Instant reactions: Maryland overcomes slow start, cruises to 76-55 win over Lehigh
- Ahmed Ghafir
- Dec 28, 2021
- 5 min read
Updated: Apr 4, 2022
Just over two weeks removed from their upset win against then-20th ranked Florida, Maryland looked to keep the positive momentum going as they hosted Lehigh in a game that was originally supposed to be against Loyola but canceled due to COVID issue.
Sloppy start
Maryland rolled out its usually starting five and opened the game going inside on their first three possessions, feeding Qudus Wahab and Hakim Hart for the first two baskets. On the other end, Lehigh has leaned on their midrange game as well, seeing their first five baskets come from inside the perimeter. Back-to-back traveling violations by Eric Ayala and Donta Scott led to two baskets from Lehigh. Early on, Maryland struggled to get things going on offense, but a drive and score by Fatts Russell brought the Terps deficit to two heading into the first break. On his first touch of the game, Julian Reese backed in for an easy score, just for Lehigh’s Evan Taylor to come down and hit the game's first three on the other end of the floor. At the U-12 timeout, Lehigh led Maryland 15-12, caused by sloppy play early in Maryland’s offensive sets. It was a problem on the night as Maryland saw five turnovers from five different players over the game’s first eight minutes, something that must change if they planned to take over the game.
Out of the break, Maryland began to switch a lot defensively and forced Lehigh to take a couple of contested looks and force a turnover. This intensity crept into the offense, which pushed the ball with more pace to give more opportunities for the drive and kick and chances at the line. Offensively, you saw more ball movement, but the paint has been where the Terps lived early on. Another Ian Martinez turnover on an out-of-bounds play led to a foul that took Lehigh to the line on the other side. This four-minute stretch was a good one for Lehigh guard Isaiah Wright, who hadn't played since December 5. But a turning point came when Reese hit a three on a pick and pop, leading all players in scoring in the first 12 minutes of the game.
Two straight looks inside, one for a contested Scott lay in and a wide-open dunk for Wahab gave the Terps a four-point lead, 23-19. Maryland never looked back once they took the lead and on their third possession out of the break, Ayala found himself an easy score off an offensive rebound from a Xavier Green miss. The Terps and Lehigh began to trade baskets, seeing points inside from Keith Higgins Jr. and Jeameril Wilson of Lehigh, but a deep Ayala three in transition gave Maryland their fifth straight basket, forcing Lehigh to call timeout with 4:09 left in the first half.
Leading by eight with four minutes left in the first half, Maryland continued to pressure, forcing Lehigh down to the last second of the shot clock, but committed their seventh turnover of the game on the other side of the floor. Their next trip down the floor saw another nice offensive board from Ayala leading to a great sequence by Maryland, with Reese drawing three defenders and finding Scott for a lightly contested lay-in. Two possessions later, Maryland rushed through a quick set and settled for a highly contested Scott fade away early in the shot clock, leading to a Wilson three on the other end. Lehigh went on a 7-0 run of their own to cut the Maryland lead to three, but a deep three-pointer by Ayala from the right-wing forced a late timeout from Lehigh. For the third separate occasion, Maryland forced a turnover just to turn the ball over on the other side of the ball. Lehigh then came down the floor and buried a three, their eighth points off of seven turnovers in the half. Maryland led by three, 37-34, and played at their best when they pushed the base on offense, oftentimes coming off strong defensive possessions.
Cruising through second half
Maryland came out of the break with a fantastic start, beginning with Hart forcing a turnover that gave Maryland the chance to draw two quick fouls, one of which being an and-one for Ayala. On Lehigh's next trip down the floor, Wahab picks up a block and splits through a double team to get a basket on the offensive side, forcing a timeout. Going into the U-16 timeout, Maryland was able to force four Lehigh fouls but committed three turnovers of their own. Ayala hit a nasty sidestep three and at this point had started to take over the game, leading all scorers with 17.
Maryland came out of the early second-half timeout looking strong defensively once again, which led to a fast break opportunity that sent Scott to the line to give the Terps an 11-point advantage. Maryland's half-court press has been very effective in forcing turnovers and bad looks. Their best stretch of basketball has come in the first eight minutes of the second half, where they ran the floor, upped the pressure on defense, and played bully-ball down low, riding the increased intensity into the bonus with over twelve minutes left in the half. The Terps forced Lehigh into turning the ball over and shooting contested jumpers late in the shot clock. Wilson, their lone bright spot, buried a three to tally his 13th point of the game going into the U-12 timeout. Another good look out of the time out gives Maryland 10 second-chance points nine minutes into the second half. Lehigh began to make some adjustments on both sides of the ball. They began to run a press and play a 2-3 zone, giving Maryland some fits before Wahab gets a good look inside. With 8:50 left in the half, Russell went down with an apparent knee injury that kept him on the floor for the better part of three minutes before benign helped on the floor. This could be a massive loss for the Terps going forward and is something to look for in the coming days. Just after play resumed, Nic Lynch of Lehigh scores a three to cut the Maryland lead to 11, his eighth point of the half. Maryland went of a 6-0 run of their own to expand the lead to 17, 6:43 to go.
At the U-4 timeout, the Terps had taken a stranglehold on the game, dominating on both sides of the ball, leading 72-51. Ayala delivered the exclamation point with a two-hand jam as Danny Manning began to clear the benches. Maryland cruised the rest of the way and finished off the Mountain Hawks 76-55.
Game standouts
Ayala played a great game, scoring 20 points on 8/13 Shooting. The real MVP of the game was Hart though, as the team fed off his intensity as he racked up a block and a career-high 5 steals. This team often seems to go as he goes, and that is when they get out and run and defend hard, which ultimately leads to looks on the offensive end. Reese has also shown a lot of promise early in this season and some of that talent was on display today. He will be a big part of Maryland's success for the rest of this season, and it will be exciting to see how his game evolves this Big Ten season. The second half brand of basketball that Maryland played is more of what they need when Big Ten play begins. No forcing threes, playing in to out and bringing defensive intensity.
Next: Maryland hosts Brown on Thursday in their final non-conference game. Tipoff set for 7:00 PM.
