COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — Kevin Willard’s team made another statement on the court, then the Maryland coach spoke out about his group’s chances of making the NCAA Tournament.
Let the lobbying begin.
“I feel we’re getting punished because we played two bad games. When I watch everyone else play bad games, they don’t seem to get punished,” Willard said. “So I think it’s my job to start letting everybody realize we kicked a lot of people’s (butt) at the beginning of the year, we had two big guys hurt, and now we’re playing pretty good basketball.”
Jahmir Young scored 20 points, Donta Scott added 19 and Maryland snapped No. 21 Indiana’s five-game winning streak with a 66-55 victory Tuesday night. The Terrapins gave their NCAA Tournament hopes another boost, adding a victory over the Hoosiers to a resume that already included wins over Miami, Illinois and Ohio State.
The Terps also lost by 27 to UCLA and by 35 at Michigan, but the fact that Willard is even in a position to state his case shows how much they’ve improved during his first season in charge. Maryland (15-7, 6-5 Big Ten) is now 12-1 at home.
Maryland won despite shooting 34% from the field and 5 of 22 from 3-point range. The Terps were able to defend just about everything Indiana tried, double-teaming Trayce Jackson-Davis and limiting the Hoosiers (15-7, 6-5) to 11 attempts from beyond the arc.
“Our perimeter play was nonexistent tonight,” Indiana coach Mike Woodson said. “They shoot 30%, 20-something% from the 3, you’ve got to think that you can win a game when that happens.”
Jackson-Davis did have 18 points and 20 rebounds. He surpassed 1,000 in the latter category for his career.
Maryland attempted 10 3-pointers in the first 10 minutes, making only one, but the Terps made up for their spotty shooting by taking excellent care of the ball. They didn’t have a single turnover in the first half and went into the break with a 37-29 lead.
Indiana scored the first six points after halftime, but Maryland answered with a four-point possession thanks to an intentional foul by Tamar Bates, who was trying to stop Ian Martinez on a fast break.
Indiana never got back within two again.
Young scored inside to give the Terps a 54-42 advantage, and although the Hoosiers crept back with a 7-0 run, they weren’t able to solve Maryland’s defense with any consistency.
“Trayce did a good job of handling the double teams and making crosscourt passes, but we decided we were going to live with that today,” Young said. “Just trying to make it uncomfortable for him.”
Jalen Hood-Schifino, Indiana’s No. 2 scorer this season, was held to three points on 1-of-14 shooting.
BIG PICTURE
Indiana: The Hoosiers had a chance to take a lengthy winning streak into their in-state showdown with top-ranked Purdue this weekend, but they fell flat against Maryland.
Maryland: The Terps showed they could topple a good team at home even on a very poor shooting night — because they didn’t beat themselves. They finished with only five turnovers.
“They’re a very talented team, and we just had to value the basketball,” Young said. “Just trying to be sharp with everything that we did.”
MILESTONE
Jackson-Davis needed 10 rebounds to reach 1,000, and he made it there before halftime. The combination of the Terps’ poor shooting and their low turnover count gave him plenty of opportunities.
With 1,010 rebounds now, he’s closing in on the top three players on Indiana’s career list: Alan Henderson (1,091), Walt Bellamy (1,087) and Kent Benson (1,031).
UP NEXT
Indiana: The Hoosiers host No. 1 Purdue on Saturday.
Maryland: The Terps play at Minnesota on Saturday night.
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