Maryland men’s basketball head coach Buzz Williams was encouraged by his team’s response after a demoralizing loss to Georgetown. In the Terps’ biggest nonconference game of the season against No. 6 Virginia, those improvements were drastic.
But despite turning in a better product for the packed Xfinity Center crowd at hand, Maryland’s late-game offense was nowhere to be found.
The Terps committed three costly turnovers in the final 3:48 to thwart their comeback efforts. Those empty possessions led
to Maryland’s demise in an 87-83 loss to Virginia. The Terps have now lost their last four meetings against the Cavaliers, last beating their local foes in 2014.
After allowing Georgetown to erupt for 44 first-half points Saturday, Maryland’s defense came out strong. DJ Wagner poked the ball free on an entry pass from Sam Lewis during Virginia’s first possession.
The senior guard fed Robert Jennings III, one of two starting lineup changes alongside Bishop Boswell, for an easy bucket on the other end.
But the Terps’ offense stalled out after that, posting seven consecutive empty possessions to allow the Cavaliers to take a 5-2 lead. That sequence included a pair of missed free throws from Wagner — Maryland entered shooting just 72.7% from the charity stripe this season.
Boswell, who was second on the team in steals at Tennessee last season, replaced Mike McNair Jr. in the starting lineup after the sharpshooter was held scoreless for the first time in over two years. The defensive effort was noticeably different with Boswell on the court.
Maryland’s off-ball recovery helped erase several open looks, something that plagued it against Georgetown. But that aggression came with a consequence, as Jennings picked up his second foul just three minutes into the game.
Williams highlighted Virginia forward Thijs De Ridder, the ACC Preseason Player of the Year, as a key matchup. The Terps slowed De Ridder down in the first half, holding him to just six points before the break.
While Maryland limited De Ridder’s offensive impact, Sam Lewis picked up the scoring load. The 6-foot-7 guard poured in 28 points on 12-of-16 shooting in the opening half.
After Virginia tied the game at nine, Pharrel Payne and Kaden House shouldered the bulk of the offense. The duo, who had scored in double figures in both games this season, combined for 11 points to help Maryland open a 27-19 lead.
Fresh off a 28-point performance in the last game, Payne dominated the paint Friday. The redshirt senior scored a game-high 12 points in the first half on efficient shooting — he attempted just four shots. Payne drew four fouls, knocking down six of his seven free throws.
McNair, coming off the bench for the first time this season, provided a jolt offensively. He splashed a pair of 3-pointers, including one with time expiring in the first half, to give Maryland a 47-36 lead.
The Terps entered the game with the nation’s seventh-worst 3-point defense, allowing opponents to shoot 44.3% from deep. Virginia connected on one of its five 3-pointers in the first half.
But the Cavaliers came out of the halftime break with an added emphasis from the perimeter. Virginia attempted three 3-pointers in the opening four minutes, with De Ridder knocking down one.
Maryland had an answer from deep in the form of McNair. After the Terps finished with their lowest 3-point percentage in more than two years, McNair carried Maryland’s success from deep Friday. He had three of the Terps’ four makes.
After attempting just one shot in the first half, Wagner was a monster in transition. He glided past Virginia defenders en route to nine second-half points, Maryland’s highest total. Wagner, who has primarily run the offense without much scoring involvement, turned in his best game as a Terp.
Maryland took a 63-53 lead with 13 minutes remaining, but Virginia stormed back courtesy of a 23-9 run.
But House quickly responded with an and-one layup before committing a costly turnover that led to an easy layup from De Ridder. The Terps couldn’t recover.
Three things to know
- Foul trouble is problematic. While Maryland’s defense limited Virginia well below its season average, the Terps were whistled for 12 fouls in the first half. Maryland’s entire frontcourt rotation — Payne, Jennings, Tomislav Buljan and Baba Oladotun — each picked up two personal fouls.
- Rebounding fuels Maryland’s offense. The Terps entered the game as the nation’s second-best offensive rebounding team, aided by Payne and Buljan each individually being in the top six in the metric. That dominance on the glass helped Maryland’s offense. It had 10 offensive rebounds in the game and was efficient with them, picking up 17 second-chance points.
- Defense to offense. Even as it faltered late against the Cavaliers, Maryland’s defense was able to generate turnovers. The Terps finished with 10 steals and produced 22 points off turnovers. Seven players recorded a steal, with Wagner and Mills each notching multiple.
