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| (above) DU student Adam Hammerman and his family were supporting the Pioneers in Maryland yesterday |
COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Maryland used a small lineup to mount a big comeback in a 62-52 victory over Denver on Thursday night in the second round of the NIT.
Dez Wells scored 19 points for the Terrapins, who closed with a 23-4 run after trailing 48-39 with 9:15 left.
“Our kids battled. We didn’t want the season to end,” coach Mark Turgeon said. “Our big lineup couldn’t guard them so we went small. We went five guards.”
Wells fueled the surge with nine points. It was the sixth game in 12 days for the Terrapins (24-12), who won’t play again until next week against either Alabama or Stanford.
“We’re gassed,” Turgeon said. “Our guys just had guts. That’s a really good win for us after what we’ve been through.”
Chris Udofia scored 24 for the Pioneers (22-10), including 19 during a first half that featured three ties and 12 lead changes. But he got his third foul with 17:55 left and fourth with 8:37 to go.
“Obviously, foul trouble on Udofia was a key factor for us,” Pioneers coach Joe Scott said. “But they made the plays they had to make, they made the foul shots, and we didn’t.”
Seeking its 12th win in 13 games, Denver appeared poised for an upset as the second half wore on. It was 33-all before Marcus Byrd drilled a 3-pointer to spark a 15-6 spree that included a three-point play and a 3-pointer by Brett Olsen.
And then Maryland began its comeback with 7-foot-1 Alex Len and 6-8 James Padgett on the bench.
“We were desperate,” Turgeon said. “We couldn’t guard them. They had complete control of the game and our post guys couldn’t score against them. So we tried to spread them out, try to drive on them and get to the foul line.”
Maryland used five straight free throws to launch the decisive run. A runner by Seth Allen put the Terrapins up 51-50 with 4:09 remaining, the first time they led after halftime.
Turgeon was pressed to remember the last time he used a lineup of five guards for that long.
“I coached a JV team at Kansas where my power forward was 6-2 and sometimes he played center,” Turgeon said. “I’m sure we did it there.”
Despite the loss, Scott believed his team benefited from its two-game run in the NIT.
“The future is bright,” he said, “and this type of experience is the thing that can get you going in the direction you want to go.”
8 comments:
Congrats to the DU hoopers on a fine performance. Game was infinitely closer than the final score. Announcers were VERY complimentary to DU team. I was proud to be a Pioneer, even though we have an autocratic despot for a Chancellor and no official mascot.
losers, just like coooooombe
Heroic effort by DU.
Maryland set us up like Ali doing the rope-a-dope.
Full court press all game long. Then switching to five guards and chasing us all over the court with 10 minutes to play.
Once DU's legs went all wobbly, the three pointers stopped falling.
Udofia was a stud. No doubt this was "Statement Game" at DU
Great game. Our outside shooting and free throws were killers. I think that all goes to depth and tired legs. Next year we will have more depth.
Olson was so good all year but I think he was out of gas. I kept waiting for him to start nailing three's but it just never happened.
Can't wait to see who we add to our non-conference schedule next year to build a decent RPI. I expect a better start.
Cloooooooooooooooooooooozers
Hell of a game, hell of a season for DU. DU just couldn't make a shot at the end. Maryland made shots and seemed to have a little more gas in the tank late in the game.
The future is bright for DU hoops.
I was at the game last night and wanted to give your team, and fans, some respect. You had a lot more fans there than I expected. When you were winning, your fans were loud. I thought having a huge height advantage would help us but it didn't. You're forwards were killing our bigs. The Above poster was correct in saying we wore you down. We have a lot of depth on our bench and play 10 guys. The turning point was the technical foul. After that your team didn't seem to have much left. Good luck to your team next it looks like you are going to be a lot better.
Scott may have come up with the new mascot: Autocratic Despot. The costume should be based on
Senorita Incompetence, head of Homeland Security. During intermissions, Autocratic Despot could shit on DU traditions. Make fun of our athletic patrimony. Worry about the opinions of people who wouldn't know the difference between a Pioneer and a Pie Chart.
And, most importantly, show zero respect for alumni, while at the same time picking their pockets.
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