Maryland men's basketball outlasts West Virginia in overtime in final public exhibition

7 hours ago

3 min read

Maryland men’s basketball overcame a steep early deficit to come out unscathed through the two public scrimmages, taking down West Virginia in College Park, 90-81.

Andre Mills finished with a game-high 27 points while 60% shooting from the field, in addition to eight rebounds. Pharrel Payne was the anchor early on after totaling 26 points and 13 rebounds in 37 minutes, doing so while shooting 10-of-18 from the field.

Early on, Maryland seemed to struggle to find its footing as the offense seemed centered around Pharrel Payne, who was efficient from the floor after adding nine points on 50% shooting through the first 11 minutes, though struggled from the free throw line. That allowed West Virginia to lead by as many as 19 points in the first half behind its three point shooting, at one point knocking down all but three of the 11 attempts before missing the final six attempts of the first half. Some of those threes came from distance with Finley Bizjack knocking down one three from nearly the logo, though the Mountaineers were also able to capitalize on slow defensive rotations.

Yet the Mountaineers’ cold shooting spilled into the second half, allowing Maryland to capitalize on the slow start as Pharrel Payne and Andre Mills teamed up to account for all but two points in the 14-4 run to open the first five minutes of the second half, making it a brand new game. A larger 16-2 run eventually helped Maryland make it a one possession game once again midway through the second half, but head coach Buzz Williams played a role in the gap deepening. Williams contested the refs on the court after a questionable no-call with Mike McNair in transition, leading to a technical foul with the game back at a five point deficit once again.

That wouldn’t slow Maryland, instead leading to success in the halfcourt after Mike McNair drained a three at the halfway point of the half, giving Maryland its first lead since 12-9 at the 12 minute mark of the first half. Andre Mills followed it up with a layup on the ensuing possession, leading the Mountaineers to call a timeout. That turned into a two possession lead coming out of the break after Baba Oladotun found Pharrel Payne in the closing seconds of the possession for a three, putting Maryland ahead, 62-58.

Yet no team managed to gain separation by more than five points over the final 11 minutes of the game, eventually leading to a back-and-forth game at the end. Yet with Maryland holding onto a slim lead, the game ultimately came down to the wire after a pair of Pharrel Payne turnovers over the final minute. West Virginia made Maryland pay after Miles Sadler drew a double team, then found a wide open pass in the paint for the game-tying bucket. Maryland wasn’t able to turn the final possession into a game-winner after Andre Mills was denied at the rim with 2.6 seconds left.

Maryland would outscore West Virginia, 15-6, in overtime. Mills opened the extra period with a quick answer by drilling a pair of threes in the first two minutes of overtime, pushing Maryland ahead by four. Tomislav Buljan then connected with Payne on an alley-oop in transition that forced West Virginia to call timeout with the game trending in Maryland’s control.

Tomislav Buljan made his debut as expected after totaling two points and seven rebounds in 28 minutes, including missing all six shot attempts. Bishop Boswell, who was sidelined in the second half vs. Georgia Tech, was inactive on Sunday as he, Guillermo Del Pino and Lukas Sotell did not dress. Head coach Buzz Williams noted postgame it was his decision to make Boswell inactive on Sunday.

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