Maryland closed out 2022 with its tenth win of the season after defeating UMBC 80-64 to move to 10-3 (1-1).
Four players finished in double figures as Maryland head coach Kevin Willard trotted out a familiar starting five.
For the second consecutive game, Ian Martinez and Patrick Emilien wound up in the starting lineup, but on Thursday, freshman forward Julian Reese was available after checking in roughly three minutes into the game. It’d mark his first appearance since he was sidelined due to a shoulder injury at halftime of the UCLA game, but after practicing through the week, Reese showed no signs of lingering pain as he finished with seven points and seven rebounds in 23 minutes.
Maryland was able to find success around the rim to take an early, but a 10-0 run by UMBC put the Terps in a deficit for the first eight minutes of the game. But Ike Cornish was able to split a pair of free-throws to jumpstart a 10-0 run to give Maryland back the lead for good after a thundering dunk from Hakim Hart with nine minutes remaining. Maryland, though, couldn’t find their shot from deep after missing on their first ten attempts before Don Carey found the bottom of the net with under three minutes left in the first half. The inside game lifted Maryland as they shot 12-of-17 inside the arc and poured in 20 points in the paint. Willard was able to lean on ten players through the first half to take a 33-30 lead into the break.
✌️ for 2️⃣3️⃣❗@IanJumaine x @TerrapinHoops pic.twitter.com/pqOgCsPzMC
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) December 30, 2022
Maryland was able to secure its first double-digit lead with eight minutes remaining after a bucket from Hakim Hart, but the three-point shooting remained a concern. Still, Maryland was able to gain separation as the final 20 minutes ticked away and led by as many as 20 points.
It's a block party in College Park. 🥳@Reese10Julian x @TerrapinHoops pic.twitter.com/pTnnddwdpw
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) December 30, 2022
Jahmir Young secured double figures by halftime, but it wasn’t until the second half that he became the 12th active player to record 1,500 points, 500 rebounds and 300 assists in his career. He dazzled for Maryland all night as he torched the Retrievers inside and out, finishing with 16 points (7-of-13), six rebounds and a pair of assists. But it’d be Don Carey who shined for the Terps after finishing with a game-high 19 points as he shot 5-of-7 from three, with three of them coming in the final eight minutes of the game. Still, Maryland finished just 6-of-24 from deep as the three-point shooting has become a concern, but the Terps were able to take care inside the arc after shooting 20-of-30 for 36 points in the paint.
Maryland will return to Big Ten action the next time they take the court as they’re set to face Michigan on New Year’s Day for a 4:30 PM tipoff.
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