Maryland males’s basketball upends No. 21 Northwestern, 75-59, to maneuver into tie for second place in Massive Ten

COLLEGE PARK — The door to the No. 2 seed within the upcoming Massive Ten Match is formally open for the Maryland males’s basketball group

That’s as a result of all 5 starters scored double-digit factors to propel the Terps to a 75-59 victory over No. 21 Northwestern on senior day Sunday afternoon earlier than an introduced 17,950 at Xfinity Middle.

The win helped Maryland enhance to 16-1 at residence, 4-1 in its final 5 video games and 8-2 in its final 10. This system additionally accomplished its first undefeated convention report at residence at 10-0 because the 2014-15 squad went 9-0 in its debut within the Massive Ten. The Terps are the primary Massive Ten group to go excellent at residence in convention play since Purdue in 2018-19.

Extra importantly, the Terps (20-9, 11-7) moved right into a tie with the Wildcats (20-9, 11-7) for second place within the league standings and personal the head-to-head tiebreaker. Maryland would clinch the No. 2 seed and a double bye to the Massive Ten Match’s quarterfinal spherical on March 10 by defeating Ohio State on Wednesday and Penn State on Sunday — each of that are on the highway.

The group will journey to satisfy Ohio State on Wednesday after which Penn State on Sunday. Graduate pupil level guard Jahmir Younger acknowledged the issue of mining success on the highway, the place the Terps are 4-8.

“We have now to deliver the identical vitality,” he stated. “We have now to have that urgency that we’ve got at residence, the defensive depth. It’s going to go up and down. We’re not going to have the group with us. So simply having the ability to battle for one another and simply figuring out that it’s us versus everyone and actually simply making an attempt to show folks unsuitable. That further motivation, that further push, I really feel like that can put us over the hump.”

Younger performed a major position in Sunday’s end result, main all scorers with 18 factors, together with 16 within the first half, and added three rebounds and two assists. Graduate pupil capturing guard Don Carey scored 13 factors on 4 of seven capturing from 3-point vary.

Sophomore energy ahead Julian Reese, a Baltimore resident and St. Frances graduate, racked up his seventeenth double-double of the season and twenty fourth of his profession with 12 factors and 10 rebounds. Senior small ahead Donta Scott scored seven of his 11 factors within the second half and picked up three rebounds and two assists, and senior capturing guard Hakim Hart amassed 10 factors, seven assists and 5 rebounds.

Even those that didn’t get to double digits contributed closely to the end result. Junior capturing guard Ian Martinez, who’s normally recognized for his defensive prowess, got here off the bench to attain 9 factors on 3-for-3 capturing from 3-point vary and scoop up three rebounds.

The offense transformed a season-high 14 3-pointers on 22 makes an attempt (63.6%), and coach Kevin Willard famous that the group hit 5 3s in transition due to the protection.

“If you play at Wisconsin, you don’t get an entire lot of transition 3s. If you play at Purdue, you don’t get an entire lot of transition alternatives with the way in which the league’s designed,” he stated. “So at residence, I believe we’ve taken benefit of being aggressive on protection — regardless that it’s led to some breakdowns — to get some alternatives to get some simple 3s in transition.”

Simply as spectacular was the Terps’ work on the defensive finish of the ground. After a primary half through which Northwestern shot 59.3% on 16 of 27 capturing, the protection harassed the Wildcats into 30.4% on 7 of 23 makes an attempt within the second, holding them to twenty factors within the remaining 20 minutes.

Senior level guard Boo Buie, who entered the sport ranked fifth within the Massive Ten in scoring at 17.6 factors per sport, was restricted to 4 factors on 1 of 9 capturing whereas compiling eight assists. Redshirt senior capturing guard Chase Audige completed with a team-best 16 factors, however scored solely two on 1 of three capturing within the second half.

“Simply to make them work and make every part robust for them,” Carey stated of the defensive plan towards the Northwestern backcourt. “These are two good basketball gamers, and we knew they have been going to hit photographs and discover their methods to attain. However we simply wished to simply make every part robust. They have been hitting a variety of photographs within the first half, and we stayed with it within the second half, and our protection began to fall.”

Nursing a 41-39 lead at halftime, the Terps opened the second half with a 9-4 spurt capped by 5 straight factors from Scott in a 59-second span. After Northwestern scored six of the sport’s subsequent 11 factors to tug inside 55-49 with 12:39 remaining, Maryland launched into a 12-2 run over a 5:04 stretch for a 67-51 benefit.

When senior energy ahead Robbie Baran sank a layup with 6:31 left within the second half, that ended a 4:42 drought for the Wildcats. However the Terps didn’t enable them to get any nearer as Northwestern dropped its second sport in a row following a five-game successful streak.

The Wildcats had entered the sport main the Massive Ten in induced turnovers per sport, forcing opponents into 13.3 errors. However Maryland gave away the ball simply seven instances on Sunday, and Northwestern coach Chris Collins credited the Terps’ capacity to maneuver the ball out of hassle.

“For us, we’ve been a group that has turned folks over, and for these guys to solely have seven turnovers, that’s a credit score to how they took care of the ball and received out of the traps and located the correct guys,” he stated. “Nonetheless, on the finish of the day, you’ve nonetheless received to make the shot, and provides these guys credit score. Carey and Martinez mixed for 7 of 10 from 3[-point range]. That’s to not knock them as a result of they’re actually good group gamers, however that actually hasn’t been what they’ve carried out. Typically you need to tip your cap to shotmaking and group that beat you as we speak.”

Maryland at Ohio State

Wednesday, 7 p.m.

TV: Massive Ten Community

Radio: 105.7 FM

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