Thirteen seconds had passed since guard Melo Trimble made his second consecutive 3-pointer late in the Maryland men’s basketball team’s game against Iowa on Thursday night, but guard Travis Valmon was still jumping around the sideline.
The Terps gave up a 15-point lead and trailed the Hawkeyes, 72-69, with three minutes remaining. But that’s when Trimble drained three-pointers on consecutive possessions, giving Maryland a 75-72 advantage and putting the Terps bench back on its feet.
Guard Jaylen Brantley sprinted down the sideline and pumped his fist, forward Damonte Dodd handed out high-fives to the Terps fans sitting behind him and video coordinator Mark Bialkoski placed his fists on his chest and separated them, mimicking Superman’s costume revealing gesture. The perimeter shooting success from the Terps’ star lifted No. 25 Maryland to an 84-76 win in Iowa City, Iowa.
“It’s great to see Melo make shots like that for us in the clutch,” coach Mark Turgeon said. “That’s what he’s done most of his career.”
Trimble has been the catalyst for almost all of the Terps’ late comebacks this season, helping Maryland (17-2, 5-1 Big Ten) win eight games by six points or less. He scored the game-winning points in all three of Maryland’s one-point victories, and his ability to create plays through dribble penetration has set the tone for his teammates.
But Thursday, his sharpshooting kept the Terps in the contest. Entering Thursday shooting 34 percent from beyond the arc, Trimble was coming off one of his worst shooting performances of the season against Illinois on Jan. 14, when he made 2 of his 11 3-pointers. But Trimble reversed that trend against the Hawkeyes, shooting 5-for-9 from long distance while making just one two-point field goal to finish with a game-high 20 points. It was Trimble’s fifth career outing with five or more triples.
“Coach talked about … keep attacking and being aggressive,” Trimble said. “I had that in mind the whole game.”
Trimble facilitated one of Maryland’s best first halves, as the Terps tallied 14 opening-period assists on 16 made field goals as they entered intermission with a 41-32 lead. But Iowa (11-9, 3-4) bullied Maryland in the paint in the second half to take its first lead with about four minutes remaining. The Terps’ offense went stagnant against Iowa’s zone defense and committed 21 total turnovers, while the Hawkeyes edged Maryland, 20-6, on the offensive boards. That’s when Trimble took over, scoring nine of Maryland’s final 15 points.
With three minutes remaining, Trimble hit a 3-pointer in rhythm after receiving a pass from guard Anthony Cowan. On the next possession, the 6-foot-3, 185-pound playmaker stood on the left wing wide open with his arms in the air for about five seconds. He continued to call for the ball until Cowan passed to him. After momentum had been on Iowa’s side for the majority of the second half, the energy swung Maryland’s way when Trimble’s shot sunk through the net.
“I just wanted to win the game,” Trimble said. “We were able to pull out the win, so I was pretty happy.”
On New Year’s Day, Nebraska scored the game’s final 14 points to secure a 67-65 win at Xfinity Center and hand Maryland its lone Big Ten loss. Trimble kept the late-game collapse in his mind Thursday, and he took it upon himself to make sure it didn’t happen against the Hawkeyes.
