Field Level Media
Feb 19, 2018
Maryland handed Northwestern a fourth consecutive Big Ten Conference loss in another home heartbreaker for the Wildcats, who fell 71-64 on Monday at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Ill.
The Terrapins broke through for just their second conference road win.
Kevin Huerter led a balanced attack with 18 points for Maryland, which won back-to-back games for the first time since Dec. 29 and Jan. 2.
The Terrapins (19-11, 8-9 Big Ten) shot 51.1 percent (24 of 47) from the field to pull out their first conference road victory since Dec. 3 at Illinois. Maryland is 2-8 on the road overall, including a 2-7 road mark in Big Ten play.
The Wildcats (15-14, 6-10) had a 42-31 lead less than a minute into the second half after Vic Law hit a 3-pointer. The lead was still 54-49 with 10:56 to play on two Gavin Skelly free throws, but Maryland took over with a 16-2 run over the next seven minutes, holding the Wildcats to one field goal over that span.
Northwestern, playing for the second game in a row without point guard Bryant McIntosh (shoulder), had 14 turnovers and blew a lead for the second straight game at home. The Wildcats took a tough 65-60 loss to No. 2 Michigan State on Saturday, when Northwestern squandered a 27-point lead in what became the biggest comeback in conference history.
Scottie Lindsey had 15 points Monday for the Wildcats, and Dererk Pardon had 14 points and six rebounds.
Maryland got 13 points apiece from Anthony Cowan and Dion Wiley, who equaled his season high.
Maryland regained the lead for good at 8:58 on a fastbreak layup by Wiley to make it 55-54. The Terrapins' advantage would reach 65-56 at 3:56 when Wiley buried a baseline 3-pointer.
The Wildcats had closed the first half on a 10-2 run to take a 37-30 lead to the locker room, with Lindsey tallying four points and an assist during the surge. After leading 19-12 earlier in the half, the Terrapins could muster just one field goal over the last 4:30. Northwestern hit 8 of 15 shots from 3-point range, and Anthony Gaines' 3-pointer at 2:35 put Northwestern ahead 30-28 during their fast first-half finish.
Three of those 3-pointers had spotted Northwestern to an early 9-2 lead. Maryland surged ahead with a 13-0 run, capped by a pair of Wiley free throws. Northwestern was just 2-of-10 behind the arc in the final 20 minutes.
This was the second meeting of the two teams in the last nine days. Maryland claimed a 73-57 victory in College Park on Feb. 10. Both teams have had injuries negatively impact their season. The Wildcats are still without injured McIntosh and Jordan Ash. Maryland has been missing both preseason all-conference selection Justin Jackson and center Ivan Bender since the first of the year.
The Wildcats host Wisconsin on Thursday, while Maryland closes out the regular season at home Saturday against 17th-ranked Michigan.
--Field Level Media