Maryland starts slow, squeaks by Nicholls, 73-67

In a season where slow starts and poor shooting have been a common theme, Maryland basketball had an opportunity to close its latest three-game home stand with a strong statement against Nicholls.

Trailing 43-34 in the mid-stages of the second half, the Terps needed a wake-up call. The offense was struggling, the energy was low, and it looked like Maryland was going to squander a chance for some real momentum heading into its big matchup at UCLA later in the week.

From that moment on, something clicked. An extended 17-6 run capped by a Jahari Long three-pointer gave Maryland a 52-49 lead with just under seven minutes remaining and the Terps never looked back, holding off a late surge by the Colonels to squeak out a 73-67 victory.

The timeout that head coach Kevin Willard called prior to the run was critical to Maryland’s comeback.

“I think the timeout was more or less just, ‘Hey guys, we have to grow up a little bit and just sit down and guard and stop letting our offense dictate our defense,'” Willard said.

Maryland made five of its last seven shots from the field to secure the win.

Jahmir Young was in control for Maryland all night, as the Terps’ leading scorer finished with 23 points and 11 rebounds, notching his first double-double of the season.

The senior did most of his damage at the free-throw line, connecting on all 10 of his attempts.

For the majority of the season, Donta Scott has struggled to find any real consistency as a reliable offensive option for Maryland. The fifth-year senior looked lost at times, lacking the confidence he displayed throughout his four years in College Park.

On Tuesday, it seemed as if the spark was back for Scott.

He finished with 15 points, knocking down four threes in the process. Although his stat sheet was stuffed, it was his on-court demeanor that was the biggest sign for his head coach.

“Donta has been phenomenal in practice, he has been our best player in practice,” Kevin Willard said. “I just wanted him to focus on being the Donta Scott who plays hard, runs the floor, gets rebounds, some things that really help the team and I thought that would help him offensively and I think it did.”

“I feel like when they started talking trash it elevated me a lot more,” Scott said. “My mindset was just to go out there and bring something to the floor, and that’s what I brought.”

Early three-pointers by Young and Scott got the scoring started for the Terps as they grabbed a 6-2 lead. Nicholls quickly responded with two threes of its own to take a two-point lead, as Maryland’s offense became stagnant against the matchup zone.

A steal and slam by Jordan Geronimo gave a little life to a somewhat quiet Xfinity Center, as Maryland took a 22-18 lead with just under seven minutes to play in the first half. It seemed like the jolt could have sparked a late-half run that has aided Maryland during recent play.

This was not the case, as after the Terps took a 25-20 lead, any offensive production went missing for nearly five minutes. Maryland went 1-12 from the field during the final stages of the first half as Nicholls took a 27-25 lead down to the final seconds.

Diante Smith had a game-high 11 points in the first half for Nicholls, going 2-4 from three-point range. The Colonels went 5-7 from three-point range in the first half. Smith finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds.

Entering Tuesday’s game, Maryland ranked third nationally in free throws attempted per game with 28. The Terps shot only five in the first half, as Nicholls’ matchup zone forced Maryland to move the ball around the perimeter to open shooters.

Maryland took 15 three-pointers in the first half, connecting on only five attempts.

“We’re not a team that should take 27 three-pointers,” Willard said. “I think there are times where we get a little trigger-happy. We had some good looks early. We’ve got to realize that sometimes you’ve got to do some things to get yourself a bucket every once in a while.”

With the game clock under 10 seconds, Scott drilled a corner three to give Maryland a slim one-point halftime lead.

“[Scott] was big tonight, he led us on both sides of the court, so without his leadership, I don’t know how we would have won,” Young said.

Outside of Young, Maryland shot 8-27 from the field in the first half. Young had a team-high eight first-half points, knocking down two three-pointers in the process.

Out of the break, Nicholls continued its hot shooting from downtown. The Colonels used an extended 16-2 run to take a 43-34 lead with just over 14 minutes remaining, which included four three-pointers.

From there, the tides turned quickly.

Nicholls became ice-cold from the field, making only one of eight shots during Maryland’s surge into the lead. It was the interior presence on the defensive end that stood out for the Terps.

Maryland recorded 13 blocks in the victory and established itself in several key moments. Julian Reese picked up a career-high six blocks in a dominant effort. He finished with 13 rebounds and nine points, narrowly missing out on his sixth double-double of the season.

“He’s been really good all year defensively, he just struggled a little bit tonight offensively,” Willard said of Reese. “I was proud of him for the fact that he really focused in on the defensive end.”

Clinging to a three-point lead, a corner three from Long pushed Maryland towards a more comfortable advantage. Both of his made-field goals had huge implications on the outcome.

“Jahari is doing some good things,” Willard said. “I expect a lot from Jahari because I think I know what he has inside. The biggest issue is there’s times where he mentally kind relaxes and it hurts him and it hurts us.”

Late free throws from Young sealed it, and Maryland improved to 7-4 on the season, pushing its home-winning streak to 18 straight.

Maryland will travel to UCLA on Friday night at 9 p.m. to conclude the home-and-home matchup before the Bruins join the Big Ten. UCLA defeated Maryland 87-60 on Dec. 14, 2022.

Maryland starts slow, squeaks by Nicholls, 73-67

Jason Belt