WEST LAFAYETTE, IN – The Maryland men's basketball team gave No. 3 Purdue all that it could handle, but the Boilermakers eventually outlasted the Terps, 62-61, on Sunday afternoon inside Mackey Arena.
Playing without leading scorer Eric Ayala, due to injury, the Terps (11-14, 3-11 Big Ten) led for much of the first half as Fatts Russell was sensational. Russell finished with a season-high 24 points, season-high nine rebounds and six assists as he valiantly led Maryland as the Terps nearly pulled off their first road win over a Top-5 opponent since beating No. 1 North Carolina in 2008.
The Terps held an early 10-4 lead with 16:07 remaining after Scott's transition bucket and Russell's two three-pointers. Maryland continued its strong start as it hit six of its first 10 shots, taking a 14-11 lead with 11:55 remaining in the half. Both teams continued to battle throughout the first period, with Maryland's defense stifling the potent Boilermakers attack. Purdue managed to take a 26-23 lead into halftime, but the Terps managed to hold its leading scorer, Ivey, scoreless.
Maryland continued its hot play early in the second half, building a lead as large as 12 at 48-36 with 11 minutes left in the game. But, Purdue (22-4, 11-4) reeled off 14 points in a row as the Boilermakers took a 49-48 lead on a Sasha Stefanovic (17 points) three-pointer with 8:20 left in the second half. The teams traded leads five times and the game was tied four times in the final nine minutes before Purdue clinched the game on Jaden Ivey's three-point play with 13.1 seconds left, putting them up 62-59.
The Terps had a chance to win the game after a deadball turnover by Purdue with 7.8 seconds left, but Donta Scott was blocked by Trevion Williams forcing a loose ball and Purdue secured it as time expired.
The Terps' defense was stellar against the top-scoring team in the Big Ten and fifth-highest scoring team in the nation as Purdue came into the game averaging 83.4 points per game. Maryland limited Purdue to 26 points in the first half and 62 for the game, their second-lowest total of the season. The Boilermakers (third in the nation in field goal percentage entering the game at 51 percent) were held to just 40.7 percent in the first half.
Purdue's leading scorer Ivey (17.7 ppg) was held off the scoreboard in the first half, missing all four of his shots. He didn't score for the game's first 26:45 and finished with 11 points, making just 2-of-9 shots.
Up Next
The Terps travel to Nebraska where they will take on the Cornhuskers Friday, Feb. 18. The game is set to tipoff at 9 p.m. and will be broadcasted on Big Ten Network.
