PISCATAWAY, N.J. — When the Maryland men’s basketball team reflects on this season, the second half Tuesday night against Rutgers will stand out as one of the most pivotal moments.
The Terps arrived at the Louis Brown Athletic Center under immense pressure amid the program’s first three-game losing streak in five years. The skid’s timing was perhaps even worse.
After plowing through a tough January road schedule with budding Big Ten title hopes, coach Mark Turgeon questioned his players’ confidence and toughness after Saturday’s defeat with two regular-season games left, their conference tournament seeding plummeting and an NCAA Tournament future not guaranteed.
That’s why each swish of the net and defensive stop in the final 20 minutes against the Scarlet Knights proved so reassuring.
Maryland hit 50 percent from three in the frame. Nine players posted at least three points. They opened the period on a 23-10 run, and Turgeon’s body language transformed from a perpetual first-half pout to high fives, claps and back slaps.
“We needed this really bad,” guard Melo Trimble said.
At the final buzzer, Trimble and guard Jared Nickens performed an elaborate handshake. One reserve threw his arms in the air. Another waved a towel.
Now, the Terps can take a deep breath. And another. A third for good measure.
There won’t be a four-game losing streak this season.
Guard Melo Trimble: B+
As the final seconds of the first half ticked away, the junior dribbled into the paint and missed a layup. He corralled the loose rebound, though, and lofted it into the basket while sliding into the post. As Trimble recounted the play after the game, he smiled, admitting he thought he deserved a foul, too. He didn’t receive the freebie, but the conversion ensured he led the team with 11 points. He wasn’t efficient with his looks (5-for-12), but the star’s seven assists to one turnover powered the Terps’ smooth second-half ball movement.
Guard Anthony Cowan: B
Turgeon thought the Terps should’ve led by more than four at the break, but if his rookie point guard hadn’t been so efficient, the sixth-year coach likely would’ve had a more serious problem. Cowan scored the team’s opening five points to finish the period with nine. His production dipped in the second half — he went 0-for-4 — but his totaled three steals in a standout defensive showing.
Guard Kevin Huerter: B-
Huerter sat on the bench with two fouls for the final six minutes of the first half. At that point, he had one rebound, two turnovers and a missed 3-pointer. But when he escaped the foul trouble and took the court after halftime, the freshman tallied five points and a block in less than five minutes. His final statistics weren’t flashy — eight points, four rebounds, an assist, three turnovers and two blocks — but he helped keep the Terps in a rhythm throughout their push.
Forward Damonte Dodd: B
The senior also endured early foul trouble, but like Huerter, he paced the Terps in their separating run. He scored six points in five minutes to start the second half and later stole the ball from Rutgers and careened down the court. His teammates on the bench laughed and celebrated the big man’s jaunt, and Trimble joked Dodd should’ve used a Eurostep to convert the layup. He steadied the frontcourt with seven boards and two blocks to quiet the Big Ten’s best offensive rebounding team.
Forward L.G. Gill: B
As Turgeon commended his team during his postgame press conference, he hesitated to highlight an individual. But as he lauded the Terps’ post play, he praised the graduate transfer: “L.G. Gill, look at the way that kid’s playing right now.” Gill’s production included 10 points — his first double-digit game since November — on a perfect four attempts. The conference tournament starts in about a week, and a productive Gill in the offensive paint would be an important asset.
