Hakim Hart tipped off a pass intended for Jarvis Doles and took off toward the basket. Dunking the ball through the net, Hart sent Xfinity Center into an eruption. The lead was finally back for Maryland, and they would not lose it again for the rest of the night.
The 9-4 UMBC Retrievers traveled to College Park on Thursday night to face the 9-3 Maryland Terrapins, now ranked No. 23 in the country. The Retrievers entered Xfinity Center coming off six straight wins, including a recent 78-62 victory over William and Mary. In Maryland’s last game, the Terps finally broke their three-game losing streak with a 75-45 win against St. Peter’s.
This marked Maryland’s last non-conference game of the season before resuming Big Ten play on January 1st in what is expected to be a tough road matchup against Michigan.
A turnover on UMBC’s first possession led to a basket from Ian Martinez to get things started for the Terps. Maryland managed to create a small lead in the first few minutes of play, but UMBC maintained a neck-and-neck game, even gaining the lead back several times.
Hakim Hart quickly established himself as a point leader for Maryland, racking up five of the team’s 11 points in the first seven minutes. He also tied Julian Reese with the most rebounds (3).
With twelve minutes remaining in the first period, UMBC had established a five-point lead in an effort to create some distance from Maryland. The Retrievers were shooting for 41% while maintaining a majority of the possession, only suffering three turnovers.
After a brief scoring drought, Jahmir Young finally managed to bring the Terps within two points after drawing a foul on a jump shot. As UMBC began to struggle to make its baskets, Maryland took advantage by scoring on four straight possessions to gain back the lead.
In just five minutes, Maryland sustained a 14-1 run to establish a seven-point lead over the Retrievers. The Terps were shooting for 50% and achieved 16 rebounds to keep possession of the ball.
“I feel like that momentum on the offensive end was key,” Julian Reese said in his post-game presser. “Getting those transition buckets, other guys getting going, it gave us energy everywhere.”
As UMBC started to gain momentum towards the end of the first period, head coach Kevin Willard was forced to call a timeout with about four minutes left to play. Maryland was able to hold onto its lead, entering the half up 33-30.
Hakim Hart and Jahmir Young led the Terps at the half with 11 and 10 points, respectively. Maryland shot for 42% in the first half, making 13 of its 31 shot attempts.
For UMBC, Jarvis Doles separated himself from his teammates, being responsible for 13 of the Retrievers’ 30 points. UMBC shot 38% in 32 shot attempts.
“It was a winnable game, that was my mindset,” Doles said following the game. “We’ve been on a streak recently, and we just wanted to keep that momentum going.”
Jahmir Young came out of the half with four points on two straight possessions to give Maryland some elbow room. A foul on Patrick Emilien then allowed the Terps to get ahead by nine.
In just the fourth minute of the half, UMBC managed to slow Maryland down with an eight-point run to bring itself within three to tie. The Retrievers also began fouling Maryland early in the period in an effort to slow down the Terps’ production.
As time expired in the second period, Coach Willard subbed in Don Carey to help keep Maryland’s production on offense high. In the final half, Carey knocked down four three-pointers and also scored off a layup for a total of 14 points. He finished the game with 19, having the best game of his career so far at Maryland while leading the team in points for the night.
“I know the type of player I am, I know the type of work I put in,” Carey said post-game. “Eventually, you know, the work will show.”
In the final minutes, UMBC had several turnovers that led to easy baskets for Maryland. With about a minute left to play, the Terps had established a 20-point lead.
“We are a good shooting team,” Coach Willard said. “If [Don] can kind of get going, it’s really going to open up some things for Dante, for Julian. It’s just going to spread the floor.”
The final score was 80-64, Maryland.
