Donta Scott couldn’t get anything to fall in the first half, shooting one for four and missing all three of his three-point attempts, two of them airballs. The only basket the fifth-year forward made was a dunk on Jaelin Llewellyn in the first five minutes of play that set the tone for the game.
Scott turned his dismal first half into a long forgotten nightmare, sparking Maryland’s second half comeback and leading the Terrapins to a 64-57 win over the Michigan Wolverines Thursday night.
Scott scored 20 of his season-high 22 points in the second half going a near perfect five of six from the field. Scott converted on all four of his three-point attempts contributing to Maryland’s 60% shooting from beyond the arch in the second half.
“He had some good looks in the first half, you know, we struggled in the first half and you know,” said head coach Kevin Willard. “I think he was upset with himself at halftime and he came out and he was very, very animated in the huddle before we went out. He just did what a senior does.”
The Terps’ second half offense was a complete turnaround from the first half. The Terps shot under 35% from the floor and under 50% from the free throw line. Jahmir Young made Maryland’s lone three of the half out of a total 11 attempts. Michigan shot over 50% in every category, knocking down five three-pointers in the half going into the break with a 33-21 lead.
Along with Scott’s offense, the Maryland defense stepped up to close out the win. The Terps held Michigan scoreless in the last two plus minutes of the game due in part to two key blocks by Julian Reese in the last minute of play.
“I get on Ju [Julian Reese] a lot because I just think he’s the best big man in the country and I expect him to play like that all the time,” said Willard.
The Terps defense ended the second half holding the Wolverines to 24 points allowing only 10 made field goals, none from three-point range.
“We just switched up to our man press and just tried to make it a little bit more difficult for them to bring it up and get into their stuff,” said Willard.
The Terps triumphed despite being without senior guard Jahari Long. Long missed his second game in a row after being ruled out for the team’s game in Minnesota last Sunday.
The Wolverines were also without an important guard, sophomore Dug McDaniel, due to a road-game suspension that was announced earlier in the week. The suspension left Michigan without their leading scorer and leading assist man.
Maryland’s win snaps a two game conference losing streak, bringing the Terps conference record to 2-3. The loss is Michigan’s fifth straight and puts its conference record at 1-4 this season.
The Terrapins will go on the road for another Big Ten matchup against No. 10 Illinois, bringing the energy from this game to the next.
“It’s some good energy going into the next game,” said Reese.
