Maryland men’s basketball uses strong second half to surge past UMBC, 80-64

With two and a half minutes to go in regulation, Julian Reese saw a double team coming and  zipped a pass across the court to a wide-open Don Carey. Standing in front of the Maryland bench, Carey found his spot and knocked down a three giving the Terps a 15-point lead. 

It was one of five three pointers on the night for Carey, as his game-high 19 points paced the Terps offensively. Coming off the bench, Carey helped undo Maryland’s early shooting woes as they struggled against an in-state opponent.

Carey’s performance gave the Terps back-to-back wins at home, as they defeated UMBC in College Park, 80-64.

“I just try to you know, shoot the shot, it definitely feels good to see one go in but in terms of my demeanor, and how Ive been consistent with that, I know the type of player I am, I know the type of work I put in,” Carey said. “ I know how practice goes as well, so eventually you know the work will show.”

Hakim Hart and Jahmir Young also helped to shoulder the offensive load.  Young finished with 18 points and seven rebounds while Hart added 16 points and seven rebounds, respectively.

“We really are a balanced team when it comes to scoring,” coach Kevin Willard said. “Hak’s  has been really consistent. So, if you look at the roster, there’s guys on there that can get you on any given night.”

For UMBC, Jarvis Doles and Craig Beaudion carried the offensive load. Both reached 14 points on the night to lead the Retrievers.

Although UMBC won the opening tip, Maryland scored first with an Ian Martinez layup. The Terps made it an emphasis to attack the paint early, scoring eight of their first nine points in the paint.

Three turnovers in the span of two minutes by the Terps slowed down their offense and instead allowed the Retrievers to build a lead. Doles was the first player to reach double figures with a three-pointer from the top of the key. In six minutes, Doles racked up 10 points against the lackluster Terps defense.

Young responded by recording a chase-down block in transition, sparking a fastbreak after UMBC took the lead by five points. Young continued to run the floor and found Hart who finished a reverse layup. 

The recent shooting struggles continued for the Terps, as they started  0-7 from behind the arc to open the game. The Terps adjusted, getting to the basket at will, taking advantage of mismatches.

The lead changed when Hart pickpocketed his man in the backcourt and slammed home a right-handed tomahawk dunk. The sequence gave the Terps much-needed energy and contributed to a 14-1 run. 

Meanwhile, UMBC shot just 1-12 and struggled to assemble anything on the offensive end. 

A monstrous putback dunk by senior Travon Fagan cut the Terps lead to three, but Carey would respond by getting Maryland on the board with their first three of the game after starting 0-10. The three came on an isolation play where Carey put his defender on skates before stepping back into the corner and draining his shot. 

“They know I have the utmost confidence in them,” Willard said. “I never talk about not shooting, stop shooting. They understand the amnount of work we put in, the amnout of individual work we put in.”

Defensively, Reese was a nonfactor in the first 20 minutes. In Reese’s first game back after missing time with a  shoulder injury, he appeared to be hampered as he recorded just three first half rebounds and failed to get anything going offensively despite his height advantage. 

At halftime, the Terps managed to hold onto a 33-30 lead.

To start the second half the Terps continued to attack the basket. Young scored the first four points by either team with two layups at the rim putting Maryland up seven. 

On the other hand, UMBC settled for perimeter shots. Three-pointers by Beaudion and freshman Dion Brown cut the Terps lead back to three points. 

Both teams battled back and forth trading baskets and points from the free-throw line. Reese bounced back by giving the Retrievers problems in the paint forcing them to foul several times. Halfway through the second half, the Terps attempted 20 free throws to UMBC’s seven.

“I feel like I changed the game a little bit with that, attacking the rim,” Reese said. “It got us into the bonus and eventually got other guys to the line as well.”

Out of a timeout, Martinez sent a shot back off the glass, showcasing his athleticism and on the next possession, Hart drained a three. Hart would later give the Terps an 11-point lead by sinking a pair of free throws giving Maryland its largest lead of the game. 

Out of a Willard timeout, both teams exchanged three-pointers courtesy of Carey and Beaudion. UMBC refused to allow Maryland to run away with the win, fighting back and cutting the lead to nine points.

With just under four minutes left, UMBC racked up twelve fouls putting Reese at the line to take the Terps 30th attempt from the charity stripe. 

In the final minute Maryland would pull away with a 20-point lead making five of their last five from the floor and putting the game away for the Terps 

Despite the Terps early struggles shooting and at times inability to out-physical a smaller UMBC team, Maryland continued to pound the rock in the paint where they reached the free throw line and cashed in 22 of their 80 Points. Maryland got hot at the time it mattered most sealing a win ahead of Big Ten play.

Maryland will now travel north to Ann Arbor where they find themselves matched up against Michigan Jan. 1.