Maryland men’s basketball slides past UMBC, 80-64, in final nonconference game

Maryland males’s basketball welcomed in-state foe UMBC to School Park in its closing nonconference recreation of the season Thursday earlier than dealing with the arduous problem that’s convention play. Horrid taking pictures by the Terps saved the sport shut, however a second-half surge allowed them to return away with an 80-64 win of their closing recreation of the calendar 12 months.

Thursday additionally marked the return of sophomore ahead Julian Reese to Maryland’s rotation after a one-and-a-half-game absence. Reese, who was coping with a shoulder damage, defaults as Maryland’s beginning middle when at 100%, though head coach Kevin Willard determined to roll together with his beginning 5 from the staff’s final recreation, changing Reese with graduate ahead Patrick Emilien and protecting junior guard Ian Martinez within the lineup.

“He had seven full days off,” Willard mentioned. “So seven days, no basketball, no contact. He’s solely had two practices, so he’s gonna be rusty.”

On the first media timeout, UMBC held an 11-9 lead, led by graduate ahead Jarvis Doles, who got here out sizzling and scored 13 factors within the opening 20 minutes. The Retrievers didn’t again down from there, main by 5 about midway by the primary half with Maryland in a taking pictures droop.

“It’s a winnable recreation. That was my mindset simply coming right here, simply play as laborious as I might and attempt to stroll out of right here with a win,” Doles mentioned.

Coming into the sport, UMBC had the fifth-worst 3-point protection in nation, in line with KenPom.com, a potential space of exploitation for a Maryland staff that has been streaky at greatest from lengthy vary. Nonetheless, the primary half was an abhorrent one 3-point shooting-wise for the Terps, as they went simply 1-for-14 from past the arc to the dismay of the XFINITY Heart crowd, whose groans elevated in quantity with every off-the-mark try.

“I do know nobody believes me, however we’re an excellent taking pictures staff,” Willard mentioned. “… I by no means speak about not taking pictures, cease taking pictures.

UMBC’s 4-for-12 taking pictures from three was on no account spectacular, however sufficient to maintain it within the recreation with well timed makes.

A large portion of the Terps’ first-half scoring got here throughout an 18-3 run that had them main by as many as 9 factors, a lead that was reeled in to a three-point one by the point the half ended. That run featured eight factors from graduate guard Jahmir Younger, who was slashing to the rim with ease and using his craftiness to generate appears to be like for himself and his teammates.

Younger completed with 18 factors, going 8-for-11 on two-pointers and including seven rebounds.

The opposite standout from the primary half, at the very least offensively, was senior guard Hakim Hart, who led Maryland with 11 factors, all of which got here close to the ring — a typical theme due to Maryland’s incapacity to hit from exterior. 20 of the Terps’ 33 first-half factors got here within the paint; six extra got here on the free-throw line.

Hart ended up ending with 16 factors.

When Maryland got here out within the second half and scored the primary six factors — 4 by Younger — it had the appears to be like of the Terps’ final recreation versus St. Peter’s the place they pulled away within the second half and masked a less-than-dominant first-half efficiency.

That didn’t occur, although, because the Retrievers refused to go away, ducking each one of many Terps’ punches and responding with one in all their very own — at the very least for some time.

“That’s an excellent basketball staff,” Willard mentioned of UMBC. “It wasn’t gonna be a blowout. It simply wasn’t.”

Finally, Maryland’s protection caught up with UMBC, forcing it to go nearly fully silent within the center portion of the second half, bringing the Terps’ result in double digits — the place it might keep for many the entire recreation thereafter.

Whereas the Terps’ grim taking pictures from three — ending 6-for-24 — was troublesome to observe, one participant did have one in all his greatest taking pictures nights of the season Thursday: graduate guard Don Carey. Carey was leapfrogged within the beginning lineup by Martinez after poor taking pictures, however he was on level towards the Retrievers, nailing 5 of his seven makes an attempt from exterior. He had a team-leading 19 factors — 16 within the second half — and was probably the most lively participant on the ground.

“I simply attempt to, you already know, shot-to-shot,” Carey mentioned of his mindset taking pictures the ball. “I’ll admit, it positively feels good to see one go in … positively might construct off of this momentum, however, you already know, I’m extra blissful that we simply performed collectively and actually gritted out that recreation.”

Maryland finishes its nonconference slate with a 9-2 document towards non-Massive Ten groups and 10-3 general, having gone 1-1 in its two early convention video games. Now, as the brand new 12 months beckons, the true check begins for the Terps. From right here on out, Maryland will play completely Massive Ten opponents — a league that, per normal, appears to be like to be among the many nation’s greatest. That 18-game stretch begins in simply three days when the Terps hit the highway to face Michigan on New 12 months’s Day.

Three issues to know

1. Maryland’s three-point struggles continued. The Terps shot 50% from past the arc within the closing 20 minutes, however gamers not named Don Carey went 1-for-17 from three. Maryland doesn’t have the scale to beat Massive Ten groups with out at the very least satisfactory 3-point taking pictures and might want to hit extra typically from distance to compete shifting ahead.

2. Julian Reese was again. Reese missed the second half of the Terps’ recreation towards UCLA on Dec. 14 and your entire recreation versus St. Peter’s on Dec. 22 with a shoulder ailment. He was again on the ground Thursday and supplied a lift within the frontcourt, ending with seven rebounds and 7 factors — all on free throws.

3. No time to relaxation. After simply two video games in a span of two weeks, Maryland has a grueling schedule awaiting it to start 2023. The Terps go to Michigan on Jan. 1 after which play at Rutgers on Jan. 5, earlier than returning dwelling to face No. 23 Ohio State on Jan. 8. There are not any straightforward video games within the Massive Ten, and Maryland might want to convey its A-game every night time throughout convention play.