Maryland men’s basketball returns to its winning ways in final non-conference matchup against La Salle

Photo Courtesy of Maryland Athletics.

With an 11-point lead and a wide open court alee of him, a chance to set up upwards the offense seemed to be the play of pick. Instead, a sprinting Eric Ayala dribbled the ball just once before he noticed fellow guard Hakim Hart streaking from the right corner. A perfectly placed lob by Ayala made for an emphatic end by Hart and a cozier atomic number 82 for the home team.

An constructive fastbreak is often a product of an equally impressive defensive attempt. Defense force was exactly what opened the game up for the Terps and ultimately led to a Maryland victory. At home, Maryland (5-ii, 0-ane B1G) was able to snap a 2 game losing streak with a 84-71 win against La Salle, their final not conference opponent.

"Our guys had fun tonight," head passenger vehicle Mark Turgeon said. "We took a stride in the right direction and nosotros got better this evening."

To start, Mayland played a new make of high free energy basketball. The ball was moving, shots were falling, and about importantly, Maryland'due south defense looked the all-time it had all season thus far. The Terps, equally they made their style to a nine-point lead, allowed just seven Explorers field goals in the starting time 10 minutes of the half while shooting 50 percent from the field on the opposite end of the court.

Although Maryland opened up the game comfortably, three-point shooting continued to be a struggling point for the team. Maryland's disability to hit from behind the arc led to a much less menacing five-point lead. Before the Explorers could assemble a improvement endeavour, the Terps' offense reemerged — this time scoring 10 unanswered points to close the first half. Five of the 10 points came off fastbreaks, a newly established feature of Maryland's offense that had been absent-minded since last season. Three forced turnovers led to easy scoring opportunities for Hart, guard Aaron Wiggins and forrard Jairus Hamilton.

"I thought the last five minutes of the get-go one-half nosotros were equally practiced as we've been all year on defense," Turgeon said, "We were actually proficient."

A stifling defence positioned the Terps with a fifteen-bespeak pb to enter the final one-half. However, the Explorers offense made a solid effort in the post-obit catamenia to keep Maryland within attain. La Salle was especially expert from behind the arc. After totaling just four threes in the previous half, the Explorers hit 3 in the first four minutes of the second period. La Salle drilled x of its 18 triples in the second half. Nonetheless, a concerted response by the Terps, led by Ayala, maintained a Maryland lead.

In spite of the Explorer crime, information technology was Ayala who tallied a career-loftier 23 points and 3 assists to assistance proceed the Terps in front. The inferior guard struggled from the field, along with the rest of the team, shooting beneath l percentage for the game and only making two of his eight attempted threes. Lack of success from the field led Ayala to search for a new mode to score. His technique at the rim earned him 11 free throw attempts in the second half, of which he drained ten. In total, Ayala accumulated 13 of his points from the charity stripe.

"I was just reading the defence force honestly," Ayala said. "Today I got to the line and got fouled, then it was easier for me to go to the line and make free throws."

Afterwards viii days of rest, Maryland has improved in perhaps the most essential facet of its game. With its staple defense coming together gradually, Maryland's odds of faring well in this year'southward stacked Large Ten volition inevitably improve. Up side by side, the Terps are gear up to resume Big Ten play against Purdue on Christmas Day.

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Source: http://wmucsports.net/maryland-mens-basketball-returns-to-its-winning-ways-in-final-non-conference-matchup/

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