With a boisterous crowd backing it, the Terrapins men’s basketball team let shot after shot fly toward the rim in the first half of Saturday’s Big Ten home opener against Minnesota. As seven of the Terps’ first 14 threes fell through the rim and the team took an early 15-point lead, the announced 15,788 remained engaged.

But even after the Terps suddenly went cold — they hit just one of their final 12 attempts from downtown — and Minnesota crept back into the game, the Terps made the type of plays that kept Xfinity Center buzzing.

Whether it was forward Damonte Dodd blocking a shot, guard Dez Wells diving on the floor or guard Melo Trimble attacking the lane, the No. 12 Terps generated enough positivity to outlast Minnesota for a 70-58 win before the season’s largest crowd at Xfinity Center. The victory over the Gophers (11-4, 0-2 Big Ten) gives the Terps (14-1, 2-0) their best 15-game start to a season since the 1996-97 campaign.

And it wasn’t a crisp offense or star power that clinched the victory. Rather, the Terps held a typically potent Minnesota offense to 22.6 percent shooting in the second half and outrebounded the Gophers, 44-35, to stretch their winning streak to seven games.

“We have 14 or 15 guys that want to come in the game and the want to defend, they want to rebound, they want to do the little things that matter,” said Wells, who finished with 12 points, seven rebounds and five assists. “Whenever you have a team like that, you have a high ceiling.”

Trimble, a freshman point guard at the heart of the Terps’ resurgence, led the team with 20 points thanks to 9 of 13 shooting from the free-throw line. Dodd, meanwhile, matched a career high with nine points and set another with 12 rebounds.

The win sparked social media murmurs of the Terps cracking the top 10 in national polls for the first time.

“That’s exciting,” Trimble said. “Now teams are going to come at us harder.”

The Terps’ early-season success likely played a part in attracting a rowdy crowd Saturday, and the team’s supporters jumped to their feet several times during a 17-2 first half run. A balanced offense, hot shooting and Dodd’s play on the interior were at the heart of the spurt that gave the Terps a 32-17 lead and induced a few passionate fist pumps from coach Mark Turgeon.

“The fans, the energy was just so fun to play in front of,” Dodd said. “That’s what really gave all of us our energy.”

The Terps offense eventually slowed, however, and Minnesota worked its way back into the game with a methodical 13-0 run.

“We let our offense affect our defense,” Turgeon said. “We kind of let down defensively a little bit during that stretch.”

Trimble, though, helped the Terps avoid a collapse when he sliced through the lane for a bucket late in the first half that ended a nearly seven-minute scoring drought. On the next defensive possession, Dodd broke up a pass, and Wells scooped up the ensuing loose ball to start a fast break. The play ended with Wells whipping a pass back to Dodd for a one of the sophomore’s three first-half baskets.

That sequence helped the Terps take a three-point lead into the second half, during which their defense took over the game.

Even with Dodd sitting in foul trouble and Jon Graham patrolling the paint, the Gophers hit just 7 of 31 second-half field goal attempts. For the game, Minnesota shot 3 of 22 from on 3-pointers.

“Defending and rebounding, that’s where we’ve improved the most since the break,” Turgeon said. “In this building, with that kind of crowd, I expect us to really guard.”

The Terps two most recognizable stars, Trimble and Wells, played aggressively on offense in the final 20 minutes to seal the win. The duo combined to shoot 12 of 18 from the free-throw line in the second half.

Minnesota made a few charges at the lead late in the game but could never mount a serious comeback, as a cohesive defensive performance kept the Terps ahead. And when forward Jake Layman nailed a 3-pointer with 2:59 to play to extend the lead to 12 and essentially bury the Gophers, the Xfinity Center crowd responded with a roar.

Turgeon, whose Terps haven’t lost since a Dec. 3 defeat to reigning ACC champion Virginia, said afterward he has an idea of how to keep those fans coming back.

“It was great for our guys — they’ve worked really — to have that kind of crowd,” Turgeon said. “How we play the rest of the year will determine what our crowds are. If we can play well and get better, then our crowds are going to be great.”

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