Most Maryland men’s basketball fans know guard Melo Trimble for his scoring in pressure situations. Trimble has made a number of game-sealing shots over his three-year career.
But in Maryland’s 85-78 win at Minnesota on Saturday, Trimble served as a facilitator. The junior set up opportunities for his teammates, especially freshmen Justin Jackson and Kevin Huerter, who combined for 47 points.
Trimble, in addition to scoring 13 points, dished nine assists and did not commit a turnover, displaying his versatility as a scorer and playmaker.
“You have to game plan for him,” coach Mark Turgeon said. “At the seven-minute timeout [of the second half], I said we have to go through Melo. Melo has to have it in his hands. He was making all the right decisions.”
Trimble is the lone returning starter from last season after the rest of the lineup left via graduation or the NBA Draft. The Terps start three freshmen this season, so Trimble has put it upon himself to take over contests late.
Trimble scored the game-winning points in all three of Maryland’s one-point victories this season. On Jan. 19 against Iowa, he drained consecutive 3-pointers with under three minutes left to help his team secure a road win.
With freshman Anthony Cowan running the offense this season, Trimble has been able to play off the ball, allowing him to get open via ball screens and cuts instead of creating his own shot. And while usually scoring by slashing into the lane, Trimble has recently found his outside shooting stroke. In the two games prior to Saturday’s he combined to make eight of his 14 shots from beyond the arc.
Trimble is one of the Big Ten’s most well-known players, so opposing defenses focus on him, which creates chances for his teammates. Still, Trimble committed 19 turnovers in his previous six contests entering Saturday. After throwing out five turnovers against Rutgers on Tuesday, the Upper Marlboro native noted he needed to stop trying to make the “hero play.”
“Thank God for no turnovers [Saturday],” Trimble said with a smile.
Trimble struggled early on Saturday. Usually he or Cowan sets an aggressive play style for the Terps, but neither had much success getting to the basket as Maryland went down 12 with nine minutes and 15 seconds remaining in the period.
In the second half, Trimble weaved passes around defenders to set his teammates up for open looks. The 6-foot-3, 185-pound junior made smart decisions off the pick-and-roll, sending a pass to the big men who set the screen if both defenders stayed with Trimble. When the defense collapsed into the paint, Trimble distributed the ball to the perimeter. His main targets were Jackson and Huerter, who combined to shoot 10-for-12 from beyond the arc.
“I’ve been around here long enough to know that when players are hitting, just keep getting them the ball,” Trimble said. “And that’s what I did in the second half. When the shot was there for me, I took it, and if it wasn’t, I didn’t force anything. I just played within the offense.”
Trimble’s passing also opened scoring opportunities for himself after he tallied four points in the first half. His and-one layup with about three minutes remaining gave the Terps their first lead since the opening six minutes of the contest.
At the 1:31 mark and the game tied at 76, four defenders sank into the paint off the pick-and-roll. Trimble threaded a bounce pass to Huerter, who drained a corner 3-pointer that gave the Terps a lead they never surrendered.
Usually, Trimble would be the one taking that shot. But Saturday, he recognized Huerter had the hot hand.
“That’s just a sign of a good leader,” Huerter said. “He’s always aggressive towards the end of games. We need him to be. [Saturday] there were different looks. He was finding the opening guy.”
