Terps snap losing streak
They surge off 12-1 first-half run after grueling road trip
COLLEGE PARK — Eight days after Maryland men’s basketball suffered one of its worst losses inside Xfinity Center, the Terps returned to their home court with something to prove.
It took awhile, but Maryland showed it won’t let one game define its season.
The Terps used a 12-1 run in the first half to shake off another slow start and cruised to a 75-45 win over Saint Peter’s on Thursday night, ending a three-game losing streak.
“The travel and the 9 p.m. games wore them down,” first-year coach Kevin Willard said looking back at the five-game stretch that featured three late-night games against Illinois, Wisconsin and UCLA. “I just thought they looked mentally fresh [tonight].”
In the team’s penultimate nonconference game of the season, Willard experimented with a new starting lineup. Junior guard Ian Martinez replaced graduate transfer Don Carey in the starting five, while graduate transfer Patrick Emilien started at center with sophomore Julian Reese sidelined with a shoulder injury he suffered in an 87-60 loss against UCLA.
Willard said Wednesday that Reese was “day-to-day” and the team was taking their time with the big man’s recovery to ensure that he’s “100% healed.”
While Reese watched from the bench, Emilien held his own, registering 10 points and four rebounds.
“Pat [has] been awesome all year,” said Willard, who noted that Emilien has battled a sprained ankle and toe. “When he is in rhythm and consistent, he’s been good. His problem is that he hasn’t been healthy. I’m hoping this time off will get him right.”
Maryland (9-3) used 10 players against Saint Peter’s, as freshmen Noah Batchelor, Caelum Swanton-Rodger and Ike Cornish entered the game earlier than usual. But in order for the Terps to pull off such a commanding victory, they relied on starting guards Hakim Hart and Jahmir Young. Hart totaled 20 points on 7-for-8 shooting, while Young added 14 points, including a
pair of 3-pointers.
Hart played a big role in Maryland’s scoring surge in the middle of the first half. The senior scored seven consecutive points, driving to the rim at will to give the Terps a 26-12 lead with 5:15 remaining in the half. Maryland went into halftime with a 35-19 advantage after scoring 14 points in the final six minutes.
“I got on Hakim pretty hard in these [past] three days because he is a difference maker,” Willard said. “When he gets going, he just gives us a different dimension offensively.”
Maryland opened the second half with a scoring burst. Scott (eight points) knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers before Hart hit an outside shot of his own. With 14 minutes left, Hart scored five straight points
before transfer guard Jahari Long (eight points) buried a corner 3-pointer to give the Terps a 31-point advantage.
Maryland shot 57.1% from the field and went 5-for-9 from 3-point range in the second half after going just 3-for-12 from deep in the opening 20 minutes.
“We are a good shooting team once we get the ball [in the paint] then find each other [on the outside],” Young said. “I feel like we’ll have success if we do that in the future.”
Saint Peter’s (6-6) spent the entire evening trying to solve Maryland’s zone defense, but nothing worked. The Peacocks, who made a stunning run to the Elite Eight in the 2022 NCAA Tournament, committed three turnovers on its first five possessions, including a pair of shot clock violations. They finished the game shooting 30.4% from the field and 4-for-16 from 3-point range while committing 17 turnovers that Maryland turned into 24 points.
“It was great for us to slow them [down] and impose our will,” Young said. “I felt like we did a great job on the defensive end.”