Maryland Basketball: Terps Drop A Tight Game to Syracuse

Maryland remains without a win in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge as a member of the Big Ten after a 72-70 loss at the hands of Syracuse at the Carrier Dome.

Kevin Huerter led the Terps with 23 points on 7-9 shooting from three-point range and kept Maryland in the game late with two clutch three-pointers with under two minutes to play.

However, it was not enough to overcome the Orange as Maryland suffered its second loss early in the season, and fell to 6-2.

Dion Wiley earned the start and finished with zero points on 0-2 shooting from deep. He lost a majority of his minutes to freshman Darryl Morsell in favor for the freshman’s tenacity and physicality on defense.

Morsell struggled from the floor shooting the basketball, but finished with nine points, five assists, and four turnovers.

The other two Terrapins in double figures were Anthony Cowan and Bruno Fernando.

Cowan finished with 11 points, four assists, and three turnovers. Cowan had a costly turnover in the final minute after he lost his dribble after crossing the ball between his legs. Turnovers continue to plague this Terrapins team as each starter committed at least one on the night.

Fernando brings an energy and tenacity to every single game that is not coachable. This guy has it and is extremely fun to watch play. Fernando had some emphatic finishes around the rim and finished with 13 points on 4-5 shooting from the floor. He also got to the free-throw line seven times and converted five attempts. One impressive stat on the season for Fernando is he has recorded at least three blocks in the last five games, and at least one block in every game this season.

The one negative for the big man is he seemingly has been in foul trouble every tight game for the Terps this season. This is limiting the amount of minutes Head Coach Mark Turgeon is able to play his stud freshman and former four-star recruit.

As a team Maryland finished with 22 assists on 23 made field goals. They shot 45% on 23-51 shooting from the floor overall, and 48% from deep on 11-23. Most of the time a team shoots this high a percentage from the floor they will win. Unfortunately, the Orange got 19 offensive rebounds and attempted 12 more shots than the Terps.

Maryland had outrebounded every team they played so far this season, and entered the game with a plus-14.7 rebounding margin to rank third nationally. The Orange had a 39-33 edge on the boards overall, and a 19-13 edge on the offensive glass.

The achilles heel for Maryland all season has been their inability to protect the ball. They finished the game with 18 and two coming in the final minute with possessions to tie or take the lead.

Maryland will now travel home after three games played away from the confines of the Xfinity Center in four days, and host Purdue in the Big Ten Conference opener Friday night at 7pm.