Maryland Picks up Elusive Road Win
Maryland defeated Northwestern in Chicago Monday night by a score of 71-64. The Terps beat the wildcats by 16 in College Park last week, and the home team was looking for revenge in this one. Northwestern opened the game on a 9-2 run, hitting 3 3-pointers in the first couple minutes. Maryland then snatched the lead back with a dominant 17-1 run of its own. This lead didn’t last long, as Northwestern responded with a 10-0 run of their own to take a 37-30 halftime lead.
Things took a down turn in the first couple minutes of the second when Bruno Fernando picked up his third foul and the wildcats took an 11 point lead. The game was all Maryland from there, as the Terps outscored the wildcats 40-19 from that point on. The run consisted of smothering defense by the guards, eliminating the three-point shot that was the Wildcats’ only effective weapon on the night.
Maryland had a much more productive post presence throughout the game, essentially forcing the Wildcats to only take 3s. The Terps won points in the paint 34-18, rebounds 31-25, and field goal percentage 51-42. Essentially the only reason the game was close was the Wildcats’ first-half barrage of 3s, shooting 8/15 in the frame. They lost the lead in the second half because their shooting from deep went down to 2/10.
Highlights:
ICYMI: #RedMamba scored 18 points & helped Maryland get a much-needed road win over Northwestern, 71-64. pic.twitter.com/78jat97HqE
— Maryland On BTN (@MarylandOnBTN) February 20, 2018
Anthony Cowan (13p-4a-4r) and Kevin Huerter (18p-4a-3r) did their thing as usual, but the x-factor for tonight’s game has to be Dion Wiley. Wiley shot 4-7 from the field, racking up 13 points. He succeeded in a couple impact moments, knocking down all his late free throws, and recording near back-to-back steals to aid the Terps’ late run.
Wiley, a senior, will play his last home game this Saturday against the #17 Michigan Wolverines. The game represents another in a line of must-wins for a Terps team that need several quality wins, fast. Maryland has announced the game as a white-out, so the student section should be at full throat as per usual. Tipoff is set for noon on ESPN.
