In a tale of two halves, No. 9 Maryland rallies to secure its seventh consecutive win.

By: Nathan Snell

Last year, around this time, Maryland and George Mason faced one another in the Navy Classic Tournament. That game, which Maryland won, showed a lot of grit from George Mason. Sunday afternoon, in their seventh home game stretch, they faced George Mason.

The Terrapins could not find their footing in the first half of the game. A couple of defensive possessions late in the second quarter and a strong second half, the Terrapins found their stride, defeating George Mason 84-62.

Let’s break down the game, shall we?

When Adversity Strikes, the Terrapins respond.

A win is a win for most individuals, and the Terrapins have won seven games for a reason. For example, against Georgetown, the Hoyas were the better team in the first half because the Terps made fundamental mistakes. The second half, starting with the defense, the response came, and everything on both sides of the ball.

Sunday afternoon in the first half against the Patriots gave that feeling. The Terps were not in sync and were confused by the small-ball lineup at times, by defensive lapses, by turnovers, and by three-point shooting. However, with a Saylor Poffenbarger buzzer-beater to tie it 36 going into halftime, everything went in Maryland’s direction. The Terrapins turned the ball over 7 times in the second half.

While it wasn’t consistent across all four quarters yet for the Terps, the team still earned this win.

Maryland took away George Mason’s strengths.

George Mason is a good team. Coach Blair-Lewis is building a foundation. Coming into this game, their two biggest strengths are generating Turnovers and Rebounding. The Patriots forced 13 turnovers in the first half, crediting George Mason’s small-ball lineup. However, there seemed to be no answers for the Terrapins, as they forced nine turnovers in the third quarter. After that, George Mason did not seem to have any answers, especially in rebounding, where they did not have any rebounders. For example, the Terrapins had 18 offensive rebounds compared to their 5.

Another game where scoring came from multiple hands.

Coming into the season, many outsiders questioned how the offense was, and more importantly, how the lineups would look before Kaylene Smikle’s return against Towson. Against George Mason, it felt like the Princeton matchup that Maryland won, lineup-wise.

But for a team to score 80 points for a seventh time this season. That says a lot about what is working on the floor. While the three-point shooting will get better, the Terrapins aren’t afraid to attack the basket.

The Terrapins are traveling to Puerto Rico for the Discover Puerto Rico Classic, taking on Kentucky on November 26^th and Hofstra on November 27^th.

Then back at Xfinity on December 3^rd against Mount St. Mary’s.