With about five minutes remaining in the first half of the Maryland men’s basketball team’s game against Rutgers on Tuesday night, coach Mark Turgeon stomped onto the court and screamed “push the tempo” at his players three consecutive times.
The No. 22 Terps got out to a sluggish start, trailing, 22-21, when Turgeon let out his frustration. It took about 25 minutes for the players to apply their coach’s message on the court, but once they did, they buried the Scarlet Knights’ upset bid in a few minutes.
Maryland went on a 20-3 run in the second half and jumped out to a 17-point lead with about 10 minutes to play. The aggression resulted in a 67-55 win, marking its fifth straight Big Ten victory and the team’s best 20-game start since the 1998-99 season.
“We always talk about in huddles that we want to win the … first four minutes to start the half and the last four minutes of the game,” guard Kevin Huerter said. “Those are the stretches that we always kind of look forward to if we want to win the game. It’s definitely big.”
Guard Melo Trimble and Huerter led the Terps (18-2, 6-1 Big Ten) with 17 and 11 points, respectively. Guards Corey Sanders and Nigel Johnson combined to score 29 for Rutgers (12-9, 1-7), which entered Tuesday averaging the fewest points per game in the Big Ten (68.1).
Tuesday was the first outing the entire Terps squad was healthy since Maryland lost to Pittsburgh, 73-59, on Nov. 29. Forward Michal Cekovsky returned from a six-game absence with a left ankle injury, while guard Dion Wiley, who missed the past two contests with a back issue, played two minutes.
Still, the Terps struggled in the first half against a defense that allowed the third-fewest points per game in the Big Ten (65.3). Maryland’s largest lead was six, but the Scarlet Knights hung around using a 2-3 zone defense. They took their first lead with 5 minutes and 17 seconds remaining in the period.
While Trimble, who was a game-time decision due to illness, scored a team-high nine points in the first frame, Sanders and Johnson combined for 20.
Guard Anthony Cowan and Trimble often set an aggressive style of play for the Terps, but neither found much success getting to the basket early. Maryland, however, entered intermission on an 8-2 run behind 3-pointers from Trimble and forward L.G. Gill, giving them a 34-29 edge.
“They were much more prepared for us than we were for them,” Turgeon said. “They were sitting on us early and really guarding us. We were lucky to be up at half.”
Trimble has been the catalyst for Maryland’s late runs all season, and his contributions early in the second half helped the Terps gain a comfortable lead. The junior, who shot 3-for-5 from beyond the arc, assisted on Cowan’s fastbreak layup before draining a 3-pointer to give Maryland an eight-point advantage.
The Terps made three more long balls in the ensuing four minutes, including two from Huerter after he missed his first four, to blow the contest open. Maryland shot 50 percent and dished eight assists in the second period.
“They had a couple of runs where they really jumped on us by getting in the lanes,” Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell said. “You got to have elite-level screen coverage against elite-level guards. We didn’t have that the whole night. The minute you break down, they can really take advantage of you.”
The Terps managed one field goal in the final seven minutes, but despite turnover and rebounding struggles, they had done enough to remain atop the Big Ten standings and hold their best record through 20 games since former guard Steve Francis led Maryland.
“I don’t think any of us expected this [record],” Turgeon said. “The exciting thing for me is we can get so much better.”
