Maryland men’s basketball is back in the win column, holding off Purdue Jan. 18 to improve to 14-4 this season.
The No. 17-ranked Terps, coming off back-to-back road losses at Iowa and Wisconsin, came out firing at Xfinity Center, scoring the game’s first nine points and racing out to a 20-4 lead. They went into halftime up 36-20, but watched as Purdue slowly trimmed the margin throughout the second half. After the Boilermakers made it a three-point game with 3:52 remaining, though, Maryland’s defense pitched a shutout down the stretch as the Terps escaped with a 57-50 victory.
Sophomore forward Jalen Smith led three Terps in double figures, notching a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Freshman forward Donta Scott tallied 11 of his career-high 13 points in the first half, while sophomore guard Aaron Wiggins chipped in 12 points and seven rebounds.
