Maryland men’s basketball uses physicality to surge past No. 21 Indiana, 66-55

Donta Scott was not afraid of the big moment. With one minute left in regulation, he found himself in the same spot as the last possession. The senior forward once again backed down his defender before transitioning to his left hand for an easy layup inside. 

The two clutch buckets by Scott were the dagger that struck No. 21 Indiana’s five-game winning streak. Maryland men’s basketball rode Scott’s performance to a 66-55 win in front of an XFINITY Center crowd dripped in all red. 

“He got some great looks tonight,” coach Kevin Willard said. “But I think he’s back to slowing down a little bit. I think he’s enjoying the physicality. And again defensively, he’s got the hardest assignment every night because what we do defensively really depends on him.”

Scott didn’t have the best night shooting from the floor but his perfect 6-6 from the free throw was monumental. He finished with 19 points and five rebounds. 

Jahmir Young also turned in another stellar performance, totaling 20 points, six rebounds and two steals. The graduate student guard got it done with his shooting from deep, going 3-6 — including clutch threes throughout the game.

For Indiana, Trayce Jackson-Davis recorded 18 points and 20 rebounds. The 6-foot-9 senior forward turned in another impressive performance but the Hoosiers struggled to find production outside of the star big man.

Sophomore forward Julian Reese was matched up against Jackson-Davis for a majority of the game and held his own. He recorded two blocks and a steal on the defensive end and was disruptive in the paint. 

“I thought JuJu was awesome,” Willard said. “Trayce Jackson-Davis is a big-time player and I think JuJu is slowly turning into just as much of a big-time player. To sit here and battle the bigs he’s had to battle for the past five games, and to, if not win it, break even, it just shows you how far Julian has come.”

The two star players scored first for each team. Young nailed a three for the Terps, and on the other end Jackson-Davis responded with a simple hook shot inside. Both players have dominated in conference play all season and tonight looked no different early on.

Against Big Ten opponents, Young is averaging 20.5 points per game and Jackson-Davis is averaging 21.4 points per game. 

Seven minutes into the first half the home crowd for the Terps was already a major factor. The lead had already changed three times as both teams were slugging it out, but the Terps hit a dry spell where they went zero for their last six from the field and had not seen a bucket go in over three minutes. 

Indiana seemed aware of the Terps’ gameplan to neutralize Jackson-Davis, and it constantly moved the ball around to find the open shot. Seven different players scored for the Hoosiers.

With 6:43 to go in the first half, Maryland saw back-to-back threes fall courtesy of Donta Scott and Young, erupting the crowd and pulling the Terps within one. The three by Young already gave him 10 points on the night.

With three minutes to go, the Terps rattled off a mini 7-0 run and salvaged a poor start shooting from three. They started 1-9 from beyond the arc and hit three of their next six.

Maryland took care of the basketball as it had yet to commit their first turnover with two minutes left in the half. On the other end, Indiana committed six turnovers in a matter of five minutes and endured a 4:24 scoring drought. 

The Terps rolled up to the final seconds before half because of their ability to draw fouls. They reached the double bonus and went 13-15 from the charity strike. 

Although the Terps held Jackson-Davis to eight first half points, he recorded 11 rebounds and was on pace for his 11th double-double of the season. Young led all scorers with 13 and Scott trailed behind with nine at the half.

Because the Terps entered halftime with zero turnovers – a feat they have not accomplished all season – they led by a score of 37-29. 

Four minutes into the second half the home crowd for the Terps was the loudest all game. Every time Jackson-Davis touched the ball he was accompanied by “airball” and “overrated” chants. But Jackson-Davis remained focused and knocked down a pair of free throws to put Indiana within two. 

The offensive production for the Hoosiers was short-lived as they endured another slump at the 13-minute mark. They had not scored in the last three minutes and were one for their last seven from the field.

The game quickly shifted into a defensive battle, and with 12 minutes remaining, both teams combined for 18 second half points. 

The battle was one that Maryland was winning, and a Young triple at the 11:41 mark gave the Terps their largest lead of the night on his third three of the game. 

Indiana continued to struggle to penetrate Maryland’s defense, and with 7:30 remaining, it had turned the ball over 11 times to Maryland’s three. The Terps’ aggressive full-court press, coupled with a rowdy home crowd, gave Indiana trouble. 

With six minutes to go in the game, Jackson-Davis started to put Indiana on his back. He eclipsed the 20-rebound mark for the third time this season and led his team to a 7-0 run with his scoring inside. 

But with 4:42 remaining, Jackson-Davis was pick-pocketed by Scott, who scored on an offensive rebound down low on the other end. The basket gave the Terps a nine-point lead. 

The Terps remained in control until the final buzzer sounded, guiding them to 6-0 against Big Ten opponents at home.

Maryland’s ball security and efficiency from the free throw line were the keys to victory over a hot Indiana team. Although the Hoosiers boasted a plus-seven advantage on the glass, they could not match the energy of the Terps home crowd. 

“We’re 6-0 at home [in Big Ten play] for a reason and the crowd is a huge part of that,” Young said. “Their energy is huge and we’re thankful for them. We just appreciate them for bringing that energy and bringing that atmosphere. It gives us some extra energy and extra pride to go get wins.”