With a 63-49 victory at No. 17 Minnesota (11-5, 4-5 Big Ten) Jan. 23, Maryland (9-7, 3-6) made program history. For the first time ever, the Terps have defeated three ranked opponents on the road in a single season. Maryland previously won at No. 6 Wisconsin and at No. 12 Illinois.

Terps junior guard Eric Ayala, who finished with a team-high 21 points, feels a different sense of urgency from his team when Maryland’s back is against the wall and hopes to parlay this win into some victories at home with four of the Terps’ next five in College Park.

“In situations where we know we have to win, it’s a different sense of urgency with the guys and everything. We just want to play like that everyday,” Ayala said. “I’m looking forward to transitioning to getting those same types of wins at home as well.”

Sophomore forward Donta Scott had 15 points and a game-high 11 rebounds against the Golden Gophers, while junior guard Aaron Wiggins ripped down a season-high 10 rebounds to go along with his eight points. Maryland dominated the boards as a team, outrebounding Minnesota 38-30 on Saturday afternoon.

“I thought we did a great job on the boards,” Maryland head coach Mark Turgeon said. “We were giving up a lot of size out there and we were physical on our box outs and had some really big time rebounds out there.”

The Terps have struggled to guard the post at times this season but they did an excellent job down low against the Golden Gophers. Minnesota’s leading rebounder and second-leading scorer, Liam Robbins, had a slow first half with just three points and two rebounds and saw his day get worse after halftime when he picked up three fouls in two minutes early in the second half. The 7-foot junior had to sit most of the rest of the game with four fouls and finished with just six points and the two boards.

And while Minnesota’s leading scorer Marcus Carr did some damage with 25 points on 8-for-14 shooting, Maryland’s defense thwarted the Golden Gophers’ offensive attack on Saturday and was the key to victory for Turgeon’s team.

“We locked in defensively from the first possession and guys were dialed into the game plan,” Turgeon said. “Darryl [Morsell] locked in on Carr. We were into our matchups, we were fighting, we were guarding the ball, we were fighting on the post, we really rebounded well and we were giving up a lot of size. So defensively we were just terrific. They showed me something tonight, which is great...Minnesota is a terrific team, especially in this building. So for us to come in here and hold them to 49 shows you the guys were really locked in defensively today.”

Holding one of the conference’s top offensive teams to just 30% shooting and 5 for-23 from beyond the arc, the Terps’ defense had perhaps its best performance of the season on Saturday.

Turgeon attributes Maryland’s defensive energy to its senior leader, Morsell, who only had four points against the Golden Gophers but made life miserable for Minnesota on the defensive end while switching between man and zone throughout the game.

“It starts with Darryl,” Turgeon said. “I thought Darryl was terrific and it just kind of rubs off on everybody else. I think there was like seven minutes to go and Darryl said, ‘Let’s hold them under 50.’ And I’m thinking this guy is crazy — not Minnesota, they’re going to get 50. And they did it. Guys were locked in, but it all started with Darryl today on the defensive end and it carried over to the other guys.”

Terps fans might want to get used to these types of grind-it-out games from Maryland, as Turgeon’s team seems to be finding its identity at the midway point of the season.

Led by Morsell, the Terps are embracing ugly, defensive wins and know that is their best path to victory.

“We try to pride ourselves on defense,” Morsell said. “We understand that with this team this year is going to be a lot different, so we’re focusing on getting stops and winning low-scoring, close games.”

And while it seems like it might be awhile before the Terps play another ranked team on the road, Morsell isn’t surprised his team thrived in that setting and thinks that’s what makes Maryland a dangerous team this season.

“We’re a team full of dogs and we’re built for this,” Morsell said. “We love coming into other arenas and just leaving our mark. So that’s big. We have a lot more to accomplish as a team and a lot more we can get better at.”

Maryland’s next outing will be Wednesday, January 27, against No. 10 Wisconsin in College Park.