No. 7 Maryland edges Northwestern 62-56 in overtime

COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- Maryland made fewer baskets, got outrebounded and was admittedly not as tough as Northwestern.

So, when it came time for coach Mark Turgeon to make sense of it all, he had this to say about the seventh-ranked Terrapins' 62-56 victory Tuesday night:

"Some nights things don't go well and you've just got to figure out a way to win," he said. "And we did that."

Melo Trimble scored 18 points, Diamond Stone made a pivotal three-point play with 1:13 left in overtime and Maryland (17-2, 6-1 Big Ten) survived a 17-point second half to complete a season sweep of the Wildcats (15-5, 3-4).

This one was far tougher than the 72-59 rout in Illinois on Jan. 2.

The Terrapins shot 44 percent, gave up 16 offensive rebounds and were often outhustled by the scrappy, unyielding Wildcats.

"I thought Northwestern was the tougher team most of the night," Turgeon said.

But Trimble came up big in overtime, opening the scoring with a three-point play and getting assists on two baskets, including the layup by Stone that put Maryland ahead 58-55.

Stone finished with 11 points and Robert Carter Jr. had 10 points and 14 rebounds.

Putting the ball in the basket was a mighty chore for the Terrapins, who earned the victory on the strength of their play on the other end of the court.

"Our team defense was terrific," Turgeon said.

Aaron Falzon scored 13 points for the Wildcats before fouling out with 3:36 left in overtime. Bryant McIntosh had 12 points on 5-for-18 shooting, and backcourtmate Tre Demps was 3 for 14 from the field, including 0 for 6 from beyond the arc.

Still, the Wildcats nearly pulled off the upset.

"We had to try to manage the possessions and make it a grind-it-out game, and I thought we did that," coach Chris Collins said.

Thanks to its domination on the offensive glass, Northwestern took 17 more shots than Maryland and made two more baskets (23-21). But the Terrapins outscored the Wildcats 16-5 at the free throw line.

"I'm just disappointed for my guys because I thought they gave an effort that was worthy of winning and we weren't rewarded with it tonight," Collins said.

Northwestern opened the second half by missing six of seven shots from the field to fall behind 39-31.

Maryland then went 4 minutes without a point, and a runner in the lane by McIntosh made it 39-38. Minutes later, Demps capped the 12-2 run with a jumper for a 45-43 lead with 7:41 remaining.

The Terrapins went ahead 48-47 on a 3-pointer by Jake Layman with 4:43 left -- the final basket by either team until overtime.

Regulation ended with Trimble firing a shot that, appropriately, clanged off the rim leaving the score tied at 48.

"It was one of those defensive games," Carter said. "It probably wasn't exciting for the fans. Wasn't a lot of dunking and 3-point shooting. Just a lot of hard-nosed defense."

Maryland trailed for the majority of the first half before using a late 10-0 run to take a 31-29 halftime lead.

Northwestern controlled the boards in the opening minutes and got eight points from Dererk Pardon in going up 16-9.

It was 27-21 before Maryland center Damonte Dodd scored on a follow and Jared Nickens added a three-point play. Trimble followed with a 3 to give Maryland its first lead.

YOUTH IS SERVED

Northwestern: Despite the result, Collins was pleased with the play of his young team.

"I'm not big on moral victories, but Aaron Falzon is only a freshman, Dererk Pardon is a freshman and Bryant McIntosh is a sophomore," the coach said. "We play a lot of young guys and these are great experiences for them."

Maryland: Saddled with four fouls, Stone was limited him to 15 minutes.

"I thought in overtime he was terrific," Turgeon said. "He wasn't even sweating."

TIP-INS

Northwestern: The Wildcats lost on the road for the first time this season. They were 4-0, their best start since 1930-31. ... A victory would have given Northwestern a 16-4 record, best after 20 games in school history. ... Coming off a four-turnover game against Penn State, the Wildcats committed 12 against Maryland. ... McIntosh had four assists. He was averaging 7.3 per game, fifth in the nation.

Maryland: In the first matchup between the teams, Trimble reached season highs in rebounds (8), 3-pointers (5) and minutes (38). ... The game drew 17,144 fans, just short of a sellout. ... Maryland leads the series 4-1, its only loss coming in 1958.

UP NEXT

Northwestern is at No. 25 Indiana on Saturday.

Maryland is at No. 11 Michigan State on Saturday.