From start to finish, the Bucknell Bison gave Maryland basketball everything they could handle on Nov. 18. Yet, the Terrapins came out on top in the end.
Fresh off of their home-court victory over the Butler Bulldogs in the Gavitt Games, the Maryland Terrapins played host to Bucknell on the evening of Nov. 18. Although Bucknell entered the game winless at 0-3, they came into College Park ready to play. In fact, after a hot-shooting first half, the Bison held a 15-point lead at halftime on the road.
Then, the tide shifted in the second half. Out of the halftime break, it was Bucknell who struggled to make shots and Maryland was knocking them in from everywhere. Statistically, Bucknell shot just 29.4% from the field and 21.4% from 3-point land while Maryland was unconscious with 55.6% shooting from the field and 50.0% from three in the last 20 minutes.
Due to this large disparity in field goal percentages, Maryland was able to have a sensational second half to take the lead. Yet, with just 0.5 seconds left on the clock, Bucknell had the ball while trailing by just 2 points. The Bison were unable to make the potentially game-winning three, though, and Maryland was able to escape with the victory.
Throughout the game, Maryland was led by four double-digit scorers. Leading the way for this group was sophomore guard Anthony Cowan. Similar to his game earlier in the week against Butler, Cowan struggled to get things going from the field, where he was 2/7, but he was elite from the free throw line. While drawing a ton of fouls, Cowan drilled 12 of his 13 free throw attempts and was essential in crunch time.
In addition, his fellow sophomore Kevin Hurter stepped up to have 16 points while freshman Bruno Fernando finished with 14 points and 9 rebounds. This trio of players was excellent, but it was Darryl Morsell who was the hero for Maryland. An integral part of the comeback effort for the Terps, Morsell had 12 of his 15 points in the second half to lead the team.
For Bucknell, this tough loss pushes them to 0-4 on the season. This record may make it look like the Bison are a bad team, but that is far from the case. In fact, Bucknell is likely going to be one of the top mid-major teams in the country this season. The Bison went 26-9 last year and their four losses this season have come against good teams in Monmouth, Arkansas, North Carolina, and Maryland. Oh, and did I mention that every one of those games has come on the road?
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Bucknell may be 0-4 to start the season, but Maryland has definitely walked away with a hard-fought victory over a good team in this one. The Bison are a likely RPI top-100 team in the country and that will help the NCAA Tournament resume of this young Terps squad.
Next up for Maryland: The Terps face Jackson State in College Park in their next game on Nov. 20.
Next up for Bucknell: The Bison will get Siena at home in their next game on Nov. 20.