Maryland Terrapins making Big Ten Move Look Easy
The Maryland Terrapins Big Ten conference start has come full circle and they are now 2-0 in Big Ten play.
They won their home game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers 70-58 behind the tough physical play of Damonte Dodd, who had nine points, 12 rebounds and 3 blocks. Melo Trimble (20 points, six rebounds, two assists), Dez Wells (12 points, seven rebounds, four assists) and Jake Layman (12 points and rebounds) had great games; that three-headed monster continues to shine for the Terps.
The Maryland Terrapins switched strategies from utilizing the three-point shot in the first half to a strong inside game in the second, which helped them significantly. They scored 24 points from deep, going 8-26 from behind the arc, which isn’t a great percentage. The switch to a more inside-based strategy helped them, as they were able to get to the free throw line 28 times in total. They converted 20 of them and had a .714 percentage has a result.
The Terps out-rebounded the Golden Gophers 56-50, not a big margin but a margin that contributed to the win none the less. The only negatives for the Terps against Minnesota were their 19 turnovers in the game and that they allowed a couple of big performances. Junior guard Carlos Morris (18 points, six rebounds) and Senior forward Maurice Walker (20 points, 10 rebounds) went off for big games.
The buzz around this team is big! With their win against Minnesota, they now have won on the road against Michigan State and at home against Minnesota. Twitter reaction after the games:
Can't quite wrap my noggin around Terps being top-10 when the polls come out in 2 days, but it's gonna happen. #TerpsTalk
— Chick Hernandez (@MrChickSports) January 3, 2015
Minnesota head coach Richard Pitino: “We got beat by the top ten team in the country on the road”
— Josh Stirn (@Josh_Stirn) January 3, 2015
TERPS WIN! Maryland moves to 14-1, its best start since the 1996-97 season with a 70-58 win against Minnesota in @bigtenconf home opener.
— Maryland Men’s Basketball (@TerrapinHoops) January 3, 2015
The Lady Terps in their own right have done the same thing.
They beat the 12th-ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers 75-47 behind Shatori Walker-Kimbrough’s 24 points and 9 rebounds. Another big contributor was Laurin Mincy, who had 22 points, five rebounds, and 3 assists in this game.
Mincy and Walker-Kimbrough combined to score 46 of Maryland’s 75 in that game. Their contributions helped the team shoot above 50 percent from the field, with the Lady Terps finishing at 51.7 percent.
Both basketball programs are ranked and could move up as early as this week. These teams have promise and are showing that a move to new collegiate conference doesn’t phase them.