The Maryland basketball team’s 93-45 win against St. Mary’s (Md.) on Thursday night offered a break from the consecutive close games it played in to begin the season. After the Terps managed a six-point win over American and used a furious late-game comeback to beat Georgetown by one, coach Mark Turgeon’s squad rested its starters and experimented with different lineups in its blowout win over the Division III program.
Three days later, Towson arrived in Xfinity Center for the first game between the in-state schools since 1996, and the Tigers, picked to finish second in the Colonial Athletic Conference, weren’t intimidated in Maryland’s raucous home environment. They dominated the glass, putting the Terps in another tight contest against an inferior opponent.
But as it did in its first two wins, Maryland made plays down the stretch to secure a 71-66 win Sunday afternoon. The Terps overcame a 13-point second-half deficit behind freshman forward Justin Jackson, who finished with 21 points and made five of his seven shots from behind the arc, and a game-high 27 points from All-Big Ten guard Melo Trimble.
“Looked like a varsity versus JV at some times out there, they were so big compared to what we are right now,” Turgeon said. “But we figured out how to win, and it’s what we do.”
Trimble, Jackson and freshman guard Anthony Cowan combined to score 60 of the team’s 71 points to help the Terps avoid an upset loss to the mid-major foe. Guard Mike Morsell, Towson’s leading scorer entering the contest, paced the Tigers with 17 points.
Morsell and forward Arnaud William Adala Moto averaged more than 20 points entering the contest, but neither player was much of a factor in Sunday’s back-and-forth first half. The duo combined to shoot 3-for-15 from the field.
Yet the Terps entered the break trailing, 36-34, thanks to their rebounding disparity over the opening 20 minutes. Towson had 15 more rebounds than Maryland during that stretch. Their 13 offensive boards matched the Terps’ total rebounds.
Turgeon and Jackson attributed the difference to the team’s lack of effort and energy, something they looked to improve on in the second half.
But Towson went on a 9-2 run out of the break to go up, 45-36, forcing Turgeon to call a timeout at the 17-minute mark. The break helped Maryland regroup, but its shooting and rebounding struggles continued, as Towson scored the next four points to open its largest lead of the game.
“You can’t take any point of the game off,” Jackson said. “You got to bring it from the first buzzer to the last buzzer, so that’s one thing we talked about.”
The 16,797 fans at Xfinity Center were silent at the sight of their team’s double-digit deficit.
With the Terps’ “backs against the wall,” Turgeon wasn’t sure how they would respond. The sixth-year coach had his answer in the next three minutes, as Maryland started scoring and making defensive stops. With each basket, the noise continued to build.
The sound peaked on Jackson’s 3-pointer from the right wing, capping the Terps’ 12-1 run to bring them within two with about 11 minutes left. The freshman stuck out three fingers to signify the triple and pounded his chest in excitement. After Towson called a timeout, Jackson’s teammates mobbed him as he strutted toward the Terps’ bench.
Down six a few minutes later, Jackson hit another three, one of his five on the afternoon. He then passed up the long ball, took a few dribbles and hit a midrange jumper to tie the game at 58. He was Maryland’s most efficient offense player at 8-for-13 from the field.
“Just the way he was shooting and the way it was coming off his hand, his swagger after he shoots,” Trimble said. “I could just tell he’s really hungry and he’s going to make every shot.”
Trimble made four of his 15 field goals but amended for his shooting dip on the foul line, where he made all but one of his 17 attempts. After shooting 66.7 percent (32-for-48) on Thursday night, Turgeon said the team stuck around after practice Saturday to shoot extra free throws. The Terps finished 26-for-32 in that category against the Tigers.
Trimble’s final two makes at the charity stripe were his most crucial, putting Maryland up, 68-66, with 36 seconds to play. And perhaps the Terps’ biggest rebound came from freshman guard Kevin Huerter moments later, ensuring the Terps escaped with the victory.
“We had nothing going, and we were able to win that game,” Turgeon said. “I wasn’t sure if we could do it.”
