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LINCOLN, Neb. — Just three days after a characteristic home win capped by a court storming, the Maryland men’s basketball team tried to keep that momentum going in Nebraska. The Terrapins went up against a Cornhuskers roster that has been playing much better lately, so Sunday night’s matchup – given the long journey and quick turnaround – had all the ingredients for disappointment.
That’s exactly what the terps finally achieved. Nebraska secured a 70-66 win in overtime by smashing Maryland’s lead in the second half and then capitalizing on its late errors.
The Terps had four turnovers during overtime, including Hakim Hart’s giveaway on an inbound pass with 35 seconds remaining. Nebraska was leading one back then, and Coach Kevin Willard had just been discussing a plan with his players during a break. Willard was hoping to get the ball to point guard Jahmir Young and then, with his team in bonus, Hart could perhaps go downhill in search of a go-ahead basket or two free throws.
Hart thought Young was open. Instead, Nebraska’s Sam Hoiberg intercepted the pass, sped down, and scored a layup. That gave Nebraska a 67-64 lead with 31 seconds remaining, and Hart missed a jumper on Maryland’s next possession. The Terps (18-9, 9-7 Big Ten) could only foul from there, ending with their seventh loss in eight conference road games.
The fluctuations are due to “lack of concentration”. [and] just be everything safe,” Young said. “It really was. As a veteran lineup, that’s up to us.”
After Thursday’s marquee win over No. 3 Purdue, the Terps weathered a lethargic start and built an eight-point lead, staying 7-10 in regulation, but Nebraska (14-14, 7-10) recovered and Derrick Walker equalized with a layup score with 29 seconds to go. After a time-out, Young missed what could have been a successful jumper and sent the game into overtime.
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The Cornhuskers led by nine early in the second half, but the Terps hit a 17-2 run in response. Hart had a pair of threes during that stretch, reminiscent of Maryland’s second-half surge against Purdue. But this time the terps couldn’t finish.
Reserve guard Ian Martinez, a troublesome defender who scored three points in 34 minutes, said the Terps “didn’t come with the right attitude,” but he didn’t attribute those problems to the emotional peak of the win over Purdue. The Cornhuskers have won four of five and the win over Maryland will be a highlight of their season.
“We knew this was a big game for them,” Young said. “It was also a big game for us in terms of seeding. It’s disappointing. It’s frustrating that the focus wasn’t there. We knew what was at stake here.”
Young and Julian Reese led the terps with 16 points each, and Reese added a career-high 16 rebounds. Hart finished with 14 points while making 4 of 6 attempts from three-point range. But Maryland’s other starters struggled: Senior forward Donta Scott had five points on 2-for-16 shooting (including 1-for-8 from three-point range), and guard Don Carey (zero points) played only eight minutes and did not appear in the second half or overtime.
As a team, Maryland shot just 33.3 percent. His offensive struggles were exacerbated by the turnovers: The Terps finished with 12, more than in any game since a Jan. 15 loss in Iowa.
“We have to be ready to punch the other team in the face,” Martinez said. “We have to be ready to dominate. We were not ready for that today.”
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Nebraska guard Keisei Tominaga was in a tear on Sunday after scoring at least 22 points and hitting at least four three-pointers in each of his last four games. Tominaga, who averaged just 5.7 points last season, fueled a Cornhuskers run that included victories over Penn State, Wisconsin and Rutgers and pulled them out of the Big Ten dregs.
Against Maryland, he had 20 points but only made 2 of 6 attempts from the three-point range. Tominaga hadn’t taken a shot from beyond the arc since the game’s opening minutes – but then he hit one to open overtime, the start of a strong five minutes that helped the Cornhuskers win.
The Terps limited Nebraska to 3-for-16 shots from three-point range, but Walker (23 points) was a problem in the paint.
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Maryland has faced major fighting outside of the Xfinity Center, and it continued Sunday. The Terps got off to another slow start: 2-for-16 shooting, six points and five turnovers in the first 10 minutes.
“I can’t really say,” Willard said of the reason for the poor starts on the road. “…It just seems like we’re going to need a little time to get the flow of the game going.”
At home in conference play, the Terps have received a significant boost at the free-throw line. They’ve attempted an average of 22 free throws, compared to just 10.4 for their Big Ten opponents at Xfinity Center. But on the road, Maryland wasn’t quite as fortunate. The Terps are attempting about half as many free throws — 11 per game on Sunday.
When Maryland beat Nebraska at home last month, the Terps went 24-26 at the foul line while the Cornhuskers finished 9-15. Maryland couldn’t repeat that game Sunday: It ended 13-19 and Nebraska was 19-25.