Maryland men’s basketball improved to .500 in Big Ten Conference play with an 82-63 win over Nebraska on Saturday afternoon at Xfinity Center.
It only took the Terps (14-7, 5-5 Big Ten) five minutes in the second half to solidify their 11th home win of the season.
Don Carey nailed a 3-pointer, fellow graduate transfer guard Jahmir Young went coast-to-coast for a layup and Young found senior forward Donta Scott for a two-handed alley-oop to give the Terps a 51-36 lead with 15:21 to go.
After a 73-55 demolition of Wisconsin, Maryland has won back-to-back conference games by 15 or more points for the first time since Jan. 23-26, 2010, when it was a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
The Terps’ fourth win in six games featured a balanced offensive effort, as eight players scored a basket and five finished in double figures. Young led the way with 18 points, seven assists and a career-high six steals, becoming just the second Big Ten player to finish with such a stat line since the 2002-03 season.
“Jahmir has come a long way [offensively],” first-year coach Kevin Willard said of the Charlotte transfer. “I don’t think he realizes how good of a defender he can be. At his size, he does a great job at reading where the basketball is going. I think he’s a heck of a defender that can be even better.”
Carey reached double figures for the first time in 20 days with 16 points while shooting 4-for-4 from the 3-point line. Willard said it was only a matter of time until shots began to fall for the Georgetown transfer, who entered Saturday shooting just 28% from deep after hitting 40.9% during two seasons with the Hoyas.
“I have great confidence in [Carey],” Willard said. “He has never stopped putting in the work.”
Scott recorded 12 points and six rebounds while graduate transfer forward Patrick Emilien had his best game in a Maryland uniform, totaling 10 points, seven rebounds, a block and a steal. Senior guard Hakim Hart registered 11 points, five assists and four rebounds as the Terps shot 45% from the field and 8-for-23 from beyond the arc.
Maryland did a solid job distributing the ball, recording 16 assists to 10 turnovers. The Terps also took care of business at the free-throw line, going 24-for-26. They made 15 straight from the stripe until sophomore forward Julian Reese missed two attempts with 10:12 left.
“I would say this was one of our [best] highlights of the game,” Emilien said. “Just moving the ball, everybody getting touches and knowing where to go. Everybody had the right approach in today’s game.”
The Cornhuskers (10-12, 3-8 Big Ten), who were led by guard Sam Hoiberg (15 points) and forward Derrick Walker (16 points and eight rebounds), became the first team to score more than 60 points against the Terps since an 81-67 loss to Iowa on Jan. 15.
Despite Maryland entering as double-digit favorites, Nebraska had the edge during the opening minutes of the game. While the Terps played sloppy on offense, Derrick Walker attacked the basket and scored eight straight points to help the Cornhuskers take a 13-8 advantage with 11:48 left in the first half.
Maryland found its rhythm with 13:55 to go. Young drove down the lane and drew two defenders before passing to Reese, who threw down a reverse one-handed dunk. Seconds later, Young found the former St. Frances star again for a contested layup.
The Terps’ scoring run continued as Scott buried a 3-pointer from the wing and Young converted a layup while drawing a foul to give Maryland an 18-13 advantage with 11:48 to go.
“I give Kevin a lot of credit for getting this [program] where it is now,” Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg said. “These guys are playing their best basketball this season. Kevin’s doing a phenomenal job with his team and a big part of that is the pressure that they apply.”
Sam Hoiberg answered with 11 straight points, including two 3-pointers, to cut the Terps’ lead to 29-24 with 3:48 remaining. The son of the Cornhuskers coach was the only Nebraska player to score for nearly 12 minutes until Walker’s layup trimmed the deficit to 34-26 with 2:24 left.
Maryland went to halftime with a 40-30 advantage after Scott powered to the rim for a layup and Young hit a pair of free throws. Maryland shot an impressive 13-for-13 from the stripe in the first half.
Nebraska had no answer for the Terps in the second half. Maryland kept attacking the rim, scoring 18 of its 30 points in the paint in the final 20 minutes. When Hart scored on back-to-back layups to extend the lead to 74-52 with 5:50 left, it was evident that Nebraska wasn’t going to end the Terps’ six-game home winning streak.
“We have a strong home-court advantage and have capitalized off that,” Carey said. “Taking this momentum on the road is the next big step we have to take.”
Note: Before tip-off on Saturday, Maryland received a commitment from three-star center Braden Pierce. The 7-footer, who is currently playing for IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, joins the Terps’ 2023 recruiting class, which features guard DeShawn Harris-Smith, Jamie Kaiser and Jahnathan Lamothe (St. Frances). Pierce is ranked the 44th-best center in the country by 247Sports and picked the Terps over NC State, East Carolina, Rutgers and Seton Hall.
Indiana at Maryland
Tuesday, 9 p.m.
TV: ESPN2
Radio: 105.7 FM
