Maryland men’s basketball welcomed in-state foe UMBC to College Park in its final nonconference game of the season Thursday before facing the arduous challenge that is conference play. Horrid shooting by the Terps kept the game close, but a second-half surge allowed them to come away with an 80-64 win in their final game of the calendar year.
Thursday also marked the return of sophomore forward Julian Reese to Maryland’s rotation after a one-and-a-half-game absence. Reese, who was dealing with a shoulder injury, defaults as Maryland’s starting center when at 100%, although head coach Kevin Willard decided to roll with his starting five from the team’s last game, replacing Reese with graduate forward Patrick Emilien and keeping junior guard Ian Martinez in the lineup.