Ivan Bender knew what he wanted to do with the ball late in the first half of Maryland men’s basketball’s game at Rutgers on Tuesday night. After receiving a pass inside, he tapped it to forward L.G. Gill, who threw down a dunk over Rutgers center C.J. Gettys on the opposite side of the hoop.
After center Michal Cekovsky suffered a season-ending ankle fracture Feb. 19, coach Mark Turgeon said his reserve big men would need to step up. Bender and Gill responded to that request Tuesday, each scoring 10 points in Maryland’s 79-59 victory in Piscataway, New Jersey.
“Our post guys were connected today,” Turgeon said. “They worked well today on the offensive and defensive end, which was great to see.”
Before Cekovsky’s injury, Bender and Gill struggled to make strong offensive impacts, averaging fewer than five points. Cekovsky’s absence opens up playing time down low — Maryland has just three healthy big men — but Bender and Gill have produced mixed results.
Bender scored a career-high 15 points in the Terps’ 89-75 loss to Minnesota on Feb. 22, while Gill added six points and six rebounds. But in Saturday’s home loss to Iowa, the duo combined to score six points while grabbing nine rebounds.
Turgeon emphasized crashing the boards against Rutgers, the country’s third-best offensive rebounding team. The Scarlet Knights, which sit last in the Big Ten with two conference wins, pulled down 22 offensive rebounds in their 67-55 loss to Maryland on Jan. 24. The Terps, meanwhile, are tied for the fourth fewest rebounds per game in the Big Ten (36.4), so a large focus entering Tuesday’s game was limiting Rutgers’ second-chance scoring opportunities.
While Bender and Gill combined for one rebound, Maryland held a 32-31 rebounding advantage. Their impact came more on the offensive end, combining for 10 points in the first half. With Gill, center Damonte Dodd and forward Justin Jackson each picking up two fouls in the opening period, Bender scored six points in 14 first-half minutes.
“That’s a lot of minutes for him with his knees and all the things he’s got going on with his body,” Turgeon said about Bender, who has twice torn his left ACL. “We did some really nice things when he was in there. When he plays like that, we’re a good team.”
Bender’s nifty dish to Gill served as one of those highlight moments.
“Ivan’s a great passer,” Gill said. “Whenever he gets the ball in the post, I’m looking to be ready for a good pass where I can go up and dunk. I’m always trying to be aware of Ivan.”
In the second half, Bender played just eight minutes and scored four points while Dodd stayed out of foul trouble. Gill added six points, including another slam with just under 10 minutes remaining. After receiving a “perfect” lob from guard Kevin Huerter, Gill finished an alley-oop, causing the players on Maryland’s bench to jump to their feet.
Turgeon said he didn’t want to single out any players after 10 Terps scored Tuesday, but when speaking about his reserves after the contest, Turgeon went out of his way to compliment Gill.
With a double-bye in the Big Ten tournament on the line Saturday against Michigan State and the NCAA tournament looming, Turgeon knows he needs his back-up big men to continue their impressive play.
“L.G. Gill, the way that kid’s playing right now … it would be nice if we could get that production the rest of the year,” Turgeon said. “That would really help us in tournament-style play. Having depth helps. It helps you in practice because the guys aren’t as fatigued. It’s good to see.”
