Melo Trimble’s 26 points Lead Men’s Basketball to Victory Over Cornhuskers

By Sebastian Obando

Guard Melo Trimble dribbled the ball through his legs at the top of arc, the offense spread out waiting for a pass. The freshman quickly gave a fake jitter to his left, causing the Nebraska defender to react and open up separation. Noticing the space, Trimble immediately rose for the long range attempt from the top of the arc. The ball, as it has done all season for Trimble in crucial moments, swished through the net. The basket gave the Terps a critical two possession lead, a cushion that they wouldn’t relinquish for the rest of the game’s final four minutes. In the end, the Terps came out victors with a 69-65 win over the Cornhuskers.

Melo Trimble added 26 points in the Terps victory over Nebraska. (Courtesy of UMTerps.com)

“He’s a smaller defender so I just rose on top of him but he is a great defender so that was basically all I could do because I knew I couldn’t get past him,” guard Melo Trimble said on his key three-pointer late in the game. “He’s quick on his feet so that was the easier shot.”

Along with his 26 points, Trimble also added six rebounds and five assists. Forwards Dez Wells and Jake Layman were the other two Terps who reached double-digit scoring, notching 14 points each. As a team, the Terps shot a 46.5 field goal percentage and were very efficient with their free-throws, shooting 22-25 from the line.

Although Trimble and the offense seemed to click throughout the game, the defensive struggled rebounding, especially in disallowing Nebraska second chance points. The Cornhuskers gathered 10 offensive rebounds in total, while the Terps managed to only get one. Overall, Nebraska outrebounded Maryland 33-26. The defensive struggles were noticed by Head Coach Mark Turgeon, who placed a special emphasis in correcting this phase of Maryland’s game.

“It’s going to be a huge priority,” Turgeon said. “I’m going to have to watch the film, but I’m definitely not excited by our box-outs and we’ll have to get that ready [for the next game].”

With the victory, the Terps improve to 22-5 on the season and 10-4 in conference play. They’ll look to continue their winning ways next Tuesday against Wisconsin at home.