Nebraska falters in crunch time in 69-66 loss at Maryland
In a matchup of two teams desperate for a victory, Nebraska and Maryland went back and forth for most of Sunday’s game in College Park, Md.
But when it came down to crunch time, the Huskers once again failed to make the crucial plays, resulting in another disappointing road defeat, 69-66.
A free throw from Ahron Ulis gave NU a 55-54 lead with just over nine minutes left to play. It would be all Terrapins from there, though. Nebraska went on to miss 11 of its next 12 shots to allow Maryland to break the game open with a 12-2 run.
Back-to-back baskets from Brice Williams got the Huskers within 66-61 with two minutes to play, and two more Williams free throws capped a 9-0 run that tied it at 66-66 with 1:02 remaining.
But a basket from Ja’Kobi Gillespie, who scored a game-high 22 points, reclaimed the lead for UMD on the ensuing series. Ulis turned it over on a pass to Williams, and Rodney Rice added another free throw to make it 69-66.
A rough final possession for Nebraska ended with a missed contested 3-pointer by Connor Essesgian, and that would do it for the Huskers.
Andrew Morgan scored a team-high 17 points, followed by Williams with 14. However, NU turned the ball over 13 times, and Maryland drained 10 3-pointers at a 40% clip.
Nebraska will return to Pinnacle Bank Arena to host USC on Wednesday night. Tip is set for 8 p.m. CT on Big Ten Network.
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Morgan helped keep Nebraska within reach early
Nine turnovers first-half and sloppy offense dug Nebraska into an early hole out of the gate, falling behind 16-9 after the first eight minutes. Needing someone to step up and help get the game under control, Morgan provided precisely that off the bench.
The senior forward scored 10 of the Huskers’ next 12 points, helping NU eventually take its first lead of the day at 27-26 on a 3-pointer from Essegian.
Nebraska went up by five on a Ulis layup with 3:20 remaining in the half, but Maryland threw the last punch with three made 3-pointers over the final 2:19. That allowed the Terps to end the half on an 11-4 run and take a 37-35 lead into the break.
Morgan made his first five shots from the field and had 12 of his team-high 17 points in the first half. He helped the Huskers own a 20-4 edge in bench scoring at the half, as they shot 55.6% as a team.
However, the Terps hit 6-of-13 from behind the arc, including three from Gillespie, who hit one at the buzzer to put UMD ahead at halftime.
