COLLEGE PARK, Md. _ There was plenty of inspiration for a struggling Maryland men's basketball team to draw from Saturday night against Iowa. Along with a raucous sellout crowd, there were the school's two Final Four teams and its Hall of Fame former coach.
None of that seemed to faze the Hawkeyes.
Led by freshmen Jordan Bohannon and Tyler Cook, Iowa torched Maryland's defense from 3-point range and manhandled the Terps inside en route to a never-in-doubt 83-69 victory.
It got so bad that for the first time this season, the Terps were booed by their own fans at home in the second half when Iowa reserve Nicholas Baer missed a shot and scored on a drive after not being boxed out.
The loss was the second straight blowout for Maryland (22-7, 10-6 Big Ten), following Minnesota's 14-point win at Xfinity Center on Wednesday. The Terps have lost three in a row for the first time since the 2011-12 season.
Bohannon, a 6-foot point guard who came into the game averaging 9.2 points per game and shooting 37 percent from 3-point range, led Iowa (16-13, 8-8) with a career-high 24 points. He shot 8-for-13, including 8-for-10 on 3s, to go with five assists.
Cook, a 6-9 forward who was averaging 11. 8 points per game, scored 15 of his 21 points in the first half and grabbed 10 rebounds. Senior Peter Jok, the Big Ten's leading scorer at 21 points per game, finished with just 11.
Maryland's freshmen, who played a big part in the team's 20-2 start (8-1 in the Big Ten), could not match Iowa's twosome. Kevin Huerter finished with 13 points and five assists, Anthony Cowan scored 11 and Justin Jackson scored nine.
Junior guard Melo Trimble, who seemingly had broken out of a prolonged shooting slump in recent road games at Northwestern and Wisconsin, continued his cold shooting against Minnesota (4-for-12, 1-for-6 on 3s).
Against Iowa, Trimble finished with just 10 points on 4-for-13 shooting, missing his first five 3s before hitting a corner 3-pointer midway through the second half. He made just one of nine 3-pointers overall.
It marked Maryland's fifth loss at home this season _ the fourth in eight games compared to a 6-2 road record during that time _ which could have a significant impact on the team's postseason seedings in the Big Ten and NCAA Tournaments.
The Terps, who two weeks ago were in contention with Purdue and Wisconsin for a Big Ten championship, now are in danger of dropping beyond the top four spots and a first-round bye in the conference tournament.
Having dropped from being ranked 17th going into its loss at home to the Boilermakers, Maryland will likely finish the season unranked and could plummet, possibly to a No. 8 or No. 9 seed in the NCAA Tournament after this stretch of five losses in seven games.
The Terps, whose defense let them down in the second half of their past two losses, continued to struggle Saturday.
After starting out with a block by Damonte Dodd and a steal by Huerter, Maryland watched as Iowa scored on four straight possessions to set the tone for the first half.
The Terps hung in there for a while, behind the 3-point shooting of reserves Jared Nickens _ who hit back-to-back 3s from opposite corners _ and Jaylen Brantley. After a 3-pointer by Huerter cut Iowa's lead to 28-27, the Hawkeyes went on a run.
Led by Cook, Iowa stretched its lead to as many as 11 at 45-34. Trailing by 10, Maryland cut the lead to seven, 47-40, at halftime after two free throws by Jok, a free throw by Trimble and a steal-and-layup off the press by Brantley.
Jok had a quiet half, finishing with just eight points and one rebound. But Trimble was nearly silent, with just three points on 1-for-5 shooting, including 0-for-4 on 3s.
The Hawkeyes finished the half making eight of 12 3-pointers, including four of five by Bohannon. Cook finished the half with 15 points _ he also missed two dunks _ to go with seven rebounds.
The introduction of the two Final Four teams, who drew the loudest ovations of the night, did not do much to inspire the current Terps. After a 3-pointer by Huerter cut the deficit to four to start the second half, the Hawkeyes stretched their lead back to 11.
In fact, Turgeon didn't even wait for the under-16-minute media break to bring his team together, calling timeout with 16:06 left in the game. Brantley immediately turned it over out of the timeout and Bohannon hit his third 3 of the half to make it a 14-point deficit.
The margin stretched as wide as 22 with just under four minutes remaining.
