Catch up on some takeaways from the Terps’ victory.
After trailing Iowa for nearly 30 minutes Wednesday, Maryland men’s basketball came alive late to snap a three-game losing streak with a 78-66 win.
Here are some takeaways from the Terps’ victory.
Maryland rebounded from a low-energy start
XFINITY Center was lifeless to begin Wednesday’s game — and Maryland’s early play mirrored that.
Maryland made just two first of its first 12 shots and committed five turnovers in the game’s opening 10 minutes, which mostly continued the silence of an unenergized home crowd.
“Our defense is really good to start games at home, and our offense I think is just a little timid,” head coach Kevin Willard said.
The Terps often settled in the first half, converting on two of 13 attempts from three. They were also subpar defensively, specifically against Payton Sandfort, allowing the junior guard to put up 13 points on 4-of-6 shooting from three.
The Terps had just 11 points at the midway point of the half, but powered by an off-the-bench spark from DeShawn Harris-Smith, they managed to trail by only six at the break, 37-31.
Their offense as a whole began to gel in the second half, and everything meshed together with 12 minutes to go.
Out of a timeout, Maryland took control to the tune of a 34-12 run to complete the game.
Julian Reese was a big reason for the Terps’ takeover, scoring all nine of his second-half points during the run. He finished with 16 points and 13 rebounds.
“I feel like today I was taking care of the ball, handling the double teams well and just facilitating like I should,” Reese said.
Iowa managed just two made field goals in the final 10 minutes and was outscored in the second half, 47-29.
“These guys love playing at home, but it’s just taking them a little time to relax on the offensive end and get into a rhythm,” Willard added.
Maryland scored 40 paint points to Iowa’s 28 and got to the free-throw line 17 more times than the Hawkeyes.
Harris-Smith had his most impactful game as a Terp
When the Terps were searching for energy, Harris-Smith, who came off the bench for the second straight game, stepped up.
“I just feel like off the bench I need to be a spark plug,” he said.
In the first half, he had seven points, and he scored six of his team’s first nine points of the second half to help it stay within striking distance.
The freshman finished with a career-high 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting to go along with six rebounds and three assists, but his biggest impact came on the defensive end. He took over the primary assignment on Sandfort in the second half, holding him to just three made shots on 10 attempts, including 0-of-5 from three.
“I thought [Harris-Smith’s] defense was phenomenal,” Willard said. “Obviously he’s got good offensive numbers and he will eventually give you those offensive numbers on a consistent basis as he gets older.”
He also made two of his three 3-point attempts, his first time making multiple triples in a game this calendar year.
“Coming off the bench does help me, but starting, I mean, either way, it doesn’t matter. I’m just going to come in and play as hard as I can, just keep stacking games starting with this one,” Harris-Smith said.
A pair of injuries
Despite the victory, Maryland saw two players leave and not return with injuries.
Jordan Geronimo, who missed Saturday’s game with a hand injury, suffered an unrelated knee injury just two minutes after subbing in Wednesday. Attempting to contest a 3-point attempt, he landed on his knee and had to be helped to the locker room.
Mady Traore, who made his second consecutive start, suffered a knee injury of his own to start the second half, and had to be slowly helped to the locker room.
Willard did not have an update on either player, but did acknowledge that lineup changes may be needed with Noah Batchelor also out.
“I’m going to have to slide Jamie [Kaiser Jr.] over to the power forward spot a little bit. We’ll make it work. That’s one thing about this group,” Willard said. “Donta [Scott] will go back to being the power forward, which he can, he’s actually more comfortable … this time of year you just got to figure it out.”