Terps go cold late, watch win streak end
Upset loss to Wildcats slows Maryland’s momentum
Junior guard Aaron Wiggins recorded a career-high 26 points and combined with senior guard Darryl Morsell to score 40, but the Maryland men’s basketball team couldn’t sustain a strong start, falling to Northwestern, 60-55, at Welsh-Ryan Arena on Wednesday night.
The Terps, whose five-game winning streak was snapped, went 0-for-7 to close the game and scoreless over the final 2:32. Backto-back 3-point attempts in the final minute by junior guard Eric Ayala, who recorded five points on 2-for-12 shooting, and Morsell (Mount Saint Joseph) over a Wildcats zone defense missed as Northwestern made key free throws late.
Meanwhile, Maryland, which did not attempt a free throw until 6:31 remaining in the game, went 4-for-7 from the line. Neither team attempted a free throw in the first half, marking the first time that’s happened in a game involving a Big Ten team since Davidson played at Purdue on Nov. 16, 2018, according to the Big Ten Network.
Maryland scored the game’s first nine points but couldn’t replicate last Sunday’s game against Michigan State, in which they built off a strong start for a wire-to-wire victory.
Northwestern responded with eight straight points and a 22-7 run to take the lead as Maryland struggled with turnovers. After scoring the game’s first nine points, the Terps committed eight turnovers in the first half and 15 total.
Northwestern led 28-26 at halftime, shaking off its cold start to shoot 8-for-19 on 3-pointers to finish 10-for-29 in the game. The Wildcats outrebounded the Terps 17-14, including 6-1 on the offensive boards, in the
half.
Northwestern led by as many as six in the second half, but Wiggins and Ayala hit backto-back 3-pointers to tie the score at 43 with 9:50 left. Wiggins has recorded at least 20 points in three of his past five games.
Northwestern responded with a 5-0 run to retake the lead, and Maryland went scoreless for over three minutes after tying the game.
Wiggins hit a 3-pointer to give the Terps a 52-51 lead, then converted a three-point play on a driving layup to give Maryland a 54-52 lead with four minutes remaining. A Morsell free throw would be the Terps’ final points of the game. Center Ryan Young made a post layup after backing down Wiggins to give Northwestern a 56-55 lead with 90 seconds left.
Three Wildcats scored in double figures, led by guard Boo Buie’s 15 points, as Northwestern won its second straight game after 13 consecutive losses. It also marked just the program’s third victory over the Terps in 13 meetings.