Feb 6, 2016
No. 4 Maryland survives to beat Purdue
Wrapping up a stretch of four tough games in 10 days, No. 4 Maryland switched into survival mode late in a Big Ten matchup with No. 18 Purdue.
TSN.ca Staff
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- Wrapping up a stretch of four tough games in 10 days, No. 4 Maryland switched into survival mode late in a Big Ten matchup with No. 18 Purdue.
Down 51-47 with 6 minutes left, the Terrapins cranked up the defence and turned to Rasheed Sulaimon and Robert Carter Jr. on the offensive end.
The strategy worked. During an afternoon in which two of its most dependable players struggled to score, Maryland pulled out a 72-61 victory Saturday.
"We just keep figuring out ways to win," coach Mark Turgeon said.
Star guard Melo Trimble went 2 for 12 from the field and senior Jake Layman scored only four points, yet the Terrapins won anyway.
"Defence, rebounding, executing late, getting to the foul line," Turgeon said.
Maryland (21-3, 10-2) went 24 for 27 at the line. Purdue (19-5, 7-4) was 2 for 5.
Sulaimon had 21 points and a career-high 10 rebounds, and Carter contributed 19 points to help Maryland improve to 31-1 at home over the past two seasons.
Purdue led 51-47 with 5:58 left before Carter hit a 3-pointer to spark a 9-0 run that put the Terrapins ahead for good.
A three-point play by Sulaimon with 1:23 to go made it 61-53, allowing the Terrapins and their raucous sellout crowd of 17,950 to finally relax.
Maryland's rugged 10-day stretch included home wins against ranked Iowa and Purdue, along with harrowing victories at Ohio State and Nebraska.
"We can actually take a breath now. I mean, it's been a grind," Turgeon said.
Carter went 7 for 10 from the field and made all four of Maryland's 3-pointers. Trimble scored 14 by going 10 for 11 at the foul line.
A.J. Hammons had 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Boilermakers. Purdue held the lead for much of the second half but lost its 12th straight against a top-five team on the road.
"When you're on the road you've got to be better than we were," coach Matt Painter said. "We had an opportunity to win the game and we weren't really good in the last seven, eight minutes."
Purdue went 3 for 25 from beyond the arc and lost for the first time in 10 games when Hammons leads the team in scoring. Isaac Haas, with 10 points, was the only other Boilermaker to reach double figures.
After going up by four, Purdue was outscored 25-10 the rest of the way.
"We had some poor decisions at the end of the game," Painter said. "It was just a couple of plays, but that's enough to get beat."
Trimble's first basket, with 10:53 left, put the Terrapins up 43-40.
Purdue responded with three straight field goals. The first two were from Hammons, who had just returned from a seven-minute stay on the bench with three fouls.
Hammons did not score again until after the Terrapins had gone ahead 56-51.
Diamond Stone followed Hammons' basket with a dunk, Sulaimon added a three-point play and two free throws by Trimble made it 63-53 with 1:03 to go.
INSIDE GAME
Purdue: The Boilermakers came in ranked second in the nation with a plus-12.3 rebounding margin, but in this one each team had 37.
Maryland: The Terrapins' starting backcourt of Sulaimon and Trimble totalled 15 rebounds. "We have a bunch of guys who can move their feet, rebound and block shots," Carter said.
TIP-INS
Purdue: The Boilermakers have trailed by double-digits in only three games this season. ... Guard Kendall Stephens returned after missing three games following the death of a close friend and former high school teammate. Stephens didn't play.
Maryland: After scoring four points in 16 foul-plagued minutes at Nebraska, Carter hit two 3-pointers in the opening 4 minutes. ... Maryland improved to 2-0 against Purdue. The teams first met in January 2015. ... Maryland's last defeat at home was against Virginia on Dec. 3, 2014. ... Former Terps coach Lefty Driesell was given a standing ovation when introduced during a first-half timeout.
UP NEXT
Purdue hosts Michigan State on Tuesday night.
Maryland takes a break from the Big Ten, facing local foe Bowie State at home Tuesday night.
Down 51-47 with 6 minutes left, the Terrapins cranked up the defence and turned to Rasheed Sulaimon and Robert Carter Jr. on the offensive end.
The strategy worked. During an afternoon in which two of its most dependable players struggled to score, Maryland pulled out a 72-61 victory Saturday.
"We just keep figuring out ways to win," coach Mark Turgeon said.
Star guard Melo Trimble went 2 for 12 from the field and senior Jake Layman scored only four points, yet the Terrapins won anyway.
"Defence, rebounding, executing late, getting to the foul line," Turgeon said.
Maryland (21-3, 10-2) went 24 for 27 at the line. Purdue (19-5, 7-4) was 2 for 5.
Sulaimon had 21 points and a career-high 10 rebounds, and Carter contributed 19 points to help Maryland improve to 31-1 at home over the past two seasons.
Purdue led 51-47 with 5:58 left before Carter hit a 3-pointer to spark a 9-0 run that put the Terrapins ahead for good.
A three-point play by Sulaimon with 1:23 to go made it 61-53, allowing the Terrapins and their raucous sellout crowd of 17,950 to finally relax.
Maryland's rugged 10-day stretch included home wins against ranked Iowa and Purdue, along with harrowing victories at Ohio State and Nebraska.
"We can actually take a breath now. I mean, it's been a grind," Turgeon said.
Carter went 7 for 10 from the field and made all four of Maryland's 3-pointers. Trimble scored 14 by going 10 for 11 at the foul line.
A.J. Hammons had 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Boilermakers. Purdue held the lead for much of the second half but lost its 12th straight against a top-five team on the road.
"When you're on the road you've got to be better than we were," coach Matt Painter said. "We had an opportunity to win the game and we weren't really good in the last seven, eight minutes."
Purdue went 3 for 25 from beyond the arc and lost for the first time in 10 games when Hammons leads the team in scoring. Isaac Haas, with 10 points, was the only other Boilermaker to reach double figures.
After going up by four, Purdue was outscored 25-10 the rest of the way.
"We had some poor decisions at the end of the game," Painter said. "It was just a couple of plays, but that's enough to get beat."
Trimble's first basket, with 10:53 left, put the Terrapins up 43-40.
Purdue responded with three straight field goals. The first two were from Hammons, who had just returned from a seven-minute stay on the bench with three fouls.
Hammons did not score again until after the Terrapins had gone ahead 56-51.
Diamond Stone followed Hammons' basket with a dunk, Sulaimon added a three-point play and two free throws by Trimble made it 63-53 with 1:03 to go.
INSIDE GAME
Purdue: The Boilermakers came in ranked second in the nation with a plus-12.3 rebounding margin, but in this one each team had 37.
Maryland: The Terrapins' starting backcourt of Sulaimon and Trimble totalled 15 rebounds. "We have a bunch of guys who can move their feet, rebound and block shots," Carter said.
TIP-INS
Purdue: The Boilermakers have trailed by double-digits in only three games this season. ... Guard Kendall Stephens returned after missing three games following the death of a close friend and former high school teammate. Stephens didn't play.
Maryland: After scoring four points in 16 foul-plagued minutes at Nebraska, Carter hit two 3-pointers in the opening 4 minutes. ... Maryland improved to 2-0 against Purdue. The teams first met in January 2015. ... Maryland's last defeat at home was against Virginia on Dec. 3, 2014. ... Former Terps coach Lefty Driesell was given a standing ovation when introduced during a first-half timeout.
UP NEXT
Purdue hosts Michigan State on Tuesday night.
Maryland takes a break from the Big Ten, facing local foe Bowie State at home Tuesday night.