, who led for all but 51 seconds to win their third in a row.Aaron Wiggins led Maryland (21-8, 12-6) with 15 points, and Eric Ayala chipped in 11.The Nittany Lions took control in the first half with possibly their best 20 minutes of play since they won the NIT last season. They forced eight turnovers, turned them into 12 points and took the lead for good with a 13-2 run that broke a 3-3 tie less than two minutes in.Dread was 3 for 6 from beyond the arc in the half while Josh Reaves and Myreon Jones added back-to-back 3-pointers over the final 1:36. John Harrar made a layup, drew a foul and hit his free throw to give Penn State a 42-20 lead at halftime.Penn State led by 29 at one point in the second half.BIG PICTUREMaryland: The Terps will be glad to be done with their road schedule. They went just 5-5 as the visitors and were outscored by double digits three times.Penn State: The Nittany Lions are looking more like the team many thought they'd be earlier in the season. They hadn't won three straight regular-season games in over a year.UP NEXTMaryland: Hosts No. 9 Michigan on Sunday.Penn State: Visits No. 19 Wisconsin on Sunday.---More college basketball: https://apnews.com/Collegebasketball and https://twitter.com/-Top25)
Feb 26, 2019Maryland sophomore big man Bruno Fernando has settled into an impressive groove.Fernando attempts to record his 10th double-double in the past 11 games when the No. 24 Terrapins visit Penn State in Big Ten play on Wednesday in University Park, Pa.The 6-foot-10 Fernando has also scored in double digits in 18 straight games while supplying Maryland (21-7, 12-5) with strong play in the interior.Fernando had 14 points and 10 rebounds in Saturday's 72-62 home victory over Ohio State. But his biggest contribution was his defensive play, as he was a prime reason that Buckeyes 6-9, 270-pound sophomore center Kaleb Wesson was just 3-of-12 shooting for seven points."It's a battle, I can tell you that," Fernando told reporters afterward of facing Wesson. "I just try to get him tired as much as I can." Fernando leads the Terrapins in rebounding (10.6) and blocked shots (52) while ranking second with a 14.4 scoring average.Junior guard Anthony Cowan Jr. leads Maryland in scoring (16.0) and assists (4.6), and he scored 19 points against Ohio State.Cowan was 6-of-10 shooting against the Buckeyes after being just 19 of 62 over the previous five games."I still didn't play my best game," Cowan told reporters, expressing disappointment over four turnovers. "I turned the ball over too much, but it was enough to come out with the win, so I'm satisfied." The Terrapins will be looking for their third straight win and fifth in sixth games when they attempt to complete a regular-season sweep of Penn State (11-16, 4-12).Maryland recorded a 66-59 home victory on Dec. 1 as freshman forward Jalen Smith recorded 16 points and eight rebounds, Cowan scored 15 points and Fernando contributed 12 points and 13 rebounds.Junior forward Lamar Stevens had 19 points and eight rebounds, and senior guard Josh Reaves registered 17 points, seven rebounds and four steals for the Nittany Lions.The loss to Maryland was the first of 10 straight Big Ten losses for Penn State. Fortunes have improved in recent weeks with four wins in six games, including a stunning 75-69 upset of then-No. 6 Michigan on Feb. 12.The Nittany Lions won at Illinois 83-76 on Saturday, with Stevens leading the way with 25 points."I'm proud of my guys, they stuck to the game plan," Penn State coach Patrick Chambers said afterward. "In the first half, we took care of the ball. In the second half, not so much. We were able to answer some of their runs and I felt that was the difference. It was nice to come out on top." Stevens has team-best averages of 19.7 points and 8.0 rebounds and he moved into ninth place in program history with 1,556 career points.Junior forward Mike Watkins had 10 points, 12 rebounds and a season-best five blocked shots against the Fighting Illini to post his 26th career double-double, tied for second in school history. Watkins, who is averaging 7.9 points and 7.8 rebounds, has a team-leading 34 rejections and ranks second in Penn State history with 192 career blocks.Maryland leads the series 14-9, and has won five of seven matchups since joining the Big Ten.--Field Level Media
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