By Sebastian Obando

Guard Dez Wells received the ball from the referee and looked up at the basket, eyeing the spot he wanted his shot to go. The announced crowd of 12,419 inside the Xfinity Center waited anxiously, as the ball floated towards the rim with just five minutes to go. Up to that moment, the Terps struggled against a difficult Rutgers squad, missing shots across the floor and committing sloppy turnovers throughout the game. The free-throw attempt from Wells, however, successfully sunk through the hoop and gave the Terps their first lead since the 18 minute mark of the second half. The Scarlet Knights attempted to respond, but never managed to regain the lead, as the Terps battled to a 73-65 win.

“We’re happy we won. You have to give Rutgers a lot of credit, I thought they were terrific,” Head Coach Mark Turgeon said after the game. “For us to shoot 8-for-33 in the second half and for them to play as well as they did for the first 10 to 12 minutes in the second half and for us to find a way to win, is a real credit to our guys”

Despite the win, the Terps struggled offensively and were poor coming out of the halftime interval, in part because of the great shooting from Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights were shooting a field goal percentage of nearly 70 percent at the start of the second half, which helped spurt a 9-0 run to commence the period. However, through the energy and support of the crowd, the Terps were able to overcome the adversity and climb their way back into the game.

After regaining the lead at the 5 minute mark, the Terps began to connect offensively. Freshman guard Jared Nickens hit crucial three pointers in the waning minutes, ending the night with 12 points. Including Nickens, four Terps reached double digit scoring, with Dez Wells leading the team with 17 points. Forward Jake Layman was dominant on the boards, posting a career-high 13 rebounds, while also adding 12 points and three assists. Guard Melo Trimble scored 11 points and provided 3 assists.

“We have confidence now,” Forward Jake Layman said. “We know that no matter what is happening we are going to find a way to win”

With the victory, the Terps improve to 16-2 on the season and will look to continue their winning ways this Saturday against Michigan State at Xfinity Center.