With just under six minutes to go, striker Jairus Hamilton hit a rebound on the defensive line and hit bodyguard Eric Ayala, who slowed down.
When Ayala crossed the middle of the court, junior guard Aaron Wiggins braced himself on the elbow for a script game, but instead made a quick cut to the basket. Ayala ducked down, where Wiggins easily finished the tray to place the Terps in 20 points.
Ayala and Wiggins added 46 points to lead the men’s basketball in Maryland, overtaking Nebraska, 79-71, in the second consecutive game in College Park.
“These two are elite offensive threats. They can score from anywhere on the ground, ”said senior guard Darryl Morsell. “… I know how important they score and only them being in tune with the game is for our team. So it’s great to see them succeed, they’ve worked hard. “
Ayala ended his career record with 24 points, eight rebounds and one assist, while Wiggins scored 22 points, drawing the best of his career, along with five rebounds and three assists. They shot 51.5% from the ground and 44.4% beyond the bow.
The win gives the Terps their third win in four days, a huge boost as the team continues to fight for an offer for the NCAA Tournament. During this period, Ayala averaged 16.7 points per competition, while Wiggins impressed with 20.0 per game.
“I think it gives us a lot of confidence,” said Wiggins. “These victories, I feel that we needed them. We felt that we really needed them and were pressured to get them. So, the guys were stuck and we were ready to go. “
Nebraska came out energetically from the start, scoring a three-point play by the 1.80m-tall guard, Dalano Banton. The Terps responded with their own quick game, with point guard Darryl Morsell stealing the ball and scoring just 1:48 to equalize the energy.
Coach Mark Turgeon screamed in frustration after the Nebraska striker Lat Mayen sank a three-point attempt to give the Cornhuskers a 10-9 lead before the first media break, prompting their guys to come out of defense and guard the perimeter.
Both teams continued to light it beyond the arc, while Eric Ayala and Aaron Wiggins hit three in consecutive possessions. The Terps ended the first half playing 8 of 18 long distance, while Nebraska made 6 of 14.
After Nebraska’s Trey McGowens failed with 5:08 remaining in the first half, Maryland pushed the ball purposefully, finding Wiggins on the counterattack for an open three to give the Terps a 30-25 lead.
Maryland closed the first half with a 40-33 lead, thanks to 15 of 31 pitches from the ground. Nebraska managed to resist with an effort of 37.9% from the ground, but Ayala and Wiggins had 17 and 13 points in the first half, respectively, to keep the Terps in front. Ayala’s 17 points were the maximum of any Terp in the first half against a first division team this season. The rest of the Maryland team combined only 10 points.
With 16:40 remaining in the dispute, Wiggins pulled a board from his own foul and kicked it back to Hakim Hart. Seconds later, the ball was back in Wiggins’ hands at the top of the key, where he threw his quarters three at night.
After Nebraska worked to shorten Terrapin’s lead with Aaron Wiggins on the bench, Jairus Hamilton and Darryl Morsell managed a three-fold and fastbreak on consecutive possessions to force Fred Hoiberg’s time out with 8:16 remaining.
Hamilton drew with the best of his career with 15 points in Tuesday night’s clash, and although he only had three points in the first half, he came back to life in the second to score 13 points. He ended the night with 13 points, two rebounds and an assist.
“He’s a spark coming out of the bank,” said Wiggins. “His ability to shoot, to hit three, you know, he extends his defense because [with] our little ball formation, they have to play their four or five men to protect it. So it kind of paves the way, when he enters, he manages to make space on the floor and give us a little more to work. “
A Cornhusker foul with less than seven minutes left brought Wiggins back to the ground, where he and Ayala were able to tie the defenders, leading to an open three by Donta Scott with 6:44 remaining.
After Maryland increased the lead to 20 points with less than six minutes remaining thanks to the youth team, the Cornhuskers returned with another race, bringing the game to 10 points with one minute remaining. But, once again, Eric Ayala came to his rescue, hitting two free throws to push the Terps forward by 12, allowing Turgeon to finish his holders as they approached victory.
“[Ayala] made many hard shots, he made three, ”said Turgeon. “He’s a really good striker. He took a few steps back and went over the top. He was really feeling it … We are just improving as a team. And the better we get as a team, the more opportunities for him and [Wiggins] to do what they can do. “
Three things to know
1. Both teams took care of the ball. Maryland and Nebraska combined for 15 turnovers on Wednesday night, with the two teams committing four and 11, respectively – the lowest total for the Terps and an opponent in a match this season. This is a big difference from Tuesday night’s clash, in which they combined 28, including a season 17 record for the Terps.
“One thing we talked about was more counterfeit passes and shots today, because they are so long that they throw everything high,” said Turgeon. “So, I think we did a better job of going through the counterfeiting and counterfeiting of shots and reading the situation and not being in a hurry, and I think that was part of it.”
2. Donta Scott worked despite not being a factor in the score. The second year ended the first half without a single point and only had six in the night, but contributed in another way. Scott prospered as a facilitator in Wednesday’s competition, totaling eight assists and eight rebounds, the best of his career. And as usual, he was a blocking presence on the defensive end.
3. Darryl Morsell has reached a major milestone. Morsell proved his loyalty to the program by playing his four years at College Park and was rewarded for his efforts on Wednesday night. Despite only having six points in the night, Morsell surpassed the 1,000 point mark, becoming the 56th player in the program’s history to achieve the feat.
“I was extremely happy for him,” said Wiggins. “I looked at the board and saw that they had an edition of it on the board, ‘1000 career points and 100 career starts’, and the first thing I said to him was ‘Congratulations’. I was very happy for him and all he thought was, ‘Can we get this win?’ So I said to him, I was like, ‘Yes, we’re going to win, but congratulations,’ because it’s a big milestone, that’s a big one. “