Penn State fell 96-73 to Maryland on Sunday to fall to 0-7 in Big Ten play. Atrocious perimeter defense and rebounding put the Lions in a hole they could not climb out of. David Coit nearly set a Maryland single-game record with 43 points.
Both teams started red-hot offensively, each shooting 75% at the first media timeout. The Terrapins took an early 16-11 lead, led by two threes by David Coit.
Maryland’s hot shooting and poor defense by the Lions continued to the halfway mark of the first half, and the Terrapins stretched the lead to 28-20 with a three from Elijah Saunders as the shot clock expired. Penn State’s offense stalled, and Maryland ran the lead to 33-21 before Mike Rhoades called timeout.
The dam broke as the Nittany Lions entered a cold spell on offense, and back to back threes by David Coit and Isaiah Watts extended the Terps’ advantage to 46-25. Coit himself had 25 points at the under-four timeout. Penn State did not make a field goal in the final six minutes of the half, and Maryland closed the half on a 20-1 run to lead by a stunning 56-26 margin at halftime.
Aided by eight quick points by Dominick Stewart and a three by Eli Rice, Penn State cut Maryland’s lead to 60-39 at the under-16 timeout. The momentum continued to swing in Penn State’s direction, and a layup by Josh Reed in transition following a turnover sliced the Maryland lead to 60-46 with 14 minutes left.
Penn State twice reached within 10 points, but the Terrapins’ glaring advantage on the glass reared its ugly head, and Maryland made some key second chance baskets to extend the lead back to 78-59.
Penn State rarely threatened to close the gap in the closing minutes, and Maryland ran away with a 96-73 win.
Player of the Game
Dominick Stewart- 17 points, 3-6 3pt FG, 4 assists, 4 rebounds
Stewart sparked the 23-5 run early in the second half that gave Penn State life.
Random Observations
- Perimeter “Defense”- Maryland made 18 threes in this game, more than double their season average. Penn State’s defense gave up open looks from the outside all day.
- Rebounding- When Penn State threatened to close the gap in the second half, poor rebounding halted all momentum. PSU was -18 on the glass- you can’t win games this way.
- How Low Can We Go- Penn State is 0-7 in conference play and just lost to a Maryland team that was 0-6 entering today. The chances of going through conference play winless are a real possibility.
What’s Next
Penn State will host Wisconsin in the Return to Rec game at Rec Hall on Thursday night. Tipoff is at 7pm on FS1.
