With about five-and-a-half minutes remaining in the Maryland men’s basketball team’s Monday matchup with Northwestern at Allstate Arena, guard Anthony Cowan harried Scottie Lindsey as the Wildcats’ leading scorer tried to dribble up the floor from his own half.
Nine days before, Lindsey had stared down Cowan after draining a first-half 3-pointer in his face before Cowan keyed a second-half rally in what became a blowout victory at Xfinity Center.
Perhaps frustrated by the tight defense or merely amped up by another meeting with the Terps, Lindsey pushed Cowan away with a forearm, earning his fourth foul of the contest. Just over a minute later, Northwestern guard Vic Law suffered the same fate.
[Read more: Maryland men’s basketball’s 71-64 win at Northwestern snaps seven-game road losing streak]
After being whistled for the violation, Law ran over to the referee and yelled that Cowan had flopped. Moments later, guard Dion Wiley drilled a dagger 3-pointer for the Terps that all but sealed a 71-64 win — only their second road triumph this season.
With the visible frustration shown by Northwestern down the stretch and back-to-back victories in the matchup between middling Big Ten foes, Maryland seemingly has the mental edge over the Wildcats. But with a conference tournament rematch looming next week, Lindsey and his teammates will have an opportunity to redeem themselves by knocking the Terps out of the competition for the second time in as many years.
Guard Kevin Huerter: A-
After failing to make a 3-pointer for just the second time this season against Rutgers, Huerter bounced back to drill three long-range shots on Monday. His game-high 18 points kept the Terps’ offense in sync for most of the contest, though his four turnovers (three of which came in the second half) negated some of that production.
Guard Dion Wiley: A-
This was a rare performance from Wiley where he was more effective inside the paint than beyond the arc. Choosing to attack the basket rather than settle for the jumpers he normally relies on for scoring, he delivered 13 points and hit some key free throws late in the game.
Center Michal Cekovsky: B+
The Terps appeared much better than Northwestern when he was on the court in the first half, as he scored eight points to keep the team afloat in the early going. While he eventually got into foul trouble, he made a difference before others took over in the final 20 minutes.
Forward Bruno Fernando: B+
Fernando also got into foul trouble, but like Cekovsky he made the most of his playing time, finishing with nine points and six boards. He didn’t miss a field goal in his 21 minutes of work.
Anthony Cowan: B
Cowan didn’t do anything exceptionally well, shooting below 50 percent and turning the ball over three times. But he still managed 13 points and bothered Northwestern’s guards with his pesky defense to aid the victory.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this story stated that Monday’s game was played at Welsh-Ryan Arena. It was played at Allstate Arena. This story has been updated.