Before Maryland men’s basketball made the trip to Brooklyn for its matchup against No. 20 Florida, interim coach Danny Manning preached confidence.
Maryland has struggled offensively so far this season but Manning’s message was clear: be fearless and don’t hesitate to shoot.
The Terps followed Manning’s guidance, shooting 49% from the floor while senior guard Eric Ayala looked like his old self in escaping with a 70-68 win over the Gators at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, on Sunday.
With 16 seconds left and the game tied at 68, junior forward Donta Scott made a contested shot in the paint to give the Terps a two-point advantage. Florida guard Tyree Appleby’s potential game-winning 3-pointer clanked off the rim, and the Terps secured the rebound as time expired before celebrating Manning’s first win as the interim coach.
Ayala, who was 2-for-12 against Northwestern, finished with 19 points on 6-for-11 shooting. Graduate student point guard Fatts Russell matched him with 19 points while making all three of his 3-pointers, Scott added 12 points and four rebounds and junior guard Hakim Hart added 11 points.
Maryland had one of its best offensive performances this season despite Florida’s rigid defense, which forced the Terps to commit 14 turnovers that resulted in 20 points. The Gators’ hands were active throughout the game, generating seven steals, and they shut down junior forward Qudas Wahab by holding him to one point and eight rebounds.
Thanks to timely shooting and Maryland’s ability to get to the free-throw line — it finished 14-for-18 — the Terps were able to take a 13-10 lead with 11:54 remaining in the first half.
Maryland was up one when Scott’s pass was stolen by Florida’s Brandon McKissic and CJ Felder nailed a 3-pointer at the other end, giving the Gators a 23-21 lead.
With 4:56 remaining in the half, Hart got going. He fought off the double-team to convert a layup while getting fouled. After the Gators took a 26-24 lead. Hart buried a 3-pointer to put Maryland ahead.
Russell’s basket gave the Terps a 33-28 lead before Florida scored five unanswered points to even the score at halftime. The first half featured five ties and seven lead changes.
After Florida jumped out to a four-point lead in the second half, Russell nailed a 3-pointer. The Rhode Island transfer drew an offensive foul and set up a 3-pointer from Ayala, which gave Maryland a 41-39 lead with 15:58 left.
Ayala continued being aggressive, as he backed down Florida guard Myreon Jones then made a layup to give the Terps a 43-39 lead.
Russell’s third 3-pointer of the game gave the Terps their largest lead of seven points with 6:26 left. However, the Gators converted back-to-back shots from outside to cut the deficit to one.
Ayala took control when he drove to the basket for a contested layup. Moments later, he drew a foul while converting a tough basket inside to give the Terps a 64-58 lead with 3:45 to go.
Florida’s Phlandrous Fleming Jr. made a pair of free throws before Anthony Duruji made a layup while getting fouled to cut Maryland’s lead to 65-63 with 2:05 left. Appleby hit a 3-pointer to give the Gators a one-point lead.
Russell responded quickly as he drove to the rim and scored the go-ahead basket while drawing a foul on a layup. Duruji’s layup at the other end tied the game before Scott scored a tough basket for that ended up being the game-winner.
Maryland has nearly a two-week break before its next game against Loyola Maryland at home on Dec. 28.
LOYOLA MARYLAND@MARYLAND
Dec. 28, 8:30 p.m.
