Maryland had all the momentum, until it didn’t.
After leading by as many as 16, Maryland (20-11, 11-9) fell 65-64 on the road to Penn State on a last-second putback. The loss gives the Terps an abysmal 2-9 record on the season.
The Jahmir Young Show Once Again
Maryland clawed their way out of an early 7-2 lead to take command of the game in the first half thanks to Julian Reese, who scored the Terps’ first six points. But it’d shortly become the Jahmir Young and Ian Martinez show as the two combined for 21 first-half points on 7-of-10 shooting, including 5-of-7 from deep, as the main sources of offense. While Martinez finished with two points in the second half, Young never stopped and added another 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting as he remained aggressive finding success at the rim. Young provided a timely and-one for Maryland when the Nittany Lions were threatening in the second half, but in the end, it wasn’t enough—and it isn’t on Young.
Don Carey was able to provide offense with 11 points on 5-of-11 shooting while Julian Reese was able to finish with 12 points thanks to a perfect 4-for-4 from the line, but both Hakim Hart and Donta Scott went silent on Sunday afternoon. The two senior combined for just four points on 1-of-10 shooting, including 1-of-2 from the line for Scott. Maryland worked to find them looks in space with all five of Hakim’s attempts coming from three, but the supporting cast went ice cold. It’s why the emergence of Ian Martinez through the first half helped Maryland maintain its early double-digit lead, but it’s the type of performance that adds pessimism to Maryland’s chances of making a postseason run.
Road Struggles Continue
Clinging to a one-point lead in the final seconds, three bodies in the paint wasn’t enough as Penn State’s putback within the final second handed the Terps yet another road loss.
Three Terps, no rebound. This is a play that will haunt Maryland fans for a long time.pic.twitter.com/al87HGCVZ2
— Ben Dickson (@bendickson__) March 5, 2023
Blowing an eight-point lead in a back-and-forth game against Nebraska is one thing. Blowing a 16-point lead when Maryland was in undoubted control for roughly the first 30 minutes is the absolute last way Maryland needs to enter postseason play.
Maryland had a chance to quiet critics with a critical game against the Nittany Lions. Winning inside the Bryce Jordan Center for the first time since 2015 would’ve been a consolation prize, but winning their third game on the road in a must-win situation was the main course. Instead, Maryland falls to 4-11 outside of Xfinity including 2-9 on the road this season. Sure, both the conference and NCAA Tournaments are held on neutral sites, but Maryland is now four months removed from the signature win against Miami (FL). Now, Maryland will await the final scores of the rest of Sunday’s slate to see who they’re playing.
Postseason Fallout
Maryland was already safely in the tournament, but could now see themselves on either the seven or eight-seed line following Sunday afternoon’s loss. The loss also eliminates Maryland’s chances of a double-bye, meaning Maryland will now have to suit up on Thursday instead of earning an extra day’s rest.
Maryland has also dropped two spots in the NET rankings heading into Sunday, now at 26th, while checking in at 20th in KenPom following the loss. Maryland now falls to 5-3 in Quad 2 games.
Related Links
Non-rev recap: Maryland falls against top-ten opponents in lacrosse, baseball, women’s baseball