws from Reese and Donta Scott put Maryland back down by one possession with the chance to take another lead. Young did just that, draining a stepback three from the right wing to give the Terps a 64-63 advantage.
Iowa continued to fight, trading the lead two more times in the final minute of regulation. But it didn’t matter, as Young’s brilliance with two threes and a left-handed layup in the final 90 seconds gave Maryland all it needed to escape Carver-Hawkeye Arena with its second Big Ten road victory.
