John Matthews
SPOKANE, WASH — (WMAL) For a team that had gone off the rails in recent weeks, it sure felt nice for Maryland to be back on track.
The one-time top-ranked Terps overcame early-game doldrums to finally pull away from Hawaii, 73 – 60 Sunday, to advance to the round of 16 in the NCAA college basketball championships.
The fifth-seeded Terps’ turnaround started early in the second half after the team missed its first 15 3-point attempts and found itself trailing the 13th seeded Rainbow Warriors, 41 – 39, when Melo Trimble finally connected from beyond the stripe to launch a 14-0 Maryland run that finally broke the game open.
“When that shot went down, it made everybody loose,” said the Terps’ Rasheed Sulaimon.
Trimble went on to lead the Terps with 24 points. Center Diamond Stone added 14 more for Maryland, which will now travel to Louisville to take on top-seeded Kansas Thursday night in the South region semi-finals. The Jayhawks advanced on Saturday, beating Connecticut, 73 – 61.
Maryland coach Mark Turgeon said making the round of 16 was satisfying after the Terps’ recent run of losses.
“To be a part of the Sweet 16 is a big step for us,” Turgeon said. “We feel good about ourselves.”
In taking on Kansas, Turgeon will be facing off against his alma mater. He was the first Kansas player to play in four straight NCAA tournaments, including a trip to the Final Four with the Jayhawks in 1986.
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