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Slow starts leads to No. 18 Maryland getting whipped at Iowa

Melo Trimble, Aaron White, Gabriel Olaseni

Melo Trimble, Aaron White, Gabriel Olaseni

AP

While No. 18 Maryland entered their game at Iowa with a 7-3 record in Big Ten play, their last two road games did not go well at all. In losses at Indiana and Ohio State the Terrapins were soundly beaten, and thanks to a slow start that was once again the case Sunday afternoon.

Maryland scored just three points over the first 11 minutes of the game, turning the ball over eight times during that stretch, and the result was a hole that proved far too deep to climb out of. Iowa won by the final score of 71-55, adding a solid win to its NCAA tournament resume on the heels of a win over Michigan that snapped a three-game losing streak. Aaron White scored 17 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead the way, and as a team Iowa did a good job of moving the basketball offensively.

The Hawkeyes assisted on 18 of their 27 made field goals, and they shot 64.3% from the field and 5-for-11 from beyond the arc. All six Hawkeyes who scored tallied at least seven points, point guard Mike Gesell accounted for nine assists and as a team Iowa scored 38 of its 71 points in the paint.

Melo Trimble scored a game-high 20 points for Maryland despite leaving the game for two different injuries in the first half. First, there was being hit in the face with a camera after tumbling out of bounds on the baseline, and then there was the poke in the eye he took from Iowa big man Adam Woodbury. Woodbury was assessed a flagrant 1 for the foul, and given the controversy surrounding Iowa’s loss at Wisconsin a couple weeks ago this will be a hot-button topic over the next few days.

Trimble returned to the game despite having to deal with swelling in his right eye, but he was the only Terrapin who managed to get going offensively for most of the day. Jake Layman, who’s been one of the most improved players in the country this season, scored four points on 1-for-4 shooting and that’s production (or lack thereof) that Maryland can’t afford to have if they’re to win games.

As good as Sunday’s result was for Iowa, it’s also a clear sign that Maryland has some issues to address as the regular season approaches its conclusion. The good news for Maryland is that four of their next five games are in College Park, with Indiana and Wisconsin among the four teams that will visit. But regardless of the venue, beginning a game as Maryland did Sunday is asking for trouble.