– Maryland used a small lineup to mount a big comeback in a 62-52 victory over Denver on Thursday night in the second round of the NIT. Dez Wells scored 19 points for the Terrapins, who closed with a 23-4 run after trailing 48-39 with 9:15 left. Wells fueled the surge with nine points. It was the sixth game in 12 days for the Terrapins (24-12), who won’t play again until next week against either Alabama or Stanford.
“Our kids battled. We didn’t want the season to end,” coach Mark Turgeon said. “Our big lineup couldn’t guard them so we went small. We went five guards.” “We’re gassed,” Turgeon said. “Our guys just had guts. That’s a really good win for us after what we’ve been through.”
Seeking its 12th win in 13 games, Denver appeared poised for an upset as the second half wore on. It was 33-all before Marcus Byrd drilled a 3-pointer to spark a 15-6 spree that included a three-point play and a 3-pointer by Brett Olsen.
And then Maryland began its comeback with 7-foot-1 Alex Len and 6-8 James Padgett on the bench.
“We were desperate,” Turgeon said. “We couldn’t guard them. They had complete control of the game and our post guys couldn’t score against them. So we tried to spread them out, try to drive on them and get to the foul line.”
My take: The Terps are finding ways to win. Next up most likely will be Alabama –a real test on the road. One game to the Big Apple.
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