Second Half Surge Carries No. 5 Terrapins Past Harvard
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Anthony Cowan Jr. scored 17 of his 20 points in the second half to help No. 5 Maryland remain unbeaten with an 80-73 victory over Harvard in the semifinals of the Orlando Invitational on Friday.
The Terps will face the winner of Marquette/USC in the Orlando Invitational finals Sunday at 1:00 pm.
It marks Maryland's third 7-0 start under Turgeon and fourth overall since 2000.
Cowan followed up on a 30-point performance in the previous day's come-from-behind win over Temple with 10 points and an assist during a 12-4 burst that sparked a game-closing surge by the Terrapins (7-0), who have won seven straight to begin a season for the first time in three years.
Jalen Smith had 15 points and 10 rebounds and Aaron Wiggins, Darryl Morsell and Eric Ayala scored 13 apiece for Maryland, which will play Marquette or USC in Sunday's championship game at Disney World.
Bryce Aiken led Harvard (5-3) with 30 points, but the Crimson missed 18 of 26 attempts from behind the 3-point arc and didn't have enough muscle or firepower to hold off the Terps after leading by as many as 11 in the opening half. Noah Kirkwood finished with 12 points and Robert Baker had 11.
It marked the first career double-double for Morsell (13pts/12rebs), while it was Smith's (15pts/10rebs) fourth of the season in seven games.
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Maryland: Plays Marquette or USC in Sunday's championship game.
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