The Terps Trounce Indiana 75-59
Maryland Soars in the Second Half to Send the Hoosiers Packing
Zachary Wilson
After their victory against Bryant, the Terps came out and handled Indiana in College Park, a team they haven’t lost at home against since before World War 2, to set up consecutive wins and hopefully start up another lengthy Terrapin win streak.
Ohio State is in the house for a White Out on Tuesday night pitting the #11 Buckeys versus the #12 Terps.
In what was Maryland’s second best win of the season, the Marquette beatdown taking #1, UMD would start out by not succumbing to the early turnover bug. Surprisingly, they would finish the game at only 7 turnovers, as opposed to Indiana’s 14. Despite lacking in effective shooting to start off the game, starting 0-4 from three, the Terps lack of mistakes would keep Indiana from taking control early.
Indiana play a very inside focused game, using their 3 forward and 2 guard set to push into the paint and physically dominate opponents down low. As Maryland stacked the paint, they forced IU to take shots outside, in which Indiana shot a disgraceful 4-18 overall and 1-7 in the first half. Maryland’s defense forcing turnovers allowed them to notch 25 additional points to Indiana’s 9.
After mounting an 8 point lead at halftime, UMD would come out dominant in the second half in scoring. With a little help from some mediocre Hoosier free throw shooting, Maryland relaxed back into their offense to outscore Indiana 47-39 in the second half.
Notable Statlines, The Good and The Not So Good:
The Good:
Jalen Smith-Smith has really settled into more of a stretch forward role as of late, leading the team here with 19 points on 6-10 shooting-going 2-3 beyond the arc. Even more impressively, he did all this while only playing 17 minutes. While he isn’t supremely comfortable with the post move responsibilities of a typical big man, he is surely in touch with his shooting.
Maryland’s Defense-Turgeon showed great scheming here, forcing Indiana outside and caused IU to force many contested shots. In total, they would leave Indiana with 36.1% total shooting with an abysmal 22.2% from three point range.
The Not So Good:
Maryland’s Half Court Offense-Despite finding many scoring opportunities in the second half, the Terp’s half court offense often felt very slow and ineffective. On many possessions, the primary ball handler would just hold onto the ball for way to long and a play wouldn’t develop. This team’s strength lies in fast breaks and speedy upcourt offense, a strategy that really pressed the athleticism of Indiana.
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