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  • Maryland Men's Basketball Is Moving On After Outlasting A Battle-Worn West Virginia, 67-65

Maryland Men's Basketball Is Moving On After Outlasting A Battle-Worn West Virginia, 67-65

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Basketball

In an NCAA Tournament game that truly lived up to the billing of 'survive and advance,' Maryland outlasted West Virginia in the opening game of the First Round, 67-65, at Legacy Arena on Thursday afternoon.

In winning the back-and-forth affair, the Terrapins (22-12) have now won their first game of the NCAA Tournament on 15 of the last 16 occasions, dating back to 1997. Eighth-seeded Maryland will take on the winner, No. 1 seed Alabama/No. 16 Texas A&M Corpus Christi, on Saturday, March 18. The game time and television information will be announced late on Thursday. 

Julian Reese led the Terps with 17 points and nine rebounds. Hakim Hart had 15 points, including the go-ahead basket with 3:30 left, four assists, and three rebounds.

Donta Scott scored 11 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Don Carey connected on 3-of-6 three-pointers and scored nine points. 

With the game tied at 59-59, a crazy sequence finished with a Hakim Hart dunk after the ball bounced back and forth between both teams. That put the Terps up 61-59 with 3:30 left. After that, Maryland led the rest of the way. 

Trailing by as many as 13 points early on, the Terps rallied back to lead 32-30 at halftime, thanks to a 16-2 run. 

In the second half, the Terps opened an early seven-point lead at 38-31 before West Virginia reeled off 16 points, with Kedrian Johnson scoring 13 of them to put the Mountaineers ahead by nine, 47-38 with 15 minutes left. Maryland then scored nine points in a row to even the game, setting up a wild finish. 

An incredible physical game featured 41 total fouls. 

West Virginia finished its season with a 19-15 record. Kedrian Johnson led the Mountaineers with 26 points. 

Breaking Down The Action

  • West Virginia jumped out to a 16-4 lead nine minutes into the game. Maryland used a 7-0 run keyed by a Don Carey triple to get back to within six at 19-13. A three-point play by Patrick Emilien cut the deficit to two at 21-19 with 6:42 left in the first half. A 16-2 run by the Terps put them in front 22-21 on a Young three-pointer with six minutes left in the first half. 
  • The Terps made 9 of their final 13 shots from the floor to end the half and shot 55 percent over the first 20 minutes to lead 32-30 at halftime. Hart and Young each had seven points in the first half. Maryland settled down after committing six turnovers in the first six minutes, only committing two miscues over the final 14 minutes. 
  • In the second half, a Carey three-point put the Terps ahead 38-31. West Virginia responded with a 16-0 run – with Johnson scoring 13 of the points in the spurt – to lead 47-38 with 15:25 left in the game. A Carey triple ended the run. 
  • The Terps answered with nine points in a row to regain the lead at 52-51 with nine minutes to go in the game. 
  • And Erik Stevenson's three with 5:45 put the Mountaineers up 59-56. Scott answered with a triple to tie the game. The Terps regained a two-point edge at 61-59 after a crazy sequence of hot potato where Hakim Hart finished with a dunk with 3:30 left and a 61-59 Terps' lead. A monster dunk by Reese with 2:45 left put the Terps up 64-59.

NCAA Tournament History

  • The Terps have a 44-28 all-time record in their 30th NCAA Tournament.
  • . The Terps have reached the Sweet Sixteen 14 times, the Elite Eight four times, the Final Four twice, and won the NCAA National Championship title in 2002. Most recently, Maryland defeated Connecticut in the 2021 East Regional first round before falling to Alabama. 
  • The Terrapins have now won 15 of their last 16 opening-round games dating back to 1997. The NCAA Tournament bid marks Maryland's sixth appearance in the last seven applicable years. It would be the seventh appearance in eight years if the 2020 tournament had not been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Up Next

  • The Terps will take on the winner of No. 1 seed Alabama/No. 16 seed Texas A&M Corpus Christi on Saturday, March 18. The time and television information will be announced late on Thursday.