Bob Haynie: Stone And Terps Swat Away Nebraska
Once again, the Nebraska Cornhuskers made life tough for Mark Turgeon and his Maryland Terrapins on the hardwood. The Terps played the Cornhuskers twice during the 2015-16 season and both times the games were tight.
Wednesday night it was more of the same at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Nebraska played hard and made Maryland sweat for most of the contest. Unfortunately, for the Cornhuskers, it was more of the same when it came to the outcome.
Led by Melo Trimble's 20 points and Diamond Stone's double-double, the Terps emerged with a 70-65 triumph for their 20th win of the season. Maryland and Nebraska have now played three times as Big Ten foes and all three games have been decided by five points or less.
And all three games have been won by Maryland.
The unflappable Trimble scored 14 of his 20 points in the second as Maryland held off every Nebraska charge. If you need a 3-pointer in the clutch, Trimble is your man.
Stone, the outstanding freshman big man, finished with 16 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high eight blocked shots. The McDonald's All-American has now scored in double figures in 16 of his last 19 games. This kid is already a polished offensive player and he is only going to get better.
Stone had eight of Maryland's 13 blocks as a team which helped offset the 18 turnovers they committed against the pesky Cornhuskers. If the Terps want to last long in March, valuing the basketball needs to be a priority. A hot shooting team will bury you if you keep turning it over.
Forward Jared Nickens showed signs of life as he was 4-for-7 from the field and 3-for-6 from three-point land. For the evening, Maryland shot 51% from the floor and 43.8% from beyond the arc.
Next up for the Terps is 18th-ranked Purdue at the XFINITY Center on Saturday afternoon. The Boilermakers are big, good and 7-3 in the Big Ten.
It will be another strong test for the Terps as they make their way to the top of the conference and make a run at a top seed in the NCAA Tournament.