No. 10 seed Maryland men’s basketball unable to survive three-point barrage from No. 2 seed Alabama in NCAA Tournament Round of 32 loss

(Photo Courtesy of Maryland Athletics.)

Darryl Morsell drove difficult to the handbasket as his shot was blocked by Juwan Gary, prompting the Crimson Tide to button the pace in transition. Off the miss, baby-sit John Piffling Jr, splashed the triple on the feed from Jordan Shackelford.

Petty followed that up with a second 3 every bit Shackelford added two triples— a microcosm of the consistent iii-point barrage that defined the Crimson Tide's crime all night.

Those four threes ballooned Alabama'due south pb from xi to 23 in a 2:34 span, part of a 14-0 run that gave the Scarlet Tide a stranglehold on the game. Thriving off of their 15 offensive rebounds, which created second-chance opportunities, the Crimson Tide splashed 16 triples in the 96-77 victory.

Alabama's brawl motion and speedy driving ability had Maryland's defence force over rotating at times and struggling to contain the Crimson Tide throughout.  Jahvon Quinerly and Petty'south quickness off the dribble allowed Alabama to space the floor, making the Terps' pay for late rotations defensively.

"Quinerly was off the charts," head coach Marking Turgeon said. "I mean, he controlled the whole game. We couldn't continue him in front of us. They were all making shots. It'southward hard to come help. They spaced the flooring well."

Shackelford and Niggling combined for 41 points, while Quinerly added 14 points and 11 assists, the lead facilitator in the Crimson Tide'southward attack.

Aaron Wiggins was Maryland's biggest bright spot with a career-high 27 points on xi-17 shooting giving the Terps offense a spark throughout.

Maryland's criminal offense enjoyed i of its better shooting performances of the season at 53%, only Alabama'due south consistency and step proved too much. Eric Ayala, Morsell and Donta Scott each scored in double figures, as Maryland attempted to climb back in the game.

Despite Alabama's impressive shooting throughout, it was Maryland'southward law-breaking who shined in the opening seven minutes making eight of its first 13 shots, including seven consecutive makes.

The Terps early on offense was effective sharing the ball from side-to-side moving off-ball with well-timed cuts. Additionally, three of those early baskets came off Crimson Tide turnovers that allowed Maryland to have advantage of fast pause opportunities.

Even so, with 13 minutes remaining in the first half, Turgeon brought in Reese Mona, Galin Smith and Jairus Hamilton off the demote to requite his starters a breather. With 3 of Maryland's starters on the bench, the Crimson Tide capitalized, orchestrating a 15-four run to take a 27-22 lead with 8:54 remaining in the kickoff one-half.

"They constitute a rhythm," Morsell said. "We got out early and then they plant their rhythm, started hitting shots, and never stopped missing shots."

That prolific offensive stretch epitomized Alabama's success pushing the pace catalyzed by their consistent perimeter shot making. Alex Reese galvanized the Crimson Tide'southward law-breaking with a pair of triples during the run, some other shining example of Alabama's confidence from three.

That five-out lineup from Alabama stretched the floor and allowed Alabma'due south guards more driving lanes to kick out to open shooters. Despite Alabama's dynamic criminal offense, Wiggins and Jairus Hamilton kept the Terps within hit distance with impressive perimeter shooting of their own.

The duo combined to knock down five triples in the final five minutes of the beginning half, trimming Alabama's lead to eight at the suspension. Maryland shot 50% from the field in the opening 20 minutes led by Wiggins 13 points, but the -ten margin on the glass and Alabama's 8 made threes were the primary reasons the Terps trailed.

Unfortunately for Maryland, Alabama's three-betoken shooting prowess only intensified at the start of the 2nd half as the Crimson Tide executed a 19-4 run in the opening v minutes powered by five triples.

"Nosotros just couldn't go anything going offensively during that stretch either and they were making some tough ones," Turgeon said of the run. "They're expert when they get going."

At present leading by 23, Maryland was in an uphill battle the residuum of the competition looking to put together consistent stops. After scoring 5 consecutive points trimming the arrears to xviii, Petty answered with some other triple this fourth dimension from the left corner with a hand in face relinquishing Maryland's brief momentum.

For the remainder of the competition, Maryland wasn't able to trim the deficit to less than xvi. Wiggins continued his efficient starting time half with strong moves attacking the basket and confident perimeter shooting, but Maryland couldn't combine consequent stops with long scoring runs to complete the comeback.

With just over a minute remaining, Turgeon emptied his bench as five all starters came out of the game. In a warm cover with their teammates and coaches, the Terps' starters could only spotter as the final buzzer sounded.

Although upset with the result, that embrace carried into the locker room where Maryland reflected back on the consistent toughness and grittiness that divers a season where they continued to defy the odds and silence their doubters.

"I told our guys, don't let this night ruin what you accomplished," Turgeon said. "Let's talk about all the great things."

"It'southward the grittiest grouping of guys I ever played basketball game with," Morsell added. "I think we go down in my record books as the grittiest team e'er to put on that Maryland jersey. I tin't do nothing but applaud these guys."

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Source: http://wmucsports.net/no-10-seed-maryland-mens-basketball-unable-to-survive-three-point-barrage-from-no-2-seed-alabama-in-ncaa-tournament-round-of-32-loss/

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