Field Level Media
Dec 29, 2019
No. 13 Maryland used a massive rebounding edge to beat visiting Bryant 84-70 on Sunday afternoon in College Park, Md., snapping a two-game skid.
It was the first win for the Terrapins (11-2) since Dec. 7, when they edged Illinois by one point at home in the Big Ten opener. Since then they had dropped games at Penn State and Seton Hall, watching their Associated Press ranking drop from No. 3.
Maryland compiled a 48-16 rebounding edge over Bryant (8-5), including a 19-4 advantage on the offensive boards. The 19 offensive rebounds were the most for the Terps since November 2016.
Bryant didn't grab its first offensive rebound until the 13:22 mark of the second half, contributing to the Bulldogs being outscored 15-5 in second-chance points.
Maryland's dominance on the boards followed major changes to the frontcourt. Freshmen forwards Makhel and Makhi Mitchell entered the transfer portal on Friday, but that was countered by the college debut of Chol Marial, a 7-foot-2 freshman who had missed the first 12 games after having surgery on both shins in September.
Marial finished with six points, five rebounds and a block in 14 minutes, his first two baskets coming on putback dunks.
Anthony Cowan led the Terps with 19 points, Aaron Wiggins added 15 and Jalen Smith picked up his eighth double-double of the season with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
Maryland led 36-31 at the half, a lead that should have been larger considering it had a 27-9 edge on the boards in the first 20 minutes. The Terrapins fouled 3-point shooters on two of Bryant's final four possessions to enable the Bulldogs to stay within reach.
But Bryant could never get closer than four points in the second half, and foul trouble spelled doom. Juan Cardenas and Mikail Simmons both picked up their fourth fouls in the first four minutes after halftime, then Hall Elisias got his fourth foul with 13:47 to go.
The Bulldogs, who had won four in a row, got 25 points (including seven 3-pointers) from Adam Grant and 18 from Ikenna Ndugba.
--Field Level Media