Maryland freshman guard Kevin Huerter scored a team-high 19 points while freshman forward Justin Jackson added 14 and junior guard Melo Trimble had 13, but the Terps' season came to an unceremonious end with a 76-65 loss to Xavier in the NCAA Tournament's Round of 64 in Orlando, Fla., March 16.
Maryland, the No. 6 seed in the West Region, finished the season 24-9 but lost seven of its last 11 games dating back to Feb. 4. Xavier, the No. 11 seed, will face Florida State March 18 for the right to go to the Sweet 16.
Xavier jumped out to a 24-16 lead after a 3-pointer by freshman forward Kaiser Gates with 7:52 left in the first half. The Musketeers built the lead mostly on the defensive end. Xavier head coach Chris Mack, well-versed in zone defense, went with a 2-3 zone in the first half, almost exclusively. The Terps couldn't execute their forte -- pick and rolls for Trimble and freshman guard Anthony Cowan -- instead opting to shoot threes over it. Sixteen of the Terps' 27 first-half shots were from three.
