Turnovers hurt Maryland men’s basketball in 80-72 loss to No. 23 Virginia

Photo by Grayson Belanger/Maryland Terrapins. Photo courtesy of Maryland Athletics.

Following consecutive conference losses, Maryland men’s basketball needed something to get back on track. 

Their next opponent was No. 23 Virginia — the fourth ranked team the Terps have played this season. But the same problems persisted in Maryland’s first game against Virginia since 2018. 

The Terps committed 19 turnovers, falling 80-72 to their neighboring state school on Saturday at John Paul Jones Arena.

Maryland (6-6, 0-2 Big Ten) entered a game needing a different approach after leading scorer Pharrel Payne sustained another injury in the Michigan game. 

The Terps felt Payne’s absence immediately, as the Cavaliers (10-1) started the game on a 7-0 scoring run, which featured a second-chance opportunity and a fast break alley-oop. 

Unlike its previous two games against Iowa and Michigan, Maryland did not let the game get out of reach right away. The Terps quickly responded with seven points of their own, shutting out the Cavaliers over nearly six minutes that featured eight misses and two turnovers by the former ACC rival.

The Terps continued their momentum by forcing another dry spell for the Cavaliers and carried a 19-11 lead with just under four minutes to play in the opening half. 

But Maryland’s momentum did not last long. The Terps failed to score in the final five minutes of the first half, allowing the Cavaliers to score 13 unanswered points and take a 24-19 lead into halftime. The Terps missed three shots and had three turnovers. 

The second half started similarly, as momentum continued to shift between the two teams. The Terps utilized a 14-9 scoring run in the opening five minutes to even the contest at 33. Senior guard Diggy Coit spearheaded Maryland’s offense, notching his first eight points of the game in four minutes of game time. The Terps started the half 4-for-4 beyond the arc — with two coming via Coit. 

That would be where the back-and-forth affair concluded. Virginia took a 38-35 lead with 13:43 remaining and did not surrender the lead again. 

Dallin Hall was the offensive catalyst for the Cavaliers. The senior guard finished the night with 20 points, six assists, three rebounds, and three steals. He was also perfect from long range. 

As has been the case in many games this season, turnovers plagued the Terps. Maryland finished with 19 on Saturday, something they could not overcome despite better shooting numbers than in recent games. 

Senior Solomon Washington embodied Maryland’s offensive woes. The forward finished with nine points on two-for-eight shooting, while missing four shots at the free-throw line. 

After a 6-3 start, the Terps have now lost three in a row, two of which have been to ranked opponents. Their next opportunity comes after a break for Christmas, when they return to College Park to play Old Dominion.