Aaron Wiggins career night spoiled as Maryland struggles to protect the ball in 60-55 loss at Northwestern

(Photo Courtesy of Maryland Athletics.)

With 1:thirty remaining, Northwestern forward Ryan Young attacked his matchup on the much smaller Aaron Wiggins and banked the shot in off the window putting the Wildcats dorsum on tiptop 56-55.

That basket proved to be the game-winner in the low-scoring contest, as Northwestern (8-14, 5-13 B1G) snapped Maryland's (9-10, fifteen-11 B1G) 5-game winning streak in the sixty-55 win.

The 15 turnovers were a significant effect for the Terps as it halted their rhythm offensively, just ii shy of a flavour-high 17. Maryland also only attempted 7 gratis throws and didn't shoot its kickoff until there was vi:31 remaining in the competition, which proved plush on a night where Wiggins shot 10-15 from the field and finished with a career-high 26 points.

"It's a frustrating night all around and the team that deserved to win won the game tonight," head coach Mark Turgeon said. "We got dorsum to our inconsistencies when nosotros weren't a very good squad, we were back to that team tonight."

Darryl Morsell besides added 14 points on 6-8 shooting, while Eric Ayala struggled with just five five points on 2-12 shooting. The Terps also finished with nada bench points struggling to become production from their reserves.

Maryland went the final 2:32 of the contest without a basket, missing its last vii field goals, including threes from Ayala and Morsell that would've either given the Terps the lead or tied the game in the last minute.

"We didn't go the stops we needed to, that'south really what it came down to," Morsell said. "We put ourselves in good positions offensively to make shots, simply I don't think nosotros got the stops we needed to win that game."

Boo Buie, Hunt Audige and Pete Nance led the Wildcats' well-counterbalanced offensive attack as the trio knocked down nine of the squad's ten three-pointers. Buie led the group with xv points, while Audige added 14 and Nance tacked on 12.

Maryland couldn't have scripted a meliorate first to the game jumping out to a 9-0 lead in the opening 3:31 playing smothering defence and efficient law-breaking. Notwithstanding, the ensuing 5:39 the Terps turned the ball over half-dozen times on seven possessions, throwing poor passes and defective fundamentals.

"The game is a lot from the cervix upwardly, there's a lot to be said almost the neck up," Turgeon said. "Nosotros just weren't worth a flip from the neck upwardly all game."

Northwestern made Maryland pay for their mistakes orchestrating a 10-2 run over that period, also finding success on the offensive drinking glass with six offensive rebounds in the opening 20 minutes.

Six of those points during the run came from behind the arc as the Wildcats found success from three making the Terps pay for not communicating fast enough when rotating out to shooters later on a double team.

That three-point shooting success allowed Northwestern to build a six-point lead with iv:48 remaining in the beginning one-half. Northwestern'due south prolific shooting from backside the arc was a central theme in the start half every bit Buie, Nance and Audige combined to knock downwards eight triples.

The final 4:48 of the first half, Wiggins and Morsell led Maryland offensively with Morsell attacking the basket and Wiggins finding openings on the perimeter. At the half, Wiggins scored xiii of the team'south 26 points, including a trio of makes from behind the arc.

The eight start one-half turnovers were more than Maryland's total in its final game confronting Michigan State. They were also a key reason the team trailed 28-26 at halftime, the start time they trailed at the break since a 73-65 loss on Feb. 8 against then-No. 4 Ohio State.

"Simply not focused, it's us we tin can't arraign nobody else," Morsell said of the turnover issues. "We can't blame coach Turgeon, it's the states five on the court, we've got to take care of the ball. We're playing, we're not running in transition turning the ball over, it'southward all in the halfcourt. So we've got to practise a better job making reads and making the right plays."

Early on in the second half, Audige was the main catalyst for Northwestern's criminal offence building on his success from backside the arc in the first half. The Wildcats tied their largest pb of the competition at half dozen with xiv:36 remaining, but Wiggins kept the Terps in information technology.

Maryland chop-chop erased the six-bespeak deficit and tied the game at 43 with nine:54 remaining every bit Ayala and Wiggins both knocked downward a 3. However, after the timeout, the Terps turnover issue reared its ugly head again as Northwestern responded with a 5-0 run with baskets from Nance and Ryan Greer.

With 4:l remaining, Wiggins buried a three which gave the Terps their beginning atomic number 82 of the contest since the opening ten minutes. On the ensuing possession, Nance responded with a tough pull-upward jumper. Again trailing, Wiggins orchestrated his best drive of the night with a cute spin move plus the foul, which gave the Terps a ii-betoken atomic number 82 with 4:02 remaining.

His pretty end was Maryland's last made field goal of the night as the Wildcats defense force clamped up down the stretch transitioning to a zone defence force. Morsell briefly gave Maryland the lead on ane free throw with ii:32 remaining, simply Immature's aforementioned layin put the Wildcats back on top for skilful.

Maryland fought to regain the lead most of the nighttime just the turnovers and defensive lapses prevented the Terps from securing their sixth straight win and a winning record in the conference for the offset fourth dimension this season.

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