Taters John Weighs in on SC Upstate Game

The USC Upstate Spartans coming in at 8 and 2 with a huge 59 to 54 win over Georgia Tech on their resume nearly added another scalp as they fought the Terps tooth and nail before finally succumbing 67 to 57 to our now 10 and 1 Terrapins. Pretty it was not and that goes for both teams but it is in the win column and a good come from behind victory that builds confidence in a young and growing team. Certainly encouraging was the all around play of Smotryz as he got extensive playing time coming off the bench as he heals from his foot injury that has plagued him most of the early season. The first half tapes should be burned and forgotten as it had to be our worst of the season, thankfully Pack hit a three with 28 seconds left to get us within 4 points and end the half on a positive note after seeing our two usually reliable stars Layman and Trimble finish the half with only three points between them, a bucket by Trimble and a free throw by Layman and the team shooting a miserable 2 for 17 from three point range.
The Terps started off well as Trimble got us in the scoring column with a driving bucket to the hoop, Dodd scored on a follow, USC scored, Nickens hit a three and Dodd scored again and the Terps led 9 to 2 with 15:12 to go. Wiley and Cheko checked in, USC Upstate hit 2 buckets and with 13:28 left it was 9 to 6 Terps but play was getting ragged on both ends. With 10:08 left USC had tied it at 12 all and the wheels started falling off the cart for the Terps. A free throw USC and a follow up Graham and the Terps had a short lived 14 to 13 lead. A bucket USC, steal and another bucket USC and a couple more buckets by USC and all of a sudden it’s 21 to 14 USC with 6:08 left. Timeout Turge !!! The Terps are 1 for 10 from three point range and Trimble has only 2 points and Layman 1. Pack makes a free throw after missing a birdie inside, USC hits a bucket, Smotryz hits a nice follow and USC scores again, 25 to 17 USC 3:17 left. Wiley gets into the scoring column with a duece, 25 to 19 USC with 2:12 to go but the Terps seem out of sync. Two freebies by Pack and a three by USC and Terps are down 28 to 21. The Terps are 1 for 15 from beyond the arc but Pack drains a trey and we close the half at 28 to 24 USC. Not a well played half and the Terps problems are of their own making.
The Terps had to come out in the second half and play better or they are in deep doo doo and they did. With 14:41 to go following a monster slam by Layman they got the lead 36 to 35 and upped it to 38 to 35 on another Layman bucket, USC hit a bucket and it’s 38 t0 37 Terps with `12;18 left. Three Smotryz and a bucket Layman, 43 to 37 and the Terps are on a 17 to 4 run with 11:37 to go. Two free throws USC, a bucket Layman and a terrific fake and drive for a bucket Smotryz and the run is 21 to 6 and the lead is 47 to 39 Terps. We upped it to 49 to 39 on 2 free throws by Dodd only to have USC hit a trey and a bucket to slice it to 5, 49 to 44. These guys are like a bad case of poison ivy, they aren’t going away anytime soon. With 4:33 left it’s Terps by 8 at 58 to 50, 2:19 to go following a tip in by USC back to 5, 59 to 54. Two freebies Trimble a three USC and we lead by only 4,61 to 57, 1:40 on the clock. A trey Layman, free throw Trimble, 65 to 57 Terps, 58.2 to go. I think this one is in the bag but again who knows? Trimble hits 2 free throws and the Terps win by 10, 67 to 57. Trust me a hard earned win !!!
Layman, enjoy him while we can as in my opinion he is headed for a lottery pick, finished with 17 points, 16 in the 2nd half, 3 for 5 from the charity stripe and 3 rebounds. Trimble 14 points, 12 in the 2nd half, 9 for 10 from the free throw line, he’s leading the Big Ten in free throw percentage, 89% and an unbelievable 12 REBOUNDS. Smotryz who played extreme well coming off the bench had 10 points, 6 boards and was 1 for 2 from the stripe. Pack whose trey as the 1st half ended changed the outlook of a poor Terp 1st half, had 8 points, 2 for 4 from the stripe and 7 rebounds. Dodd coming on strong had 8 points, 2 for 3 from the stripe and 4 rebounds. All Dodd needs to do is cut down on the fouling and he will be on the floor lots more. Nickens who got the starting nod finished with 6 points, 2 treys. Graham and Wiley each added 2 points and Cheko did not score but pulled down 4 rebounds. Cheko has taken a step backward lately but should be OK. The Terps according to Johnny Holiday, lead the nation in free throws made. The Terps finished 6 for 25 shooting threes, not bad considering 2 for 17 in the 1st half. They shot 70%, 17 for 24 from the stripe.
We move forward as upcoming is Oklahoma State away and Oakland home and then it’s bring on the BIG TEN !!!

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There Are 2 Responses to this Post
  1. freddy from boca

    paragraphs…john..try to use paragraphs. you take all that time and energy to write this and it’s impossible to read because everything is on top of everything.

    Reply ·   11/12/2019

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