Defense, Eric Ayala lead Maryland Basketball past UConn Huskies to Round of 32

Jay Bilas, a former Duke Blue Devil, was the only analyst to pick No. 10 Maryland basketball to beat the No. 7 UConn Huskies. Let that sink in.

The Terps didn’t let an offensive rebounding barrage by the Huskies stop them from taking control of this game.

It seemed like it would be a tough night on the boards after the Huskies got four offensive rebounds on one possession to get their first points thanks to an R.J. Cole three-pointer.

Eric Ayala was the man for the Terps in the first half. He scored seven of Maryland’s first 10 points and went into halftime with 14 on 5-of-8 shooting from the field.

The one person, the Terps, had to make sure they contained was James Bouknight. In the first half, they did a great job of trapping him when he drove to the basket. It threw off his rhythm and the team’s as a whole. They missed 30 shots (9-of-39), and Bouknight had seven points on 3-of-11 from the field.

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It’s not often you see a team have a 28-15 rebounding advantage and find themselves down 11 points,33-22, at halftime. The Terps collapsed on the Huskies when they got offensive rebounds, and that pressure translated to better offense at the other end.

Bouknight and Adama Sanogo score Connecticut’s first two baskets in the second half, but the Terps kept pouring it on. Ayala had 21 points with five minutes gone in the second half.

At the 12:38 mark, Maryland basketball started to pull away. Ayala continued to make tough layups in traffic, and both Aaron Wiggins and Donta Scott attacked the rim with dunks that got the bench off their feet. They were up 47-34 at that point.

Connecticut’s physicality on the offensive glass slowed down significantly. They had nine offensive rebounds in the last eight minutes. The Terps held the Huskies’ best scorers, Bouknight, Tyrese Martin, and Cole, to seven made field goals.

These three guys had been the bulk of the Huskies scoring throughout the season.

Wiggins hit another three to give the Terps a 53-41 lead briefly before Jalen Gaffney cut the Huskies deficit to 10 with a dribble-drive layup.

The Huskies were still fighting despite the Terps stifling defense and efficiency on offense.

Isaiah Whaley made an excellent defensive play with a block on Ayala that caused a shot clock violation.

They were down 53-46 with 3:11 left in the game, and the Terps needed to hold firm defensively because the Huskies were gaining momentum down the stretch.

Scott came down limping after a missed layup attempt heading into the TV timeout but appeared to be okay.

Later, Morsell fouled out, which made things tenser for the Terps. They were up 57-51 with 1:28 left, and this game wasn’t over.

The Terps withstood the Huskies’ defensive pressure to seal the deal 63-54, behind Ayala’s 23 points, five rebounds, and three steals. Wiggins and Scott combined for 26 points.

Maryland basketball faces a formidable SEC opponent in the Alabama Crimson Tide, Monday.