No. 5 Maryland finishes strong, defeats Temple 76-69
The No. 5 Terrapins (6-0) topped the Owls (4-1) 76-69 in the quarterfinals of the Orlando Invitational. Maryland extends their win streak to six with one of their best shooting performances from behind the arc. The Terrapins made 42.9 percent of their shots and 38.5 percent from 3-point range.
Anthony Cowan set a career-high and led all scorers with 30 points. He made 11-of-19 (.579) from the field and 4-of-8 (.500) from 3-point range. Cowan had the hot hand and his patience with all his shots was crucial in the victory.
The Terrapins' bench was rather ineffective on the scoreboard. Despite their contributions collecting rebounds, the only player on the bench that played a significant role on the scoreboard was Eric Ayala with 13 points.
Temple gave Maryland a scare in the first half. The Owls were more tough and out-hustled the Terrapins to a 34-29 lead going into the half.
The biggest disappointment for the Owls was Nate Pierre-Louis. He is arguably their best playmaker and he failed to make any of his seven field goal attempts He did, however, make a beautiful pass to Alani Moore II that led to a three-pointer jumper to take a 16-7 lead with over four minutes into the game.
Moore II is a senior from Washington, D.C. He had the best performance of his career, making 7-of-11 of his shots from the field with 6-of-10 from 3-point range. His 22 points is a season-high for him.
Despite Maryland being the bigger team, Temple out-rebounded them 39 to 32. The Owls were a team on a mission in the first half.
Unfortunately for Temple, Maryland flipped the script in the second half. The Terrapins outscored the Owls 47-35, being the more dominant team coming out of the break. In the final seconds of the game with the Terrapins up 72-69, the Owls made a big mistake. Not only did they foul the wrong player to the free-throw line in the reliable Anthony Cowan, Owls' Quinton Rose was fouled out. Maryland extended their lead to six and went on to win game.
Next up for the Terrapins, they will play the winner of the Texas A&M and Harvard game in the Semifinals on Friday.
