Maryland Basketball: Second half struggles continue
By Chris Bengel
Over the course of their current slide, the Maryland basketball team has made a habit of faltering in the second half.
In Saturday’s double-digit loss to Iowa, those struggles surfaced once again.
The Terrapins led at halftime in games against Minnesota and Wisconsin, which did ultimately end up as losses. They did trail 47-40 against Iowa, but were certainly within striking distance of making a comeback.
As the second half began, freshman guard Kevin Huerter connected on a shot from beyond the arc just seven seconds into the frame. Then the struggles started for Maryland.
The Terps missed their next five shots and turned the ball over three times during that stretch. It also didn’t help that the Hawkeyes scored 11 points during that time, including a pair of threes from Jordan Bohannon.
Iowa’s lead had ballooned up to 58-44 with 15:19 remaining in the game.
Out of the Under 16 media timeout, Huerter hit another three before the deficit was too much to overcome. However, Maryland went nearly four minutes without a field goal after that.
.@KevinHuerter put a hurtin' on the rim with this @TerrapinHoops jam. 💪 https://t.co/ucmzm7Cd8a
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) February 25, 2017
A successful layup from Damonte Dodd finally broke the drought with 10:57 to go. The Terps trailed 66-53 at that time.
Over the course of the rest of the contest, Maryland only made two three-point shots. During those nearly 11 minutes, they attempted eight long-range field goals.
In addition, Iowa made six of their 14 shots the rest of the way. Four of those makes came from beyond the arc, which proved to be a strength of Iowa’s all night.
The Hawkeyes shot 61.5 percent (16-of-26) from three throughout the game. Whenever Maryland would knock one down, Iowa would answer with a cold-blooded trifecta of their own.
Bohannon alone hit a whopping eight of 10 shots from three, which was where every single point of his came from.
On the other hand, it often takes superb defense and hitting big shots to come back from a double-digit deficit.
Maryland shot just 28.6 percent (4-of-14) from beyond the arc in the second half. As a whole, the Terps only shot the ball from the field at 40.7 percent clip.
When things have been going well for Maryland, they’ve had a knack for getting to the free throw line. In Saturday’s loss, the Terps attempted just nine total free throws.
That’s obviously been star guard Melo Trimble’s bread-and-butter throughout his collegiate career. When he attempts just two shots from the charity stripe, that’s not going to bode well for his team’s chances of winning.
Maryland again just looked out of sorts and maybe even a bit tired. If they want to end the regular season on a high note, the Terps are going to need to play a more complete game and be more selective with their shots.