While Maryland men’s basketball hasn’t shot lights out this season, its consistent turnover issues haven’t helped either. The Terps have turned the ball over 151 times in their first 11 contests, the 75th-highest mark in the country.
But after Maryland’s best performance of the season against No. 2 Michigan — the Terps recorded only 12 turnovers — progress was expected to be made heading into its rivalry matchup against No. 23 Virginia.
Despite holding Virginia to just 24 first-half points, the Terps failed to stack quality outings. Maryland’s sloppiness reemerged Friday night, committing a near season-high 19 turnovers. The Terps suffered their third consecutive defeat, this time, 80-72, at the hands of Virginia.
“Some of the things that have plagued us all year long seem to be some of the mountains that we couldn’t overcome,” Buzz Williams said. “We’re going to keep finding ways, marginally, to find solutions to our problems.”
Williams has continuously stressed that this year’s team needs to play cleaner. More importantly, the Terps need to limit their live ball turnovers, which don’t allow Maryland to set up its defense.
Those issues were on display Friday night.
The Terps failed to score in the first five minutes, missing four shots and committing three turnovers. Virginia converted on Maryland’s early struggles, opening up a seven-point lead with some easy buckets.
While Maryland’s offense really didn’t click in the first half, its defensive pressure kept the score within reach. After the Cavaliers took a 7-0 lead, Virginia missed its next 10 shots — failing to make a bucket for nearly seven minutes. That allowed the Terps to claw back in the game.
William’s prior teams have been known for being gritty and making hustle plays, characteristics that have been the foundation for strong defenses.
That has been far from the case this year. Maryland has allowed 100 points in three of its five games leading into Friday — albeit against some of the nation’s top offenses. Gonzaga, Michigan and Alabama all rank within the top-11 in points per game.
The Terps’ first 20 minutes on Friday were arguably their best defensive effort of the season. Maryland limited Virginia’s offense, who entered scoring 87.1 points per game, to just seven points 10 minutes into the game. The Terps’ heavily contested shots, fought over screens and used their active hands to stay within striking distance.
Without Pharrel Payne, Maryland’s offense looked like a shell of itself. That was until Myles Rice took over. The junior guard scored the Terps’ first five points and fueled a 19-4 run. Maryland took a 19-11 lead despite shooting just 5-of-20 from the field.
The Terps’ presence on the glass was a big reason why. Maryland gathered 10 offensive rebounds on its 19 missed shots. But its reliance on free throws — the Terps shot 7-for-9 from the charity stripe — helped Maryland overcome its shooting deficiencies.
“We did a good job offensive rebounding,” Williams said. “We’ve had some growth. Not necessarily can all of it be seen on the scoreboard.”
Five different players contributed to Maryland’s 19 first-half points.
But once the Terps went up eight, Virginia found a late spark. The Cavaliers scored the final 13 points of the opening period, with their leading scorer forward Thijs De Ridder held without a field goal.
Maryland committed 10 turnovers in the first half, resulting in 12 points from Virginia. That stat alone led to the Terps’ five-point deficit at halftime.
While the Cavaliers built their run to 18 straight points, Diggy Coit came to life. After a standout 31-point performance against Michigan, the graduate student failed to score in the first half and only attempted three shots.
But Coit splashed consecutive triples and knocked down a pair of free throws to help Maryland tie the score at 35. He scored 10 of the Terps’ first 16 points just over five minutes into the second half. Maryland led 35-33.
But ultimately his efforts weren’t enough, as Virginia’s talented offense was too much to overcome. The Cavaliers erupted for 56 points in the second half off a combined 30-point total from guards Dallin Hall and Jacari White.
Hall and White’s second-half takeover coupled with five steals from guard Chance Mallory eliminated Maryland’s upset hopes.
Coit led the way with 15 points, while Rice and Saunders each finished in double figures. However, 19 turnovers were too much to overcome.
“We’ve got to continue to increase the execution, coupled with that — continue to find ways for our endurance of that execution to increase,” Williams said.
