The Maryland Terrapins used a second half surge to sprint past the pesky Iowa Hawkeyes and trounce them 91-73 at an ecstatic Xfinity Center.
With the Terps holding a slim 69-66 lead with 8:26 to play in the game, Maryland suddenly went on an 11-0 run to boost their lead to 80-66 with 5:o4 to go and that was just too much of a lead for the Hawkeyes to overcome.
Maryland improved to (14-4, 3-2 Big Ten) and they were led by 6-10 freshman sensation Bruno Fernando who scored a career-high 21 points while hauling in seven rebounds.
He kept the fans entertained with an assortment of dunks and some arm waving to get the crowd into the game when the team needed a boost.
Point guard Anthony Cowan Jr. also showed up and finished with 15 points and seven assists while controlling the game at the end to help ensure a Terrapin triumph.
Another freshman spark was Darryl Morsell who finished with 14 points and a team-high eight rebounds.
The Terps were efficient on offense and had six players in double figures including Michal Cekovsky with 13, Kevin Huerter with 12 and Dion Wiley who was a first half spark and finished with 10 points.
Iowa started fast, jumping out to a 17-7 lead but Maryland rallied and took a 25-24 advantage with 11:10 to go in the first half. They continued their fine first half play and ended the half with a 48-44 lead.
The first half also had some additional drama as Iowa coach Fran McCaffery was tossed out of the game right before halftime arguing over the lack of fouls called on the home team.
His double technical ignited the crowd and gave Cowan four foul shots. He made three which helped Maryland take the lead at the break.
The Hawkeyes, fighting for their ejected coach, began the second half on a 10-2 run to take a 54-50 lead with 16:46 to play in the contest.
The teams then traded baskets as the score see sawed back and forth. A Cowan layup with 9:44 to go gave Maryland the lead at 65-54 and they never trailed again.
Maryland shot 56 percent from the field and had 19 assists on 34 made baskets. They made 19 of 25 free throws and out rebounded the Hawkeyes 31 to 28.
Meanwhile, Iowa was a blistering 11 for 21 from three-point range. Fortunately most of that damage was done in the first half as the Terps held the Hawkeyes to 29 points in the second half.
The Hawkeyes were led by Isaiah Moss who scored 25 points and Jordan Bohannon who finished with 17. Nicholas Baer added seven points and a team-high 11 rebounds in a losing effort for the ( 9-9, 0-5) Hawkeyes.
