Field Level Media
Feb 14, 2021
Aaron Wiggins led four players in double figures Sunday night with 17 points as Maryland led nearly wire-to-wire in completing a season sweep of NCAA Tournament hopeful Minnesota, taking a 72-59 Big Ten win in College Park, Md.
Darryl Morsell scored 13, while Eric Ayala added 12 points and reserve Galin Smith chipped in 10. The Terrapins (11-10, 5-9 Big Ten) canned 52.9 percent of their field goal attempts, going 10 of 20 from the 3-point line.
Jamal Mashburn, Jr. came off the bench to score 14 points for the Golden Gophers (13-8, 6-8), while Isaiah Ihnen tallied 12 in a reserve role and Tre' Williams added 10 points. Leading scorer Marcus Carr went 4 of 15 from the field and managed just nine, and second-leading scorer Liam Robbins was 1 of 8 for two points.
Minnesota, which fell to 0-7 on the road, drew within 65-59 when Ihnen stroked a 3-pointer with 3:14 left. But Wiggins drained a fadeaway 3-pointer with the shot clock running down on Maryland's next possession, starting a game-ending 7-0 spurt.
The Gophers hit just 29.6 percent of their shots in the first half and didn't do much better in the second half, finishing the night at 32.2 percent.
Maryland wasted little time taking control of this one. It went on an 18-3 run that started with Ayala's long 3-pointer just 2:02 into the game. Minnesota went nearly four minutes without scoring, missing 3-pointers and layups with consistency.
It got worse before it got better. When Donta Scott rainbowed in a 24-footer from the right wing with 7:49 left in the half, the Terrapins owned a 29-10 lead. They would successfully live off it for the game's remainder.
The Gophers put together a 9-2 burst that sliced the margin to 31-19 on a Mashburn 3-pointer with 3:25 left, but the advantage grew to 19 again. While Ihnen drilled a 3-ball with six seconds on the clock, all that did was cut Maryland's cushion to 44-28 at the half.
--Field Level Media