During the month of February, Maryland men’s basketball has relied on Andre Mills to stay in games. The redshirt freshman is averaging just over 19 points, including 23.3 in the last four games to help the Terps win a pair of home contests.
But that was not the case for most of Wednesday night against No. 12 Nebraska.
Mills scored just three first-half points, and it was a heave late in the shot clock. Instead, seniors Solomon Washington and Elijah Saunders shouldered the scoring load early on. The duo combined for 20 of the team’s 27 first-half points to keep it a two-possession game at halftime.
After Maryland took a 48-45 lead midway through the second half, the Cornhuskers poured it on to gain some separation. A 22-6 run across nine minutes effectively sealed the deal in the Terps’ 74-61 loss to Nebraska at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Maryland has dropped three consecutive road games and falls into a three-way tie to avoid playing in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament.
While the Terps have won three of their previous five games entering Wednesday, they have not fared well against ranked opponents. Maryland has lost by 92 combined points to three of the Big Ten’s top teams.
But the Terps remained competitive for most of the game — a positive sign for a team that is hoping to take a giant leap next year.
Saunders has been Maryland’s most reliable shooter from deep this season, knocking down 39.6% of his shots. After making just one triple across the Terps’ two road losses, he responded with a season-high four three-pointers in the win over Washington.
That success carried over to Maryland’s first ranked game in three weeks. Saunders jacked up the team’s first two shots, and nailed one just 19 seconds into the contest.
While Washington typically doesn’t shoot the ball well, his ability to finish through contact in the paint has given the Terps’ some inside presence. He emphatically threw down a pair of first-half dunks and even stepped back to knock down his first three-pointer in five games.
Saunders and Washington scored Maryland’s first five points to fuel it to an early 6-0 lead.
Against the Big Ten’s fourth-highest scoring offense at 78.6 points per game, the Terps produced arguably its best defensive effort in the first half. Nebraska failed to score across the first six minutes and struggled to find any uncontested looks.
Fresh off a season-high 27 minutes against Washington — he scored six points, dished out three assists and swatted away a block — Del Pino contributed immediately after subbing into the game. The freshman totaled a steal and block in just his first 40 seconds of action.
But after Maryland’s hot start offensively, it cooled off significantly. The Terps missed seven consecutive shots and only made two buckets during 12 minutes.
Once Nebraska got on the scoresheet, its offense turned it up a notch. Braden Frager scored 10 of the Cornhuskers’ first 17 points to propel them to a six-point lead. He finished with a near season-high 21 points on 6-of-13 shooting and gathered eight boards.
However, Maryland didn’t go away. Washington and Saunders logged eight consecutive points to tie the game at 21. Even with 11 and nine points respectively in the first half, the Terps still trailed by six at halftime.
Despite scoring just three points in the opening 24 minutes, Mills turned it up a notch late in the game. He scored 16 second-half points en route to his seventh double-figure outing in the last eight contests.
While Mills got into an offensive rhythm, so did Nebraska’s star players.
After a season-high 33-point performance against Penn State, Pryce Sandfort still contributed 16 points on a bad shooting night. Rienk Mast produced 11 of his 13 points in the second half. Sam Hoiberg logged 12 points on a perfect 4-of-4 outing from the field.
Even with Mills, Saunders and Washington combining for 47 points, Maryland didn’t have a fourth offensive option to match Nebraska.
Diggy Coit — who dropped 29 points in the Terps’ last road win — couldn’t break out of his slump. The streaky shooter entered the game just 4-of-26 from behind the arc in the last four games. Coit finished with six points on a dreadful 2-of-9 shooting night.
With a pair of NCAA Tournament teams still on the schedule, Maryland will need a signature victory to avoid the program’s worst record since the 1992-93 season.
