Story By: Sol Tucker
Photos By: Sol Tucker
College Park, MD–
After a disappointing upset loss at the hands of George Mason, the Terps looked to rebound in another winnable game against Hofstra, well that game became almost anything but winnable until the final seconds where the Terps would sink two free throws off a fluke foul call giving them a 69-67 victory over Hofstra.
Eric Ayala proved again tonight why he might be one of the most valuable players on this team when he blocked a three-point attempt from a Hofstra guard. Off the block, guard Ian Martinez leaped up and secured the ball before he was smacked in the face, sending him to the free throw line with four seconds left and a chance to win the game.
“They didn’t panic tonight,” head coach Mark Turgeon said. “We’re a work in progress but thats a good team [in Hofstra], that’s a really good team.”
Tonight really showed a “half there” offensive performance for Maryland in which the team struggled to knock down perimeter shots, as it has all season. The Terps shot 5-for-22 from long range, while Hofstra knocked down 12 of its 32 attempts.
Another problem the Terps faced tonight was the offensive absence of Qudus Wahab. He played just 8 minutes tonight as Turgeon went with a faster paced combo on the court to try and keep up with the Hofstra runs .
While Turgeon said his team was a work in progress, you could sense his frustrations on the court with team tonight as they left Hofstra wide open on quite a few three point attempts.
After starting the season with a four-game homestand in which the Terps went 4-1, Maryland will travel to the Bahamas next week with its next matchup coming Thanksgiving night against Richmond.
“Maybe us getting out of here, going down to warm weather and just bonding, maybe we’ll come back one of the hottest teams shooting the ball in America, we’ll see,” Turgeon said with a smirk.
