Maryland pulled off a much-needed, confidence-building win on Sunday afternoon with a 70-68 win over 20th ranked Florida at the Barclays Center. Breaking down a thrilling victory for the Terps as they head into winter break.
Terps find their shot…the Terps finished the game shooting 49% from the field, just the third time this season they’ve been able to do so. It started with Hakim Hart in the first half as he led the way for much of the opening 20 minutes with eight points on 3-of-4 shooting. All eight points came within a three-minute stretch where Maryland was able to counter Florida’s punches, a theme on the night. With just over seven minutes left in the first half, Hart got into the paint for a layup only to convert an and-one two minutes later. The Gators quickly regained a brief lead as the two teams traded leads 11 times on the night, but Hart knocked through a three of his own to give Maryland the lead right back. The Terps were able to build their lead to as much as five in the first half on 50% shooting, but the Gators responded with five straight points to end the first-half tied at 33. Still, the Terps found success in the halfcourt offense and looked arguably their most comfortable all season as the shots continued to drop into the second half. Maryland had one near three-minute scoring drought midway through the second half, but the sloppy play extended to both ends of the court as the Gators turned in just two points during the same stretch. Though Wahab finished with just one point inside in 24 minutes, the shooting outside the paint willed the Terps to victory. Maryland cashed in eight of their 18 points in the paint in the final five minutes to seal the win as Ayala and Russell combined to score on eight straight points before Donta Scott’s game-winner with 16 seconds left.
Appleby’s efficiency vs. Maryland’s defense…the Gators had struggled from the field over their last two games, but on Sunday, guard Tyree Appleby proved to be a thorn in Maryland’s side in the second-half as he finished 5-of-8 from deep. The Terps couldn’t find a way to contain him down the stretch as he entered the night shooting just 36.5% from deep, but against Maryland, it didn’t matter where he shot. Veteran guard Xavier Green played 14 minutes as Maryland worked their defensive rotations to minimize Appleby’s production, but the Gator guard found a way to answer after Maryland built a seven-point lead, their largest of the game. Appleby knocked down a triple in response to Fatt’s final three-point make, and after the Gators’ full-court pressure forced Maryland into a turnover, it was Appleby again who hit from deep to cut the lead to 59-58 and prompting head coach Danny Manning to call a timeout. Appleby could come up big once more, knocking down his fifth three of the game with just 74 seconds left and giving Florida a 66-65 lead. But in the end, Xavier Green forced Appleby into a contested, fading three to seal a 70-68 Maryland win.
Turnover concerns…the offensive efficiency from the Terps wasn’t close to its peak to start the game as the Gators’ full-court pressure disrupted the Terps’ flow. Maryland committed 11 first-half turnovers, including three in the first four minutes, as the trio of Ayala, Fatts, and Scott combined for eight of the 11. But the Terps found a way to settle into the Gators’ defense and committed just six over the final 28 minutes of action, with Ayala and Russell manning the backcourt. It was a point of concern for Maryland heading into Sunday as guard Ian Martinez was unavailable and remains in concussion protocol, but opening the door for guard Marcus Dockery to enter into the rotation. Manning did make a note during Friday’s pregame availability that Dockery would be available on a situational basis, but that played out into just one minute in the first half as Ayala and Fatts primarily ran the backcourt.
Signature win…on paper, Maryland picks up a second key non-conference victory against an SEC foe, but in the locker room, this win helps from a moral standpoint. Both Manning and the players have been transparent on the number of talks and meetings the team has had since Mark Turgeon parted ways with the university, and the magnitude of a win after a hard-fought game goes a long way inside the locker room for morale. Now, Maryland will now get a chance to rest and rebound with games against Loyola (MD) and Brown before resuming conference play, but a much-needed victory.