Maryland Basketball: 3 takeaways from home win over No. 18 Iowa

No.15 Maryland Basketball 17-4 (7-3 Big Ten) notched their 12th win at the Xfinity Center and remained undefeated against a solid 18th ranked Iowa Hawkeyes team 15-6 (6-4 Big Ten).

The last time Iowa and Maryland Basketball faced one another, Joe Wieskamp went off for 26 points and 11 rebounds followed by Luka Garza’s 21 points and 13 rebounds in an 18-point win.

Iowa’s defense held Jalen Smith to just 13 points and five rebounds. He was the Terps only double-figure scorer.

This was a game where 35 turnovers occurred between both teams, so ball security was sloppy to say the least.

The Terps became dependent on the three-point shot to their detriment and as a result, they were 4-of-22 (18 percent) from out there. They didn’t shoot the ball well from the free-throw line either. They were 11-of-20 (55 percent).

The Iowa Hawkeyes won five straight games including the January 10 meeting. Garza, Wieskamp, and CJ Frederick are the team’s leading scorers.

Garza averages 23 points per game which is first in the Big Ten. His 10.7 rebounds per game are second-best behind Minnesota’s Daniel Oturu who averages 11.3 in the conference.

The pair of Anthony Cowan Jr. and Smith has paid dividends for Maryland basketball in their second year together.

Smith’s three-point shot is thriving. He’s shooting that shot at a 43 percent rate. That is a big improvement from 27 percent as a freshman.

Anthony Cowan Jr. has had an exceptional senior campaign. He is averaging 15.5 points per game and 4.3 assists per game.

He has scored in double figures in every game except for the Purdue win, the Iowa loss and the Notre Dame win back in December.

What was at stake here? The winner would be a half-game out of first place in the Big Ten. The Terps got the job done 82-72. Here are the takeaways in the victory.