This is exactly what the Terps ended up with. Nebraska cruised to a 70-66 overtime win by cutting Maryland’s second-half lead and then capitalizing on their late errors.
The Terps had four turnovers in overtime, including Hakim Hart’s gift on an inbound pass with 35 seconds left. Nebraska led by one at the time, and coach Kevin Willard had just discussed a plan with his players during a timeout. Willard was hoping to get the ball to point guard Jahmir Young and then, with his team in the bonus, maybe Hart could come down in search of a starting field goal or a pair of free throws.
Hart thought Young was open. Instead, Nebraska’s Sam Hoiberg intercepted the pass, ran down and scored a layup. That gave Nebraska a 67-64 advantage with 31 seconds left, and Hart missed a jumper on Maryland’s next possession. The Terps (18-9, 9-7 Big Ten) could only foul from there, and they found themselves with their seventh loss in eight conference road games.
The turnovers stemmed from a “lack of focus (and) being sure about everything,” Young said. “That’s really what it was. As veterans, it’s on us.
After Thursday’s big win over No. 3 Purdue, the Terps weathered a lethargic start to build an eight-point lead with 7:10 remaining in regulation, but Nebraska (14-14, 7-10) pulled away. rallied and Derrick Walker tied the score on a layup with 29 seconds left. On a timeout, Young missed what could have been a game-winning jumper, sending the game into overtime.
The Cornhuskers led by nine going into the second half, but the Terps generated a 17-2 run in response. Hart had a pair of threes during that streak, reminiscent of Maryland’s second-half push against Purdue. But this time, the Terps couldn’t finish.
Reserve guard Ian Martinez, a pesky defender who scored three points in 34 minutes, said the Terps ‘didn’t come in with the right mindset’, but he didn’t attribute the problem to the level. emotional high of the victory over Purdue. . The Cornhuskers have won four of five games, and the victory over Maryland will be a highlight of their season.
“We knew it was a big game for them,” Young said. “It was a big game for us too, from a ranking point of view. It’s disappointing. It’s frustrating that the accent wasn’t there. We knew what the stakes were here.
Young and Julian Reese led the Terps with 16 points apiece, and Reese added a career-high 16 rebounds. Hart finished with 14 points while making 4 of 6 three-point attempts. But Maryland’s other starters struggled: Leading tackle Donta Scott had five points on 2-for-16 shooting (including 1-for-8 from three-point range), and guard Don Carey (zero points) n only played eight minutes and didn’t appear in the second half or overtime.
As a team, Maryland shot just 33.3 percent. His offensive struggles were exacerbated by turnovers: The Terps finished with 12, more than in any outing since a loss at Iowa on Jan. 15.
“We have to be ready to punch the other team in the mouth,” Martinez said. “We have to come out ready to dominate. We weren’t ready for that today.
Here’s what else to know about the loss of Maryland:
Nebraska guard Keisei Tominaga is in tears, entering Sunday after scoring at least 22 points while making at least four three-pointers in each of his previous four games. Tominaga, who averaged just 5.7 points last season, powered a Cornhuskers run that included wins over Penn State, Wisconsin and Rutgers and lifted them from the Big Ten dregs.
Against Maryland, he had 20 points but only made 2 of 6 three-point attempts. Tominaga hadn’t had a shot from beyond the arc since the opening minutes of the game – but he then hit one to open extra time, the start of a good five minutes that helped the Cornhuskers win.
The Terps held Nebraska to 3 for 16 three-pointers, but Walker (23 points) was a problem in the paint.
Maryland faced major challenges away from the Xfinity Center, and those continued on Sunday. The Terps got off to another slow start: 2 of 16 shots, six points and five turnovers in the first 10 minutes.
“I can’t put my finger on it,” Willard said of the reason for the bad starts on the road. “…It just seems like we need a bit of time to get into the flow of the game.”
At home in conference, the Terps got a significant boost on the free throw line. They averaged 22 free throws compared to just 10.4 for their Big Ten opponents at the Xfinity Center. But on the road, Maryland did not have the same fortune. The Terps attempt about half the number of free throws — 11 per game entering Sunday.
When Maryland beat Nebraska at home last month, the Terps went 24-for-26 from the foul line while the Cornhuskers finished 9-for-15. Maryland couldn’t replicate that outing on Sunday: It finished 13 in 19 and Nebraska was 19 in 25.