The Maryland Terrapins struggled with the Wake Forest Demon Deacons for the first 30 minutes before pulling away down the stretch for a 75-62 win to advance to the second round of the ACC tournament.
Dez Wells lead the Terps with 21 points, which included an array of dunks and athletic moves to get to the basket. It was a very efficient scoring output, as Wells shot 7-10 from the field to lead the offensive attack.
Pe'Shon Howard was a difference-maker, scoring a season-high 10 points and committing just one turnover. The Terps as a team took great care of the ball in the second half, and that was likely the difference in the game. Maryland finished with just 12 turnovers, and the large majority of them came in a sloppy first half from both teams.
Seth Allen and Alex Len both seemed more active than they have been of late and were solid contributors in the victory. If the Terps want any chance at winning the ACC tournament, they will have to get quality contributions from both Len and Allen.
Five Maryland players scored in double figures, four of them being starters. Turgeon once again tinkered with his starting lineup, giving senior James Padgett the nod over Jake Layman, who had a very quiet night.
The Terps had a good shooting night after a slow start, knocked down 7 of 15 from three-point range and making 22 of their 29 attempts from the free throw line. Any time Maryland can keep the turnovers down and shoot well from behind the arc, they are a tough team to beat.
Maryland remains well off the bubble and likely needs to win the ACC tournament to get into the NCAA tournament. Duke awaits the Terps, which will certainly be a huge test. It will be the first time Maryland faces Duke this year with Ryan Kelly in the lineup.
The Terps do have the advantage of already having played a game, which allowed them to get into a rhythm and get used to the Greensboro Coliseum. They also match up well with Duke because they dwarf them in size, meaning Maryland can pound the boards against a poor rebounding team. If the Terps can limit Duke from the three-point line and keep the turnovers at a minimum, they have a shot to pull the upset.
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