March 18, 2024

Trimble, 25th-ranked Terrapins outlast Iowa

IOWA CITY (AP) — With a bad loss looming, Maryland turned to its best player to maintain its unlikely lead atop the Big Ten.

Melo Trimble scored 20 points and No. 25 Maryland rallied after blowing a 15-point lead to outlast Iowa 84-76 on Thursday night for its fourth straight victory.

Trimble broke out of a slump with consecutive 3-pointers in the final 3 minutes to key the Terrapins (17-2, 5-1), who have also won three in a row on the road (Michigan, Illinois and Iowa).

“We just kept believing that we were going to win,” Maryland coach Mark Turgeon said. “Just another gutty road win for us.”

Maryland was threatening to blow out the Hawkeyes (11-9, 3-4) before Iowa went on a 10-0 run midway through the second half.

The Hawkeyes went ahead 72-69, but an 8-0 spurt fueled by Trimble’s 3s gave Maryland a lead it did not relinquish.

“I had that in my mind the whole game, just to keep being aggressive,” said Trimble, who shot at least 50 percent for the first time in five games.

“I had that aggressive mindset to just keep shooting.”

Anthony Cowan had 15 points and six assists for the Terrapins, who shot 56.6 percent from the field.

Peter Jok, the Big Ten’s leading scorer, had 14 points for Iowa on 4-of-12 shooting.

Jok’s back flared up in a loss Sunday to Northwestern.

“I think you’ve got to give them credit for the shots they made,” said Iowa coach Fran McCaffery, who showed his displeasure with the officiating after the game. “They did a good job of answering our runs with timely baskets.”

Big Picture

Maryland: The Terrapins displayed terrific ball movement in the first half, assisting on 14-of-16 baskets.

The Hawkeyes countered by being more active in Maryland’s passing lanes, forcing 21 turnovers in all.

Credit the Terrapins for not backing down in a hostile gym.

Iowa: The Hawkeyes brought their hangover from an 89-54 loss to Northwestern last weekend back to Iowa City, shooting 29 percent in the first half.

But Iowa, which has been up and down since November, got going in the second half and stormed ahead. Trimble simply showed why he’s one of the nation’s best guards when it mattered.

Poll Implications

Even though Iowa has beaten some good competition at home, beating the Hawkeyes on the road won’t do much for the Terrapins.

But a topsy-turvy weekend for teams ahead of it could push Maryland up the poll.

The Numbers

Trimble was 5-of-9 on 3-pointers. ... Cowan had eight turnovers, but he hit a big trey after Iowa reeled off 10 straight points.