As a team, Maryland basketball has been playing at an extremely high level at home. However, their proficiency has not translated on the road. Still, at least so far, their defensive prowess has kept games close. In an uncharacteristic performance, the Terps defense was almost entirely absent Friday night against Iowa. 

47 combined points from Joe Wieskamp and Luka Garza, along with cold offense by the Terps led to a third consecutive away loss, 67-49.

Yet the Terps were successful early — partially due to the continuation of poor shooting that had plagued them for a while. The Hawkeyes made one of their first seven field goals and accumulated five turnovers in just the first four minutes of the game. However, Iowa soon grew into the game — going on a 19-2 run to take control.

Throughout the seven- minute stretch, the Terps notched seven turnovers and struggled to get anything going against Iowa’s zone defense. At the end of the half, guard Joe Wieskamp led both teams with scoring with 18. Wieskamp hit four threes and shot 60% from the field. Luka Garza also quietly scored 14 points amidst Iowa’s impressive first half shooting performance.

Meanwhile, Donta Scott and Anthony Cowan stood out among the Terps’ frigid scoring performance, with 7 points apiece. The Terps hobbled their way to the locker room with a 14-point deficit. 

The second half was much of the same. The Terps shot under 35% from the field and their struggles continued on the other end of the court. A quick bucket from guard Joe Toussaint right before the 8-minute media timeout iced the game. Things only got worse for Maryland from there. Iowa hit the first bucket out of the timeout, a three-pointer for a 60-39. The ice cold shooting by the Terps came due to the newfound defensive presence of the Hawkeyes — usually an offensive oriented team. 

The length of Garza and, physicality of Ryan Kriener made things difficult for the Terps down low. Maryland only converted 13 2-point field goals. Center Jalen Smith, despite guarding Garza effectively early, struggled for the rest of the contest. Still, he was one of few bright spots with 13 points and five rebounds.

The Terps had no answers for the Hawkeyes offensive prowess and defensive intensity. Furthermore, they couldn’t handle Garza, who continued to assert himself as one of the best big men in the conference. Maryland will play Wisconsin on Tuesday, looking to bounce back from a double-digit loss.