Blue Hens’ Valiant Comeback Attempt Falls Just Short at Maryland, 73-67

Tuesday, November 6

College Park, MD

7:30 PM

University of Delaware

Maryland

Delaware

Maryland

Photo by: Mark Campbell

Blue Hens’ Valiant Comeback Attempt Falls Just Short at Maryland, 73-67

11/6/2018 10:37:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Photo Gallery

COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Delaware cut a 22-point deficit to three late in the game but could not complete the comeback as the Blue Hens dropped a 73-67 decision to Big Ten opponent Maryland in their season opener Tuesday night at the XFINITY Center.

Delaware trailed 58-36 with 14:26 remaining but answered by scoring 12 straight points, pulling within 58-48 on a three-pointer by Jacob Cushing with 9:23 to play. A fastbreak layup by Darian Bryant made it a five-point game at the 5:45 mark, and after the Terps pushed the margin back to eight, Eric Carter scored inside and Cushing drained a triple to pull UD within 70-67 with 1:27 to play.

However Anthony Cowan hit one free throw for Maryland, and after Kevin Anderson's driving layup attempt was blocked, Cowan added two more from the line with 13 seconds left to put the game away.

mbb19-horton-md

Carter finished with a career-high 29 points for the Blue Hens, going 12 of 14 from the field and hitting the first three-pointer of his career. Ithiel Horton added 10 points off the bench, including a monster dunk in transition in the opening half, while Cushing drained three shots from behind the arc to finish with nine points.

Jalen Smith paced Maryland with 19 points and 13 rebounds, while Bruno Fernando and Cowan added 15 points apiece.

Delaware hung tough early on with the Terrapins, as a Collin Goss tip-in gave the Blue Hens a 20-19 lead midway through the period. It was still just a three-point Maryland advantage at 29-26 following a Carter free throw with 4:33 on the clock, but the Terps closed the half with a 15-1 run to take a 44-27 cushion into the break.

Head Coach Martin Ingelsby
"To play this way on a big stage gives us a real boost of confidence. We aren't into moral victories but to make it a one-possession game after being down 22 speaks highly of our group. The zone was good to us in the second half and we got into a better flow offensively. We really rode Eric Carter, and Jacob Cushing gave us a huge boost off the bench. I'm very pleased with how we played offensively, trying to mix and match lineup combinations without Ryan Allen. I feel like we got better as a basketball team tonight."

Game Notes:
• Carter also led the Blue Hens with nine rebounds
• Both Delaware (6-23) and Maryland (2-19) struggled from three-point range
• Delaware fell to 0-10 all-time vs. Big Ten schools
• The Blue Hens dropped their season opener for the first time in four years
• Maryland is receiving votes in both Top 25 polls and was picked seventh in Big Ten Preseason Poll
• Horton, Goss, Ryan Johnson and Matt Veretto all made their UD debuts