Mark Turgeon and his team returned home to face Northwestern to begin a stretch of must-win games.
Michal Cekovsky returned from injury after missing the last three games, so Turgeon had more fresh bodies to work with, and it really made a difference.
From the tip, Maryland was clicking on all cylinders. Kevin Huerter really ignited the opening stretch, as he started three of three from long range.
This start fueled the rest of the first half, where Maryland led 36-29 behind 16 first half points from Huerter. Anthony Cowan also added eight points and seven rebounds alone in the first half.
A major key for Maryland in their quest to earn another NCAA Tournament bid is going to be their ability to takeover games and not allow other team’s to have a chance at coming back.
In the second half, the Terrapins extended their lead all the way out to 21 points, en route to a 73-57 final score.
The Terrapins really followed through on keeping the Wildcats out of this game, and actually led the entire 40 minutes of game time.
Four Maryland players finished in double figures including Huerter (22), Cowan (16), Morsell (14), and Wiley (10). Morsell finished one rebound shy of a double double, and Cowan was three short of the same feat.
It was a rather slow game for Bruno Fernando, as he finished with just two points, but added three blocks to help keep Maryland ahead in this one. He was called for a number of fouls, some of which were questionable, so this performance is nothing to be concerned about.
With the return of Cekovsky, this team has a chance to piece together a run to end this season on a high note and possibly sneak into the NCAA Tournament.