Guard Rasheed Sulaimon tries to calm his teammates during the Terps’ 75-71 victory over Georgetown on Nov. 17, 2015 at Xfinity Center.

Rasheed Sulaimon often raised his arms toward the sky Tuesday, begging Xfinity Center to get louder — even when it seemed it couldn’t. 

But it was when he would lower his arms toward the floor, attempting to calm his Terrapins men’s basketball teammates down, that proved so vital in a game that saw nine lead changes and 10 ties. 

The Terps seemed rushed at times, and coach Mark Turgeon conceded they played tight at first. But Sulaimon, a graduate transfer from Duke, appeared unfazed by the sellout crowd and historical matchup. He provided an extension of Turgeon on the floor. 

READ MORE: Column: Sulaimon introduces himself to Terps faithful in resounding fashion

As important as his go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:18 left in the game was, so too was his leadership and reassuring presence throughout the No. 3 Terps’ 75-71 win over Georgetown. 

“We never really relaxed offensively,” Turgeon said. “I don’t know how many times I made a call and four guys got it and one didn’t. … Rasheed’s leadership was terrific.”

With guard Melo Trimble, forward Jake Layman and guard Jared Nickens, the squad’s sharpshooters, starting the contest 0-for-9, the Terps needed production elsewhere. Sulaimon provided it. 

After the Terps missed their first three shots of the night and fell into a 9-0 hole, Sulaimon took control at the top of the key. He crossed over his defender and nailed a long jumper over guard L.J. Peak to halt the bleeding.

“Rasheed really picked us up,” Trimble said. “He started the game really well. He had some assists, and he was scoring baskets.”

But his on-court production was only part of what his teammates commended him for. When Trimble, the Big Ten preseason Player of the Year, failed to score through the first 15 minutes, Sulaimon offered words of encouragement. 

“He turned to me and said how he believed in me,” Trimble said. 

In the first half, Sulaimon was 3-for-3 from the floor and dished out six assists while committing just one turnover. Plus, the Houston native hit a 3-pointer with 23 seconds left to knot the game at 33 entering the break. 

While he let Trimble and Layman shoulder the offensive load in the final 20 minutes, Sulaimon continued to keep his teammates at ease, whether it was motioning for the Terps to slow down or talking to the players in the huddle. 

“Me, [forward] Robert Carter [Jr.], Jake and those senior leaders, as far as experienced guys, had to bring everybody together and calm down,” Sulaimon said. “Once we got in a groove, we kind of took off, especially in the latter parts of the game when it meant the most. We just believed in each other and we made every play that we needed to win this game, and we showed a lot of poise tonight.” 

With the Terps trailing by seven with 5:41 remaining, Turgeon called a timeout. Sulaimon and the veteran leaders turned to the team with a message: They were going to win the game. 

About four minutes later with the score knotted at 68, the Terps turned to the former Blue Devil to lift them to victory. And he delivered, nailing the decisive 3-pointer that sent Xfinity into euphoria. 

“He’s been around the block and back,” Turgeon said. “He’s going to be fine in these big games.”