Maryland
Takeaways from Maryland men’s basketball’s win over UCLA
Maryland men’s basketball traveled Friday to Los Angeles to take on future Big Ten foe UCLA and nearly forfeited a 20-point advantage, but ultimately escaped with a 69-60 win over the Bruins.
Here are three takeaways from the game.
Jahmir Young had a career day
Maryland’s star guard Jahmir Young played perhaps the best game of his career against the Bruins. He scored 23 points in the first half — the most he’s scored in a half in his career —and finished the game with a career-high 37 points. He also tacked on seven rebounds and three assists.
“Even though he’s small, don’t take him as a joke,” forward Donta Scott said. “He’s a very capable scoring guard and he’s someone to be feared on the court.”
When UCLA came to College Park a year ago, Young tallied just three points in 24 minutes on 0-for-8 shooting.
He began Friday’s game by scoring the Terps’ first eight points, and when Maryland’s lead diminished to two in the second half, it was Young who got to his spot and hit two clutch mid-range jump shots to preserve the advantage.
Young was also extremely efficient, shooting 13-of-19 from the field, 4-of-6 from three and 7-of-9 from the free-throw line.
In what many considered a prove-it game, Young showed up in historic fashion.
Maryland’s first road win of the season
The Terps’ struggles away from XFINITY Center are well-documented, but they played some of their best basketball on the road under head coach Kevin Willard on Friday.
Last season, Maryland was 2-9 on the road — 1-8 against conference opponents. Those two wins came against Louisville and Minnesota, who rated as two of the worst power conference teams in the nation.
The Terps were 0-4 away from home this season headed into Friday’s game, including two blowouts against Villanova and Indiana. All signs pointed toward a Maryland loss.
Yet, the Terps dominated early. They trailed for less than a minute throughout the entire game and obtained a 15-point lead heading into halftime.
Maryland narrowly escaped the final 10 minutes, but got a much-needed win nonetheless.
Maryland’s offensive struggles reappeared in the second half
Just when it seemed like Maryland was going to run away with a signature blowout win over the Bruins, its offense stalled.
The Terps led by 20 points with just over 17 minutes remaining. Fast-forward 12 minutes, and their lead was cut to two. A similar story of a tragic road defeat seemed to be unfolding.
Over that 12-minute span, Maryland was outscored 27-9 and made one of its 15 field goal attempts. Even Young seemed to have run out of juice after facing constant double-teams, and Julian Reese, Maryland’s second leading scorer on the season, provided little help. He scored just one point and fouled out with more than five minutes remaining.
However, Young’s heroics bailed the Terps out, as he discovered a second wind and scored 12 of Maryland’s final 19 points.
“Even though we go through tough times, we’re always going to fight back,” Scott said. “When we go down, it’s never over.”
A win is a win, but Young cannot always will the Terps to victory. The lack of fluidity and creativity within the offense is an issue Willard needs to address.
Maryland
Ex-Maryland teacher sentenced to 30 years for having sex with student — but will only spend one year behind bars
A disgraced Maryland teacher who had sex with a teenage student nearly two-dozen times was slapped with a 30-year prison sentence – but will only serve one year behind bars for the crime.
Melissa Marie Curtis, 32, was handed the three-decade sentence with all but 12 months suspended for engaging in sexual acts with the 14-year-old while she was a teacher at Montgomery Village Middle School in 2015, Fox 5 DC reported.
Curtis — who was 22 at the time — had sexual intercourse with the minor more than 20 times between January and May 2015 — with illicit trysts occurring within the school, her car and several residences, including her mother’s home in Montgomery County, according to court documents obtained by the outlet.
The convicted perv also gave the eighth-grader alcohol and marijuana, the Montgomery County Police Department said.
Prosecutors said the pair were often left alone together after the young teen volunteered for an after-school program Curtis headed, according to court docs.
Police launched their investigation in October 2023 when the victim came forward with the abuse allegations.
Curtis, of Upper Marlboro, was a teacher for approximately two years and had also taught at Lakelands Park Middle School, cops said.
The sicko teacher turned herself in to police on Nov. 7, 2023, and was charged with sexual abuse of a minor and multiple counts of third- and fourth-degree sexual offenses.
She pleaded guilty June 20 to three counts of third-degree sex offenses in June, Fox 5 DC reported.
The sexual predator is required to register as a sex offender for 25 years and will be barred from having any unsupervised contact with minors other than her own children.
The judge also sentenced Curtis to serve five years of probation.
Maryland
Iowa Hawkeyes Make Horrible Decision Ahead of Maryland Game
Kirk Ferentz and the Iowa Hawkeyes are set to face off against the Maryland Terrapins this weekend in their second to last regular season game of the year.
Ahead of this week’s game, Iowa holds a 6-4 record. They have had a couple of very disappointing losses over their last four outings. Losing to Maryland would simply compound upon what has already been a rough all-around stretch of games.
Unfortunately, heading into this week’s matchup, the Hawkeyes have made a horrible decision.
As most fans know, quarterback Brendan Sullivan has been lost for the season due to injury. That led to a new starting quarterback being need this week.
Ferentz and Iowa opted to turn back to Cade McNamara as their starting quarterback.
That decision is a bad one. McNamara has played poorly all season long and fans were desperately hoping for a change away from him long before the decision was actually made.
Why is the decision to revert back to starting McNamara a big mistake?
Jackson Stratton, the team’s sophomore quarterback, has shown the ability to throw the football well in very limited time. He also has a legitimate chance to be the team’s starter for the next two years.
Going back to McNamara does absolutely nothing for the program. He will be leaving following the 2024 season and has shown nothing on the field to warrant playing time. Seeing what the Hawkeyes have in Stratton is a major need and getting him valuable playing time could help him succeed in 2025.
Stratton has received very little playing time. Last week, he completed three of his six pass attempts against UCLA for 28 yards. On the ground, he chipped in a 14-yard run.
Those numbers should have made Iowa give him a chance. At the very least, they could confirm or deny that he’s capable of being the starter next season.
Giving the starting job back to McNamara only guarantees one thing. Fans are about to see more missed passes, frustrating decisions, and a lack of an ability to move the football through the air.
Maryland
Maryland burn ban: Dry weather fuels fire along Potomac River
Dozens of firefighters utilized boats and a helicopter while battling a Monday morning blaze along the Potomac River.
Officials said someone in Virginia initially spotted the smoke, which was coming from a large, rotted tree on Rocky Island in Montgomery County near Great Falls.
They aren’t sure how the fire started but said the large response was in part due to dry conditions, with low humidity and wind.
“It took hours and hours for them to cut it up and put the fire completely out,” said Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Service Public Information Officer Pete Piringer, who added that those same conditions are why a statewide burn ban remains in effect in Maryland.
Piringer also said that just in Montgomery County, firefighters have responded to about 150 outside fires since October 1.
“Fires spread very quickly when the conditions are like this,” he explained.
As a result, officials are urging the public to remain vigilant, saying that when it comes to fire danger, the region’s recent rain has helped – but it’s still not enough.
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