COLLEGE PARK, Md. _ Maryland fans have grown accustomed to their team starting flat in big games and spending the rest of the night playing catchup, often clawing out a victory at the end.
On a Friday night when coach Mark Turgeon's hot team got off to a frigid start and fell behind as many as 14 points in the first half against No. 22 Indiana, the Terps followed a familiar script.
But led by sophomore center Bruno Fernando, who finished with a career-high 25 points and 13 rebounds, Maryland used a 16-0 run early in the second half to beat the Hoosiers, 78-75.
The victory was the fifth straight for Maryland (14-3, 5-1 Big Ten), and the second straight in a matchup with a Top 25 team after a run of 12 straight defeats to ranked opponents over three seasons.
Freshman guard Romeo Langford led Indiana (12-4, 3-2) with 28 points, tying a career high. Langford scored 20 points in the second half to give the Hoosiers any hopes of not being blown out.
Maryland junior guard Anthony Cowan Jr. had a terrific second half for the second straight game.
Though not as dominant as when he scored 23 of his career-high 27 points Tuesday at Minnesota, Cowan had 16 of his 24 points in the second half Friday night. He also had seven assists and five rebounds.
Given the two recent wins over ranked teams, the win should put Maryland back in the Top 25 for the first time since the Terps lost to Purdue in early December.
As much as Langford lived up to the hype that followed him from high school, fellow freshman phenom Jalen Smith had a forgettable night offensively.
Smith finished with just two points, a pair of second-half free throws, and missed all nine shots he took from the field, including a breakaway dunk in the first half. He did have 10 rebounds.
