Maryland survives upset-minded George Washington thanks to strong second half

Maryland survives.

That sound you just heard was a long, collective exhale.

The 21st-ranked Terrapins were pushed to the very brink on Thursday night against George Washington, but a hot start to the second half let the Terps play with a lead and big shotmaking from guard Fatts Russell cemented it late. Maryland beat the Colonials 71-64 to move to 2-0 on the season.

Maryland trailed 30-29 at the halftime break. It was not a smooth first half for a team that largely cruised in its opener. The Terps shot 0-for-9 from beyond the arc and gave up 24 paint points.

But whatever coach Mark Turgeon said in the locker room at halftime stuck and Maryland opened with an 8-0 run to get the lead back. From then on, it was about playing from the front. Maryland built as much as a 12-point lead in the final 20 minutes behind balanced scoring and attacking the basket. Maryland took 9 attempts from the free throw line in the first 20 minutes and 20 in the last 20.

An 11-1 spurt from George Washington and nearly 3 minutes without a made bucket from the floor tightened things up as the clock ticked down. Maryland’s lead was down to just 3 points with 2 minutes to play, but it was Russell burying a triple with 44 seconds left that effectively iced the game. Maryland went up by 6 points and the Colonials were forced to play the foul game. They couldn’t cut into the lead any further.

Russell finished with 15 points on 4-of-10 shooting. Maryland was led in scoring by center Qudus Wahab, who opened the game 5-for-5 from the floor and finished with 18 points, 15 boards, 2 blocks, and a steal. Guard Eric Ayala added 11 points on 15 shots.

Ricky Lindo Jr., a D.C. native and former Terrapin before transferring to GW last season, had 13 points and 9 rebounds against his former team.

Maryland is back in action on Saturday, Nov. 13, when it hosts Vermont (1-0). The game will tip at 2 p.m. ET.