By: Joe Catapano
Melo Trimble took a more passive offensive role in Maryland’s win over Saint Peter’s on Saturday afternoon, waiting until the second half to attempt a shot and scoring just five points on 2-of-4 shooting.
But in the Terrapin’s matchup Monday night against Jacksonville State, Trimble scored 23 points on 6-of-7 shooting in route to a 92-66 win.
“It’s amazing,” head coach Mark Turgeon said after the game. “When his shot goes in it makes everything look better.”
It was a slow start defensively for the Terrapins, who let up several easy points in the paint and failed to close out on 3-pointers.
With 7:27 left in the first half, Maryland led just 23-20.
Following a three by Trimble, the Terrapins played tight defense on the opposite end. A Gamecock shot clanked off the rim, sending the ball toward the stands.
Michal Cekovsky and his lengthy wingspan grabbed the ball as he fell out-of-bounds and hurled it behind his back to Kevin Huerter, sending the Terrapin’s quickly onto the fast break. Anthony Cowan received a pass from Huerter on the wing where he pump faked, dribbled once, and then sunk a three of his own.
All of a sudden, Maryland led 31-20 on a 14-3 run in 3:53.
“I thought we made a lot of shots tonight because we shared the basketball very well,” Cekovsky said. “We weren’t selfish at all. That’s not a problem with our team.”
Rather than relying on threes, the Terrapins attacked the rim, letting 3-pointers supplement their offense instead of fuel it. Maryland shot an impressive 11-of-17 (65 percent) from behind the arc.
“Our guys didn’t settle for the first open three,” Turgeon said. “They worked.”
Although they scored a modest 30 points from inside the paint, it’s what the Terrapins did from the free-throw line that impressed the most. Maryland shot 27-of-35 from the charity stripe.
Because Maryland attacked the paint so often, two Gamecock’s fouled out early in the second half: Jacara Cross, who scored all 10 of his points in the first half, and Norbertas Giga, who averages 12.2 points and nine rebounds a game.
Cekovsky and Ivan Bender continued to impress down low for Maryland in the absence of Damonte Dodd, who missed his third-straight game with an MCL injury. Cekovsky scored 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting, while Bender contributed 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting.
“We were a man down the last few games and Ceko and I had to play as a five position,” Bender said. “We have to rebound and defend because every night we go out there it’s a tough night and we have to play for each other.”
Redshirt sophomore Dion Wiley played his best game of the year, scoring 13 points on 3-of-3 shooting from 3-point range in 18 minutes, helping spark the team.
“Because I hadn’t been making my shots over the last couple of games, it must have got my team going and it got the bench going,” Wiley said. “They believe in me.”
Wiley, who averages just 3.8 points per game, proved he might deserve a larger role off the bench come Big Ten play.
“He came off the bench and really gave us a spark, hitting his jump shot and in the second half getting to the basket,” Trimble said. “I was happy to see that. We haven’t really seen that from Dion this year.”
Six Maryland players posted in double-figures, the first time since Feb. 2, 2013, against Wake Forest.
“That’s a great sign,” Trimble said. “It means a great offense because everyone is not playing selfish.”
Maryland (11-1) will play in a neutral-site game against Charlotte next Tuesday before returning to College Park on Dec. 27 to play its Big Ten opener against Illinois.
