Maryland Terrapins End Emotional Senior Day with a Win
Feb 28, 2015; College Park, MD, USA; Maryland Terrapins guard Dez Wells (44) drives to the basket against Michigan Wolverines guard Aubrey Dawkins (24) at Xfinity Center. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports
The Maryland Terrapins basketball program paid homage and respect to the senior class of Terps, both team and staff. The Terrapins did a great job of that before the game, honoring the senior dance team, cheerleaders, in addition to managers. A touching moment for the senior players on the team was as they were introduced with their families at mid-court with framed pictures of their jerseys. Some got emotional and it clearly was a moment the fans and the senior players will never forget. As someone who was in the stands, you could really see how appreciative these players were to the fans for their love and support.
The Terps beat the Michigan Wolverines 66-56 behind the power of their seniors’ rebounding, three-point shooting and Melo Trimble as the high scorer for the Terps.
The game started slowly for both teams, but a constant factor that was apparent during the first half was Michigan missing shots more often than not, leading to the Terps getting hot from the three-point line. In total, the Terps were 11-for-22 from the three-point line. They played well on the boards, not allowing the Wolverines to get over 10 offensive rebounds.
Melo Trimble did what he always does with ease, getting to the basket aggressively. He was 8-for-9 from the free-throw line. In addition to his 19 points were four rebounds and five assists; call it a complete performance.
Dezmine Wells had a solid performance with 13 points, six rebounds and three assists. He had a few big plays in the game including a near put-back dunk of a missed Trimble fast break layup that was called a foul.
Richaud Pack chipped in six points and four rebounds while Evan Smotrycz (four assists and nine rebounds) and Jon Graham (six points and four rebounds) gave the Terps production as well.
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Defense was big for the Terps. The two players I said the Terps needed to watch out for in Zak Irvin and Spike Albrecht had identical shooting nights: 4-for-10 shooting and 15 points. That was about all they did. No high assist or rebound numbers for either of them.
Player of the game: Statistically, Melo Trimble would be my player of the game, but since it was senior day for the Terps, I want to give special recognition to the seniors on this team and make this a group award. What’s interesting about this team is that some of the seniors didn’t start their careers as Terps. For example, Dez Wells was a Xavier University transfer, Evan Smotrycz was a Michigan transfer and Jon Graham was a Penn State transfer. This team is made up of transfers, but those varied pieces gave this program and the University of Maryland something to be proud of.