COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) -- Melo
Trimble scored 19 points, and No. 14 Maryland beat Michigan 66-56 Saturday
to complete an undefeated season at home in the Big Ten.
A gritty defensive battle turned in the Terrapins' favor
late in the first half, and Maryland (24-5, 12-4) never trailed over the final
20 minutes.
The Terrapins finished 18-1 at home - the only defeat
against Top 10 Virginia on Dec. 3. Maryland's 9-0 mark at home in the Big Ten
includes Tuesday's win over fifth-ranked Wisconsin, the conference leader. It is
the first time Maryland has wrapped up its conference slate at home with an
undefeated record since the 2001-02 season.
Dez
Wells had 13 points, six rebounds and six turnovers in his final home game
at Maryland. The Terps honored their seven-member senior class which included Spencer
Barks, Jon
Graham, Richaud
Pack, Varun
Ram, Evan
Smotrycz, Jacob
Susskind and Wells prior to tipoff.
“Obviously, it was a great day for us. To be able to play everybody and honor every senior, it was hard to do. A lot of good things happened today. A lot of the seniors played well for us. We got everybody in and we finished 9-0 in the league at home, which is hard to do," head coach Mark Turgeon said. "Our fans would not let us lose so that is why you come to Maryland; to be a part of that. We got one chapter out of the way as we move forward through the rest of the season.”
Zak Irvin led Michigan (14-14, 7-9) with 15 points. The
Wolverines went 19 for 52 from the floor, including 5 for 21 beyond the arc, in
losing for the sixth time in seven games.
Maryland let an eight-point lead shrink to 43-40 before
Trimble sandwiched a pair of three-pointers around a basket by Irvin to make it
49-42.
It was 49-44 before Wells hit a jumper and Trimble sank
three foul shots for a 10-point cushion with 5:18 remaining. Soon after that,
3-pointers by Jake
Layman and Wells made it 60-48.
That was enough to assure the Terrapins their fifth straight
win. They won the previous four by a total of 15 points.
Maryland closed the first half with a 12-0 run for a 30-21
lead. Trimble, Layman and Pack contributed three-pointers to the surge.
Before that, the game featured four ties and eight lead
changes.
Michigan shot 32 percent from the floor before the break,
missed eight of nine attempts from beyond the arc and went scoreless over the
final four minutes, 57 seconds.
Maryland travels to Rutgers on Tuesday and Nebraska next
Sunday as it wraps up the regular season with a pair of games on the
road.
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