For a game with such a nail-biting ending, the contest between the Maryland and Purdue men's basketball teams may well have been decided fairly early in the second half during the Terps' 73-72 loss to the Boilermakers Feb. 4.
A tick more than six minutes into the second half, Maryland junior forward Michal Cekovsky was defended well on the baseline but found freshman guard Kevin Huerter streaking to the hoop for a thunderous dunk to put Maryland up, 52-40. It capped a 16-6 run by the Terps to start the half and Purdue head coach Matt Painter called timeout.
Maryland, though, had a chance to stretch its lead after Painter's timeout but failed to do so. Huerter and junior guard Melo Trimble missed threes on back-to-back possessions, and senior forward Damonte Dodd missed a putback opportunity on the latter possession. The next three possessions for the Terps included missed 3-pointers by Huerter and junior guard Jared Nickens, and a missed layup in transition by freshman guard Anthony Cowan.
