BLACKSBURG, Va. — When the Terrapins men’s basketball team traveled to Cassell Coliseum for Saturday afternoon’s matchup with Virginia Tech, it seemed like the perfect setup for a trap game or a letdown.
The Terps dispatched Miami in an emotional 74-71 contest Wednesday night, and a matchup with rival North Carolina in Chapel Hill, N.C., on Tuesday looms. The Hokies, who entered the game on a seven-game losing streak and ranked No. 203 in Monday’s RPI, could have easily been an afterthought.
But the Terps held Virginia Tech to 25 second-half points and pulled away for an impressive 80-60 victory in Blacksburg, Va., which means they will enter the contest with the Tar Heels after their first back-to-back victories in ACC play.
Three things that stood out about the win:
Dez Wells comes off the bench.
One game after hitting the game-winning shot against Miami, guard Dez Wells was not in the starting lineup per a coach’s decision.
Coach Mark Turgeon said the junior was late to a team meeting before breakfast Saturday morning, along with three other players. Turgeon said guard Conner Lipinski was also late, which is why he didn’t enter the game in its waning moments with the Terps’ other scout team players.
“Part of our guys’ problem up to this point is that we don’t listen very well,” Turgeon said. “So hopefully this we be a good learning experience for us.”
It was only the second game of Wells’ Terps career that he did not start. He came off the bench against South Carolina State on Dec. 8, 2012 and scored eight points in 21 minutes.
But any drama about a lengthy absence from the Terps’ leading scorer was quelled 56 seconds into the game when he checked in after forward Jake Layman picked up a quick foul.
And once he was in the game, Wells played up the same level he’s been at over the past three games. He finished with 19 points on 6-of-9 shooting and was 7-of-8 from the free-throw line.
Wells also made a number of highlight reel plays during the game, including a steal and a dunk early in the second half and finishing an alley-oop with guard Nick Faust later in the period.
Going to the hot hand.
On Friday, Turgeon talked about the Terps’ deference to Wells at the end of Wednesday’s thriller against Miami. Wells, of course, scored 21 points in the second half and scored 13 of the team’s final 15 points, and the rest of the Terps let him work.
Turgeon said it was part of an increased selflessness he’s seen as the season has progressed. And with the wealth of talent and scoring prowess on the roster, it’s crucial for the Terps to recognize who the hot hand is and let him keep on scoring.
While Wells is the Terps’ reliable first option, a few others stepped up when the Terps needed a lift Saturday at Virginia Tech.
Guard Seth Allen hit two 3-pointers during a 12-0 run in the first half that flipped a 21-15 deficit into a 27-21 lead for the Terps. It was part of a first half where Allen scored 11 points, dished four assists and grabbed four rebounds. He finished the game with 16 points, seven assists and five rebounds in a complete performance.
“That’s a pretty good stat line, but we won by 20, so everybody had a good game. I wanted to just focus on winning and we’re focusing on Tuesday, playing North Carolina on the road. When we get back, that’s really what we’re going to focus on.”
Foul issues a nonissue.
Despite holding a 43-35 halftime lead after shooting 57.1 percent from the field, the Terps were in a precarious position in terms of foul trouble. Center Shaquille Cleare had three, while forwards Jon Graham, Jake Layman and Evan Smotrycz each had two. The Hokies took 14 free throws in the first half and made eight.
But as the Terps pulled away late in the second half, the foul situation never presented a problem. Cleare finished with four fouls, and Smotrycz and Graham each had three. Layman said after the game that his foul trouble took him out of the game a little bit, but the sophomore still finished with 10 points, including a 3-pointer with time running down in the first half and an emphatic dunk over Virginia Tech forward Trevor Thompson.
