Maryland Beats Penn State 75-69 For 7th Straight Win
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COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) - Freshman Bruno Fernando had 17 points and 11 rebounds, Anthony Cowan Jr. scored 18 and Maryland rallied past Penn State 75-69 on Tuesday night for its seventh straight victory.
Kevin Huerter scored all 13 of his points in the final 12 minutes to fuel the comeback, and Michal Cekovsky contributed 10 points and six rebounds for the Terrapins (13-3, 2-1 Big Ten).
Mike Watkins had 17 points and a career-high 17 rebounds for Penn State (11-5, 1-2). The Nittany Lions took only four foul shots and were outscored 23-2 at the line.
Tony Carr finished with 16 points and eight assists for Penn State, but he missed 17 of 23 shots.
Maryland trailed 61-56 with just over six minutes left before scoring nine straight points to take the lead for the first time since early in the second half.
Huerter made two foul shots, Darryl Morsell connected from beyond the arc, Cekovsky dunked off an offensive rebound and Morsell capped the surge with a driving layup.
A 3-pointer by Josh Reaves made it 71-69 with 22 seconds left, but Cowan followed with two free throws to clinch it.
Fernando, a 6-foot-10 forward, played a career-high 32 minutes. His importance to the Terrapins rose significantly after coach Mark Turgeon announced last week that forwards Justin Jackson (shoulder) and Ivan Bender (knee) are lost for the season.
Morsell missed his first eight shots and finished with nine points on 2 for 10 shooting.
Maryland will put its winning streak on the line Thursday night against top-ranked Michigan State, the Terrapins' first road game since a Dec. 3 overtime win at Illinois.
Penn State missed its first eight tries from beyond the arc, then hit three straight to end the half and take a 34-30 lead.
Watkins had eight points and eight rebounds, and Cowan scored 11 in 20 minutes.
BIG PICTURE
Penn State: An excellent effort on the road in a conference game should help the Nittany Lions get over a home loss to Rider on Dec. 22 and let them know they can compete on the road in the conference.
Maryland: The Terrapins are going to have plenty more close games in the Big Ten, and this can only help them prepare for that. Their three conference games thus far have been decided by a total of 12 points.
UP NEXT
Penn State: Hosts Northwestern on Friday night. In only meeting last year, Wildcats won by 10.
Maryland: Terps are facing a Michigan State team on Thursday that this week climbed to top spot in AP Top 25 for the first time since 2015-16.
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