17th-ranked Maryland plays host to Penn State

Feb 4, 2015 - 3:42 PM College Park, MD (SportsNetwork.com) - The 17th-ranked Maryland Terrapins have dropped two of their last three games, but hope to get back on track in a Wednesday meeting with the Penn State Nittany Lions in Big Ten Conference action at the XFINITY Center.

Maryland lost to Indiana back on Jan. 22, then picked up a one-point win over Northwestern just three days later. But the Terps are coming off a tough 80-56 defeat at the hands of Ohio State on Thursday, so the Terps, 6-3 in Big Ten play, will be looking to bounce back at home, where they are 13-1 on the season.

Since Big Ten action began for Penn State, the Nittany Lions have struggled mightily. Penn State suffered through a six-game losing skid, then picked up a pair of wins over Rutgers and Minnesota before dropping a last-second decision to Illinois, 60-58, on Saturday. The Nittany Lions are 2-7 in league play, and 2-5 in road contests.

This contest between Penn State and Maryland will mark the first time the programs have met as conference rivals, but it's the 18th time they'll clash on the floor in history. Maryland owns a slim 9-8 advantage in the all-time series, and won the last meeting back in 2010 during the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

D.J. Newbill and the rest of the Penn State players did all they could to pick up a crucial road win over Illinois on Saturday, but the Nittany Lions fell just short as Malcolm Hill converted a layup with four seconds remaining to lift the Fighting Illini to the two-point victory. Newbill scored 20 points to pace Penn State, while Shep Garner added 14 points and Julian Moore tallied 10 off the bench. Jordan Dickerson led the team on the boards with six rebounds, and the Nittany Lions shot a respectable 16-of-19 from the free-throw line in the defeat.

On the offensive end of the floor for the Nittany Lions, Newbill has been the most productive player not just on the team, but in the conference as well. His 21.5 ppg mark leads Penn State, and the Big Ten. Unfortunately for the Lions, he's the only one on the team with a double-digit point total. Brandon Taylor, who is questionable to play with a sprained right knee, adds in 9.9 ppg as the team's second-leading scorer. Penn State as a unit is averaging 69.5 ppg this season, but is allowing 66.2 ppg to opponents - ranked second to last in the league.

Maryland struggled through a horrendous shooting performance against one of the better offensive teams in the Big Ten, which was a poor combination for a ranked team seeking a win. The Terrapins connected on just 30.5 percent of their shots from the floor in the contest, and were led by Dez Wells in the defeat, who scored 12 points with five rebounds. Jake Layman contributed 10 points and six boards in the losing effort, adding in a team-high three assists. The Terps shot a dismal 28.1 percent from the floor in the second half, compared to Ohio State's blistering 58.6 percent mark from the field.

Melo Trimble was not effective against the Buckeyes, as the guard missed all eight of his shots from the floor and finished the game with just three points. Still, he currently leads Maryland in scoring at 15.7 ppg, adding in a team-best 62 assists. Layman isn't too far behind in the scoring category with 14.1 ppg, and Wells, who has played in seven fewer games than most other players, adds in 13.5 ppg. Layman's 6.8 rpg mark is the best on the Terrapins, who average 71.8 ppg and hold their opponents to 63.8 ppg. Damonte Dodd ranks seventh in the conference and first on Maryland's roster in blocked shots (1.5 per game).