By: Joe Catapano
The Maryland men’s basketball team trailed American University 47-43 with seven minutes left to play Friday night in its first game of the season. But following a Maryland timeout, the Terrapins then went on a 19-9 run sparked by junior Melo Trimble to defeat the Eagles, 62-56.
Trimble made back-to-back acrobatic layups after flying past defenders and navigating through the paint. He wasn’t vocal, but he led by example down the stretch, helping secure the victory.
“I think that Melo definitely came out and set the tone for the freshman to follow and he’s a great leader,” senior L.G. Gill said. “We kind of laugh and joke that he’s not more of a vocal leader, but he’s definitely someone that the freshmen can lookup to.”
Two freshmen, Anthony Cowan and Kevin Huerter, started the game for Maryland.
Cowan played well at guard alongside Trimble, finishing with 12 points and nine rebounds. Huerter hit two 3-pointers in the second half that gave the Terrapins momentum.
Although three freshmen played more than 26 minutes, it took awhile for the new faces to settle into their first NCAA game.
“I could see it on the freshmen’s faces that they were just excited to get out there,” Trimble said. “I was a bit nervous myself, but I was just excited to get out there. We just had to relax and play basketball.”
Other than Trimble and Cowan, the Maryland supporting cast struggled to find their rhythm early on. The duo shot a combined 7-of-11 from the field in the first half, while the rest of the team shot 3-of-14. They also contributed 21 of the team’s 31 first-half points.
Even though Maryland outrebounded American 21-10 in the first half, the Terrapins only held a six-point lead at the half. The Eagles scored 16 of its 25 first-half points off of 11 Maryland turnovers.
Maryland continued its struggles in the second half, as well. They shot 37 percent, going on multiple three-minute scoring droughts.
Gill came off the bench and provided help on the boards late in the game, creating multiple second-chance opportunities. He finished with 11 points, seven of which came from the free-throw line.
“[L.G.] had some big time rebounds,” head coach Mark Turgeon said. “Defensively, I thought he was great.”
Although Maryland entered the game as the No. 25 ranked team in the country, American kept the game close thanks to their 3-point shooting. The Eagles hit five 3-pointers in the second half, many of which were poorly defended.
Maryland led 48-47 with five minutes left in the game, and instead of playing his veterans, Turgeon finished the game with Trimble and four new faces to the team on the court.
“The guys who finished the game I thought were playing the best,” Turgeon said. “I looked out and there were four newcomers on the floor and Melo and I was like ‘Dang, I must really believe in this group.’”
Trimble scored 22 points, playing a team-high 34 minutes. Coming out of the timeout with seven minutes to play, Trimble knew it was time to take control.
“Coach Turgeon trusts me and he knew the situation,” Trimble said. “My teammates also trust me with the ball. I knew it was time to take over and lead the team to a win, not only with points but my overall leadership out there.”
Despite the shaky start, Turgeon is optimistic about his team going forward.
“I really believe in this group,” Turgeon said. “I was disappointed in some of the areas that we played offensively, but it’s very correctable so I believe in this young team.”
Maryland goes on the road this Tuesday to take on Georgetown at 6:30 p.m.
