Feature photo courtesy of Maryland Athletics.
Three minutes and 48 seconds into the No. 7 Maryland Terrapins’ game against Northwestern on Tuesday, they trailed the Wildcats 8-3.
17 days after his team beat the Wildcats on the road by 13 points, head coach Mark Turgeon knew his team was in for a test.
“We physically beat on them at their place,” Turgeon said. “So they came in and said, ‘we’re going to beat on you back.’ I was nervous about this game.”
Though the Terps committed 16 turnovers, compared to the Wildcats’ 12, and were outrebounded 41-32 and 16 to four on the offensive glass, the Terps eked out a 62-56 overtime victory.
“Defensively, this may have been the best effort one of my team’s has ever [had],” Turgeon said. “…We just didn’t finish possessions with rebounds.”
With nine minutes and eight seconds left in the first half, forward Aaron Falzon hit a three to give Northwestern its largest lead of the night, 24-17.
At that point, the Terps gave up four offensive rebounds and committed six turnovers, which led to nine of the Wildcats’ points.
“A lot of time we were running towards the rim and the ball went over our heads or we got the defensive rebounds and they came swiping,” forward Robert Carter Jr. said. “I lost a couple early and late I picked it up and just squeezed the ball and had my team get out in transition.”
Robert Carter Jr. finished the first half with six rebounds, all of which were defensive. He finished the game with 14 total rebounds (one offensive), double the amount of the second highest individual rebounding output. Carter finished with ten points to give him his second double-double of the season and the 12th of his career.
Melo Trimble paced the Terps offensively with 18 points and led the way with eight assists.
The Terps closed the first half on a 14-5 run, taking a two-point lead into the break. In the second half, they led by as much as eight.
Forward Jake Layman contributed the second most rebounds for the Terps’ with seven. He also made a defensive impact, blocking three shots and earning three steals.
“He’s just been tremendous defensively,” Turgeon said. “I think about where he was and how far he’s come, tonight was another example of Jake becoming a complete player.”
As the game progressed, the Wildcats roared back. Late in regulation, Layman made plays on both sides of the court. Down 47-45, the senior forward nailed a three to give the Terps a one-point lead and force Northwestern into a timeout.
The real defensive battle ensued after the timeout. Over the final four minutes and 43 seconds, the only point scored was when point guard Bryant McIntosh made a free throw. This span included a possession where the Terps gave up three offensive rebounds, but didn’t allow any points.
With 33 seconds left and the game tied, Falzon attempted a three from the left corner. His shot didn’t travel far as Layman swatted the ball down.
When point guard Melo Trimble missed a three at the buzzer on the following possession, the game headed to overtime.
In the extra period, the Terps asserted their standing as a top team in the country.
“This team and last year’s team, I felt like when it came down in the end, if it’s a one-point game or a two-point game, we always felt like we were going to come out with a win,” Layman said. “Tonight we just grinded it out on defense and came out with the win.”
While it was a long night, the Terps made all eight of their free throws in overtime and held a six-point lead with 14 seconds remaining.
When McIntosh took the final shot of the game and missed a three, forward Damonte Dodd didn’t have any issues securing the game-sealing rebound.
Dodd let the clock trickle down to zero, and like they have many times this season, the Terps survived.
“It’s college basketball,” Turgeon said. “When you have good players with good coaching, this stuff happens. In the end though we won, I was proud.”
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