Donta Scott led a balanced attack with 24 points and Maryland parlayed hot shooting and dominance on the boards to an 88-70 victory over Miami to capture the Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off championship on Sunday in Uncasville, Conn.
The Terrapins (5-0) made over half their shots for a second consecutive game with a 30-of-50 performance (60 percent) after shooting 50.4 percent in their opening win over Saint Louis.
They were 9 of 21 from 3-point range. That and a 39-20 rebounding advantage helped them overcome 18 turnovers and record an 18-10 advantage in second-chance points.
The Hurricanes (4-1) weren’t terrible from the field overall (45.2 percent) but were only 5 of 20 from behind the arc. They had just nine turnovers.
Julian Reese added 17 points, Hakim Hart 14, Jahmir Young 13 and Donald Carey 12 for the Terps.
Isaiah Wong scored a season-high 22 points and Jordan Miller added 18 for Miami. Norchad Omier also was in double figures for the Hurricanes with 14 points.
The Terps enjoyed a double-digit cushion over the final 22:47 of the game, but the Hurricanes cut an 18-point deficit midway through the second half down to 73-63 on Wong’s jumper with 6:30 remaining.
But the Terps responded with an 8-0 spurt and coasted in from there. Their biggest lead was 88-68 with 1:24 left.
The Terps went on an 11-0 run to assume a 25-15 lead approaching the 10-minute mark of the first half. After the Hurricanes quickly got that down to 28-24 in a three-minute span, the Terps regained control and went to the locker room with their biggest lead of the game to that point at 47-34.
The Hurricanes missed their last five shot attempts of the half while the Terps hit their last six attempts to finish the period 15 of 24 from the field.
Maryland’s dominance on the boards was a big factor early. Its 22-8 rebounding advantage at halftime helped overcome its 11 turnovers and led to a 12-5 advantage over Miami in second-chance points.
–Field Level Media
