After Maryland men’s basketball suffered one of its worst losses in program history against Iowa on Thursday, the only thing the Terps could do was look forward. However, looking forward meant a trip to West Lafayette, Indiana, to face No. 3 Purdue and its star trio of Jaden Ivey, Zach Edey and Trevion Williams.
Despite being 15-point underdogs, senior guard Eric Ayala sidelined with a wrist injury and Purdue being one of the nation’s best offensive teams, the Terps showed the importance of having a short-term memory.
Maryland’s defense was disruptive but ultimately it was graduate transfer Fatts Russell’s performance on both ends of the floor that had the Terps up by 12 points in the second half. Unfortunately for Maryland, Purdue’s offense came alive when it mattered most and the Boilermakers took down the Terps, 62-61, inside Mackey Arena Sunday afternoon, extending the Terps’ losing streak to five games.
Even though the Terps watched a double-digit lead evaporate in the second half, Russell still put his team in the position to pull off one of the biggest upsets of the season when he converted a game-tying layup with 38 seconds left.
Purdue, however, had Ivey. He didn’t shoot the ball well, finishing 2-for-9 from the floor, but came through when it mattered most, scoring a go-ahead layup and a free throw with 13.1 seconds left.
Russell was fouled on the ensuing possession and made both free throws to cut the deficit to one, and the Terps got a break when Purdue had a deal-ball turnover. But junior Donta Scott lost the ball on a drive to the basket in the waning seconds, and Purdue escaped with a victory.
Russell shot 9-for-17 from the floor and finished with 24 points, nine rebounds, six assists and three steals to go with five turnovers to lead Maryland (11-14, 3-11 Big Ten). Scott added 11 points, five rebounds and two blocks.
Maryland’s effort was inspiring given the fact the team allowed 110 points to Iowa three days prior, but the final two seconds will stick with them. Interim coach Danny Manning said he drew the play for Scott to take the last shot, and he felt the third-year forward was fouled by Williams as he was attempting the go-ahead layup.
“I thought we deserve to win,” Manning said. “The clip that I saw from one of our guys on the staff, I thought Donta got fouled. I have to go back and look at it but I thought there was some contact.”
It appeared Manning got a second glimpse, as he immediately posted photos of the play to Twitter immediately after the postgame news conference.
“I just don’t think they made the right call,” said Scott, stessing his frustration. “At the end of the day, you can’t control that.”
The odds were stacked against Maryland before leaving College Park and it only grew hours before tip-off when Ayala approached Manning and told him his wrist didn’t feel right. Putting Ayala’s health first, Manning decided to sit the team’s leading scorer (15.1 points per game) until they are able to conduct tests on the injury.
“We’ll get some test run and we’ll make sure that we can give him peace of mind with the evaluation,” Manning said.
Ayala’s absence, however, didn’t stop the Terps from starting the game strong. After Purdue (22-4, 11-4) jumped out to a 4-0 lead, the Terps responded by going on a 10-0 run, which featured a pair of 3-pointers from Russell and a long mid-range jumper from Qudus Wahab.
Purdue started to settle down on offense, scoring five consecutive points to cut Maryland’s lead down to a point. But Scott had an answer. As he was facing a double team with the shot clock winding down, he was able to knock down a fadeaway jumper with 12:36 on the clock.
The Boilermakers and the Terps began trading baskets, but Maryland was able to remain in front thanks to Russell. Junior guard Hakim Hart threaded the needle with a one-handed bounce pass to Russell, who converted a reverse layup in transition to give the Terps an 18-15 lead. The Rhode Island transfer had eight points through the opening 12 minutes.
“In the last game we played against Iowa, the intensity wasn’t there,” Russell said. “Our coaches got on us real hard in the film room and in practice. We came out here and we fought today.”
However, Maryland’s depth issues crept up during the final two minutes of the first. With Purdue locking down Russell and Scott, Green and sophomore guard Ian Martinez didn’t provide much offensive support and Wahab was constantly losing the ball in the paint. Maryland only made one of its last eight shot attempts while committing five turnovers in the final five minutes.
Meanwhile, Purdue closed out the first half on a 7-0 run to take a 26-23 lead into halftime despite Ivey being held scoreless. The momentum shift in Mackey Arena was evident when Russell’s technical foul resulted in a pair of free throws from Sasha Stefanovic with two seconds left.
Manning was also not pleased with that call. “You have to ask that official,” he said. “I will leave that alone.”
Maryland’s defense in the first half was admirable, as the Terps held the nation’s fifth-best scoring offense at 40.7% shooting and 2-for-9 from deep. That continued in the second half when Russell stole the ball before launching a full-court pass to Hart for a layup to give Maryland a 28-26 lead.
A steal by Martinez resulted in a 3-pointer by Scott, giving the Terps a five-point lead with 18:24 to go. Ivey was still scoreless, as went to the bench with his third foul.
Russell continued to put the team on his back. He knocked down a fadeaway jumper before speeding to the rim for a layup. Suddenly, Wahab delivered a two-handed slam followed by a 3-pointer from Martinez and the Terps were clinging to a 40-29 with 14:31 remaining.
Maryland was getting it done on both sides of the court. Hart had a key sequence, blocking Ivey’s layup attempt then corralling an offensive rebound before draining a 3-pointer that extended the Terps’ lead to 46-36.
“That’s just what Maryland basketball is,” Russell said. “We’ve been inconsistent defending the ball with that great of intensity. We decided that we was going to change that.”
Maryland converted five of its last seven attempts before Purdue went on an 8-0 run to cut the Terps’ lead to two. Mackey Arena turned into a madhouse when Stefanovic knocked down a go-ahead 3-pointer, as the Boilermakers scored 13 unanswered points in a span of three minutes.
The Terps tied the game at 50 after being held scoreless for almost four minutes when Hart grabbed an offensive rebound and made an under-the-basket layup from an impossible angle.
Russell kept the Terps on the verge of pulling an upset. He got the rim once again for a basket, then moments later converted two free throws, giving the Terps a one-point advantage. However, Williams countered with back-to-back baskets, as Purdue sat with a 57-56 lead with 2:46 left in regulation.
After Maryland tied the game at 57, Williams used his body to push his way to the rim for a layup to regain the lead.
“Stefanovic got rolling and Williams hurt us in the end with his post up,” Russell said.
Russell dribbled around Williams for the game-tying layup. But Ivey, despite not having the best shooting performance, showcased his brilliance, converting a go-ahead layup with his off-hand while drawing the foul to give the Boilermakers a 3-point advantage with 13.1 seconds left.
Even after Russell’s free throws cut the deficit to one point, Williams’ defense on Scott, who was trying to score the go-ahead basket, proved to be the difference-maker.
“We’ll be able to find a few things that we can create momentum from and have to figure out a way to do it every possession and get the outcome that we want, which is a win,” Manning said.
