#17 Terps Set for Road Tilt at Iowa Sunday (315PM Start)and Flyers-Capitals Preview (3PM Start)

Courtesy Maryland Athletics

Jake Layman was one rebound shy of his fifth double-double this season against Penn State.

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The No. 17 Maryland men’s basketball team hits the road for a game at Iowa Sunday at 3:15 p.m. on the Big Ten Network.

WATCH: BTN - Eric Collins (Play-by-Play), Stephen Bardo (Analyst)

LISTEN: Terrapin Sports Radio Network - Johnny Holliday (Play-by-Play), Chris Knoche (Analyst), Walt Williams (Sideline); Sirius 84, XM 84, ESPN 980, 105.7 FM

LIVE STATS: Stats

SOCIAL: Follow @TerrapinHoops on Twitter for updates

Storylines
• Dez Wells scored 23 points, Jon Graham scored 12 of his career-high 16 after halftime and No. 17 Maryland edged Penn State 64-58 Wednesday night to avert its first losing streak of the season. The Terrapins were tied with 4:59 left before they pulled away from the Nittany Lions for their first win against Penn State as members of the Big Ten. After building a 57-52 lead, Maryland let the margin dwindle to one point before Wells made two foul shots with 39.3 seconds remaining. Then, after a Penn State miss, Wells grabbed the rebound and added another free throw to clinch it.

• Maryland senior forward Jon Graham posted career-highs in nearly every statistical category against his former school Penn State on Wednesday. Graham recorded a career-best 16 points, six made field goals, four made throws, seven free throw attempts and matched his season-high of six rebounds in the win against the Nittany Lions.

• Maryland is looking to snap a two-game road skid after losses at Indiana on Jan. 22 and Ohio State on Jan. 29. The Terps have three players averaging double-figure scoring on the road, including Melo Trimble (12.2), Jake Layman (12.0) and Dez Wells (11.2).

• Free throw shooting has been a key component of Maryland’s success this season. The Terps are 19-1 when making more free throws than their opponent. Maryland is averaging 19.1 made free throws during wins while knocking down 13.5 in its losses. Opponents are posting a mere 9.0 made free throws in Maryland victories but 16.0 in losses.

• Iowa topped Michigan, 72-54, on the road its last time out on Thursday. All five starters hit double-figures for the Hawkeyes, who snapped a three-game losing streak with the win. Aaron White and Jarrod Uthoff lead Iowa offensively, posting 15.0 and 11.6 points per game, respectively. Iowa leads the Big Ten in offensive rebounds, notching 12.8 per contest. White and Uthoff both average more than six rebounds per outing.

• Maryland leads the all-time series with Iowa, 2-1. The Hawkeyes topped Maryland, 71-60, in the semifinals of the National Invitational Tournament at Madison Square Garden in 2013. Former Terp and current Phoenix Sun center Alex Len posted 16 points, nine rebounds and six blocks in the loss.

#17 Terps Drop Penn State Wednesday at XFINITY

• Dez Wells scored 23 points, Jon Graham scored 12 of his career-high 16 after halftime and No. 17 Maryland edged Penn State 64-58 Wednesday night to avert its first losing streak of the season.

• The Terrapins were tied with 4:59 left before they pulled away from the Nittany Lions for their first win against Penn State as members of the Big Ten.

• Graham, who played two seasons at Penn State before transferring to Maryland, scored a career high on six-for-seven shooting. Melo Trimble finished with a career-high eight assists.

Scouting iowa

• Iowa topped Michigan, 72-54, on the road its last time out on Thursday. All five starters hit double-figures for the Hawkeyes, who snapped a three-game losing skid with the win.

• Aaron White and Jarrod Uthoff lead Iowa offensively, posting 15.0 and 11.6 points per game, respectively. Iowa leads the Big Ten in offensive rebounds, notching 12.8 per contest. White and Uthoff both average more than six rebounds per outing.

• Maryland leads the all-time series, 2-1. Iowa topped Maryland, 71-60, in the semfinals of the NIT in 2013.

Boarded Up

• Maryland ranks second in the Big Ten in defensive rebounds, posting 26.8 per game.

• Getting to the boards has been a total team effort for the Terrapins in 2014-15 as eight different players have led Maryland in rebounds throughout the season.

• Jake Layman has led the squad in rebounds 12 times and is third in the Big Ten in rebounds, averaging 6.9 boards per game, including a career-high 13 against Rutgers on Jan. 14. He posted a game-high nine against Penn State on Wednesday.

Meet the B1g: iowa

Final Four Appearances: Three
NCAA Tournament Appearances: 23
Head Coach: Fran McCaffery
Venue: Carver-Hawkeye Arena (15,400)
Current NBA Players: Devyn Marble (Orlando Magic), Reggie Evans (Sacramento Kings)

Get to know the big Ten conference

Big Ten has had seven First Team AP All-Americans over the last five years…same as ACC, SEC, Big 12 and Pac 12 COMBINED
Big Ten has had two of the past five Wooden Award winners
Big Ten has more NCAA Tournament appearances over last five years than any conference (31)
Big Ten has more Sweet 16 appearances over last five years than any conference (16)…SEC is second closest with 10
Big Ten leads all conferences with nearly 5 million alumni and more than 460,000 students.

Flyers-Capitals Preview (3PM Start)

With Braden Holtby playing some of the best hockey of his career, the points are starting to pile up for the Washington Capitals.

Looking to extend their win streak to four, the Capitals and a well-rested Holtby play host Sunday to a Philadelphia Flyers team which desperately needs to make up ground in the Eastern Conference playoff chase.

Washington (28-15-10) has bounced back from a four-game losing streak Jan. 16-27 by earning points in five of its last six after matching a season-best three-game win streak with a 3-2 shootout victory over Anaheim on Friday.

The line of Troy Brouwer, Jason Chimera and Evgeny Kuznetsov had a hand in both regulation goals - scored by Chimera and defenseman John Carlson - before Kuznetsov scored in the shootout.

"That second line, they had the puck a lot and they were generating chances," defenseman Matt Niskanen said. "It's nice to see them get rewarded."

The win came with Holtby getting a night off after four consecutive outstanding performances. Instead, Philipp Grubnauer was called up from AHL Hershey and won in his first appearance this season.

Fresh and rested, Holtby figures to start Sunday. He shut out Pittsburgh on Jan. 28 and Los Angeles on Tuesday, and has a 0.49 goals-against average in his last four games. Holtby's 2.14 overall GAA ranks among the best in the NHL.

He has been equally exceptional of late behind a solid penalty kill, which has held the opposition without a power-play goal in the last 17 chances with him on the ice.

Philadelphia (22-22-8) could challenge that unit. The Flyers have scored on 23.3 percent of their man-advantage opportunities, but following a stretch of 13 power-play goals in 12 games, have gone without one in their last two.

At even strength, however, Holtby could prove too strong for the Flyers, who rank in the bottom half of the NHL with 2.69 goals per game. They have just three goals in their last two and were blanked 1-0 by Holtby in their last meeting with Washington on Jan. 14.

Philadelphia's playoff hopes are dim but remain alive thanks to a season-best four-game win streak Jan. 20-31. The Flyers had five days off after extending the run and returned Thursday with a 3-2 shootout loss to the New York Islanders.

"I don't think we were happy with the overall effort in tonight's game, but my job's not to worry about what's going on, just make the save," goaltender Steve Mason said. "I didn't make enough of them, obviously."

Mason has been superb since Jan. 2, posting a 1.51 GAA, and his .925 save percentage this season stands as a career best.

Philadelphia sits more than four games out of the playoff picture and 12 points behind Washington, which currently owns third place in the Metropolitan Division.

"It's a good opportunity for us to kind of bury them behind us," Niskanen told the Capitals' official website. "They're probably looking at that game Sunday as their last chance to get things going in the right direction if they're going to come back, because we are one of the teams that they've got to catch."

Prior to Holtby's shutout, the Capitals had dropped four straight to the Flyers.

Claude Giroux has seven goals and eight assists in his last nine against Washington, while Jakub Voracek had seven goals over five games in the series before the Jan. 14 loss.

Alex Ovechkin has 28 goals in 35 career games against Philadelphia.