Trimble doing what the Terps need to win
After scoring just 3 points against Saint Francis (Pa.), guard gets 25 vs. UConn
NEW YORK — Playing in Madison Square Garden for the first time, Maryland men’s basketball sophomore Melo Trimble channeled his inner Melo.
Not himself, the Big Ten Conference Preseason Player of the Year and first freshman point guard to be named firstteam All-Big Ten since Indiana’s Eric Gordon in 2008.
With dozens of NBA scouts attending the Jimmy V Classic on Tuesday night, Trimble said he kept one of his favorite NBA players in mind.
“It was kind of hard playing. I had never played in the mecca before,” he said. “I just thought about Carmelo Anthony the whole time, and I was good.”
Trimble’s 25-point performance in No. 6 Maryland’s 76-66 win over Connecticut was more reminiscent of some of his own from last season. He went to the free-throw line 15 times and made 14 to help the 8-1 Terps hold off the Huskies’
second-half comeback.
His miss came on one of the two shots he took after Connecticut coach Kevin Ollie was assessed a technical foul with 2:49 left after the Huskies had cut Maryland’s 18-point secondhalf lead to three.
After Connecticut’s Jalen Adams fouled Trimble on the inbounds pass, Ollie reacted in frustration, turning his back to the court and swiping at some papers on the nearby scorer’s table. As the papers went airborne, Ollie was assessed a technical.
Ollie didn’t think the technical affected the outcome as much as Maryland’s fast start, powered by Trimble, freshman center Diamond Stone and great defense.
“That was the tale of the game,” said Ollie, whose 5-3 Huskies had similar struggles in losses to Syracuse and No. 20 Gonzaga.
Maryland coach Mark Turgeon disagreed, acknowledging that the technical “helped stem the tide for us” by slowing the Huskies and quieting the pro-Connecticut crowd of an announced19,812 enough for the Terps to get the victory.
Ollie gave a lot of credit to Stone, whom he recruited out of high school. Stone scored 12 of his 16 points, tying his career high, and six of his career-high nine rebounds in the first half. Maryland outrebounded Connecticut 45-24 overall, including 31 defensive rebounds, while limiting the Huskies to six offensive boards.
Though Stone made just six of 16 shots from the field — three of his shots were blocked, including two on back-to-back possessions — Maryland’s lone freshman played well.
“He played aggressive,” said Ollie, whose team blocked nine shots. “He loved the moment. He’s an outstanding basketball player, but even a better person. They did a good job highlighting him and getting him some post-ups. Then he was getting to the basket.”
In the end, Stone’s teammates did the same. After shooting 3-for-10 on 3-point attempts in the first half, yet still taking a 16-point lead into halftime, the Terps attempted just four 3-pointers in the second half and missed all of them. The Huskies, meanwhile, made six of 12 from beyond the arc in the half to mount their comeback.
Maryland fed off Trimble’s lead in getting to the basket down the stretch, with guard Rasheed Sulaimon and forwards Robert Carter Jr. and Jake Layman all scoring on drives. Perhaps the nicest play came when Trimble fed Carter on the right side of the basket. Carter then dished a no-look pass to center Damonte Dodd for a dunk.
Ollie, a former NBA point guard, thought Maryland won the backcourt battle. Former Terps commit Sterling Gibbs finished with 12 points and no assists.
“Melo controlled the game,” Ollie said.
Trimble’s performance came four days after he scored a season-low three points in a 41-point blowout of Saint Francis (Pa.) at Xfinity Center. Trimble had seven assists in that game and barely looked at the basket.
Asked about the difference in the two games, Trimble said: “Just me playing basketball and sacrificing for the team. When I had three points the last game, I thought my teammates were doing a really good job of scoring. It wasn’t my night to score a lot of points to pull out the win.
“Tonight was my night to score a lot of points, and we won, so I am just doing whatever it takes to help the
team win.”