Terrapins vs Wildcats coverage
After falling behind at halftime and by as much as 12 in the 2nd half, the Villanova Wildcats came back to defeat the Maryland Terrapins by the score of 74-66 at The Well. Maalik Wayns led the way with 22 points while Corey Fisher scored 17 to offset Maryland star Jordan Williams and his 25 points and 14 rebounds.
17, 477 fans packed the arena on Saturday to watch the Wildcats come storming back with a 19-0 run late in the game, a run that held Maryland scoreless for around 7 minutes. After holding 'Nova in check for most of the 2nd half, one of the nation's top defenses was torn to shreds for the rest of the game.
This one was in serious doubt for 'Nova for a long time, but the team showed great character to lock the Terps down defensively while fighting back on the offensive end.
Quick Thoughts:
- What a game for Corey Fisher - he was in the heart of that run to turn the game on its head. He had two big three-pointers and a great finish in traffic to spur the run.
- Not a good sign that we went up against an elite big man and struggled for much of the day. I was hoping for a stronger game from Mouphtaou Yarou.
- Antonio Pena had the quietest 14 points I've ever seen. He was knocking down seemingly ever 15-footer he took. I love that we can be confident in that shot. We missed that part of the offense last season.
- Isaiah Armwood is a beast on the glass. He was a problem for Maryland all afternoon and his career-high 13 rebounds (Pena had 10 and Mouph had 11) helped pace the way to a 40-30 rebound advantage. You could tell Williams was frustrated by Zeek.
- Maalik Wayns started off the game on a good note with 2 quick hoops and effectively killed off the game with a late 3 that put it out of reach for Maryland.
- Villanova's defense in the middle of the second half on Williams was great. Took him out of the game completely and Maryland had know idea what to do.
- This was clearly the trap-game that everyone thought it was going to be, and it's a testament to the leadership on this team that even when they were getting their butts kicked by being outworked, they were able to turn the game on its head and register an important 'W.'
More thoughts coming tomorrow on this win. Also check out Testudo Times for post-game coverage.