Miserable first half leads to another loss for Maryland men’s basketball, Terps throttled by Michigan, 83-64

A major storyline of Maryland’s season has been its inability to play a complete 40 minutes of basketball. This was the case again after a horrific first half dug the Terps into a hole that they could not get out of. Michigan won, 83-64, dropping Maryland’s record to 9-9 (1-6 B1G).

Maryland has now lost five out of their last six games.

Since head coach Danny Manning took over, Maryland had the lead during the second half of every game. This game, Maryland never had the lead at all.

Manning made adjustments before the game, switching up the starting five. Ian Martinez and Xavier Green both made their first ever start for Maryland. Hakim Hart and Fatts Russell, who had been starters all season, were on the bench at tip-off.

“We need more from them,” Manning said of the guards he benched. “This is just the way to challenge them. We’re at a point now where we’re going to push some buttons.”

The first half was completely one-sided. By the end of it, the Wolverines led in every major statistical category and had a 20-point lead.

Maryland’s 10 turnovers and Michigan out-rebounding the Terps, 17-11, allowed for more shots in the first half for the Wolverines. When Michigan did shoot, it was more effective, shooting 55% compared to Maryland’s 30%.

At the halftime break, Donta Scott’s 10 points were more than the rest of his team combined. On Michigan’s side, three different players were in double-digits.

Maryland fared better the second half, conceding only three turnovers and shooting at a 57% field goal rate.

While Maryland improved offensively in the second half, so did Michigan, shooting 61% for the closing period.

The Terps never got within 10 points of the lead in the second half. A three-pointer from Michigan’s Jace Howard with two seconds left added insult to injury. Soon the buzzer sounded making official what was known for a while. Maryland had lost yet another game.

Maryland will return home for their next match against No. 17 Illinois, who currently lead the Big Ten.

“It’s all about fighting,” said Donta Scott about the team’s resiliency. “No matter what you do in life – you got a job, you’ve got to fight for a higher position. You got basketball, you’ve got to fight for winning games every night. You got life – your kid, you’ve gotta fight for your kid. You’ve got to fight for everything.”