Snuck in on Thanksgiving morning, State went down to the Bahamas and took care of business against undefeated and #2 ranked Maryland, 78-60.
And outside of an opening three by the Terrapins, State lead every. single. second.
Reviewing Keys to the Game
Rebounding – Maryland does work on the boards. Prior to the matchup with State, they had a +13 rebound advantage per game. State was as active as they’ve ever been, doing a 180 on Maryland and outrebounding them 47-34. More importantly, 72% of State’s rebounds were on the defensive end, forcing Maryland to plenty of one-and-done’s on offense. Cunane was fabulous in the first quarter, grabbing 6 boards with 6 points. Brown-Turner (11) and Johnson (8) were playing their part consistently. Eight Pack players in all, had multiple rebounds.
Controlled the Game Inside – Beyond State’s 34 defensive rebounds, they had 46 points in the paint (+16 over Maryland). Wolfpack was physical and played with intention. Clean cuts to the basket and finding open teammates for jumpers. It wasn’t an overwhelming offense output, but they put together the perfect game plan for Maryland.
Full Team Healthy – For the first time this year, Boyd played for State. With a little rust, there were moments when you stepped back and said, “This team healthy and settled is something else.” Brown-Turner and Cunane had double-doubles, as Perez added 11 points. Crutchfield and Jones had off days, but then Boyd and Johnson come off the bench for huge minutes and production. Even Hobby, James and Hayes had defensive moments in limited time. In all honesty, by the turn of the new year, Moore should have confidence in about a dozen players to put up minutes. That’s incredible.
