COLLEGE PARK — Coming off a rare defeat and hosting the third-ranked team in the country, Maryland didn’t care much about putting on a show for the sellout crowd and a national television audience.
All that mattered was winning.
Robert Carter Jr. and Rasheed Sulaimon each scored 17 points, and No. 8 Maryland used a late charge to beat Iowa 74-68 on Thursday night, ending the Hawkeyes’ nine-game winning streak.
The Terrapins went 9 for 27 from the floor over the final 20 minutes, going 0 for 10 from beyond the arc. In the end, however, Maryland got back on track following a humbling loss at Michigan State on Saturday.
“It wasn’t always pretty, but we played hard and we competed,” coach Mark Turgeon said. “Everybody that cares about Maryland basketball was in a panic, but we weren’t. We didn’t overreact. You could tell our guys were really ready to compete.”
As a result, Maryland improved to 10-0 following a loss over the past two seasons.
“We’re a very resilient group,” senior Jake Layman said. “We learn from losses.”
The Terrapins led 62-60 before freshman center Diamond Stone dunked off a pass from Layman with 1:24 left. After a steal on the other end by Melo Trimble, Jared Nickens made a layup for a six-point lead.
Maryland (18-3, 7-2 Big Ten) made the margin stand up by making eight free throws over the final 49 seconds. Trimble and Layman both scored 11 points and Stone added nine.
Peter Jok scored 14 for the Hawkeyes (16-4, 7-1), who lost for the first time since Dec. 10. Adam Woodbury had 11 points and 10 rebounds before fouling out with 2:47 left.
Iowa star Jarrod Uthoff, who entered with a Big Ten-leading 18.9 points per game average, missed all five of his field goal attempts in the first half and finished with nine points on 2-for-13 shooting.
The defeat comes in Iowa’s first game since climbing to No. 3 in the rankings, its highest position since 1987.
Iowa didn’t play particularly well — they had 11 turnovers and only nine assists — but Maryland had a lot to do with it.
“I thought they were locked in,” coach Fran McCaffrey said of the Terrapins. “They were locked in defensively, they were locked in on the glass. They executed better than we did for consistent stretches of the game. We had breakdowns. We’re not a team that has more turnovers than assists. But you have to credit your opponent. They were up on us and they were active.”
The Hawkeyes went 5 for 24 from 3-point range, 3 for 15 in the second half.
Iowa scored the first seven points of the second half to take a 42-41 lead, but Maryland answered with a 6-0 spree.
The score remained close because neither team shot particularly well. Iowa went more than five minutes without a point, and the Terrapins missed 12 of their first 14 shots from the floor in the second half.
Maryland led 57-56 when Sulaimon made a layup and was fouled. He missed the free throw, but the Terrapins grabbed three straight offensive rebounds before Damonte Dodd was fouled and made one of two for a four-point cushion with 4:34 remaining.
Iowa cut the gap to a basket, but could not get closer.
Afterward, McCaffery was upbeat when addressing the team.
“I was very positive. I thought we fought,” he said. “No screaming and yelling.”
For Maryland, Turgeon was glad the fans didn’t rush the court after the win.
“They expect us to win,” he said. “That’s the way it should be.”
The Hawkeyes were denied their 14th consecutive Big Ten win, which would have tied a school record.
Iowa’s four losses have come by a total of 18 points.
Stone started for only the eighth time in 21 games. It was his first start since Jan. 6.
Maryland is 30-1 at home over the past two seasons, including 14-0 in the Big Ten.
After giving up 33 offensive rebounds in their previous two games, the Terps allowed 10.
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