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Wells, Maryland edge Penn State

Feb 15, 2015 - 5:49 AM University Park, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - Dez Wells scored 22 points to lead No. 19 Maryland in a 76-73 win over Penn State on Saturday night.

Melo Trimble deposited 20 points on 12-of-12 shooting from the foul line and Jake Layman added 13 points for the Terrapins (21-5, 9-4 Big Ten).

"It's a great win and it's hard to win on the road. They had won three in a row at home so I am really proud of my group," Maryland coach Mark Turgeon said.

D.J. Newbill led the Nittany Lions (15-11, 3-10) with 25 points, Geno Thorpe had 17 and Brandon Taylor chipped in 11.

Penn State has dropped four of its last five contests.

Thorpe's 3-pointer with just over seven minutes left in the first half helped the Nittany Lions to a 25-18 lead. A quick 6-0 spurt from the Terps tied the game at 33-33, then Ross Travis split a pair of free throws to give the hosts a one-point edge at the break.

Maryland made 47.8 percent of its shots in the opening half, but it was plagued by eight turnovers compared to just two for Penn State.

After each team traded a basket to open the second half, the Terps busted off a 12-2 run that made it 47-39. Jared Nickens then made successive 3s moments later to stretch the margin to 13.

Penn State cut into the deficit with a 7-0 spurt, but Layman answered with a trey before Wells converted a layup to restore a double-digit cushion.

The Nittany Lions came storming back, however, as Thorpe's three-point play kicked off a 13-0 run for a 62-60 lead with under eight minutes to play.

Maryland countered with a 10-2 run before Newbill cut the deficit in half with a 3-pointer. Newbill then split two free throws to cut the margin to 70-68 with 2:09 left. Trimble made an acrobatic layup to make it a two-possession game.

Newbill continued to be the offensive support Penn State needed down the stretch as he made two free throws on the following possession to keep the hosts close.

Wells coughed up the ball with Newbill picking up the steal, but the latter lost the ball at the other end with 23 seconds left. Trimble went to the line and hit both free throws, then Newbill canned a 3 for a one-point game. Trimble made two more free throws prior to Newbill's tying attempt from beyond the arc was off the mark and Maryland held on.

"I saw (Evan) Smotrycz on D.J. and I liked my chances there," PSU coach Patrick Chambers said.

Game Notes

Maryland has won three of its last four ... Trimble and Wells pulled down six rebounds apiece ... The Terps made 23-of-47 attempts from the floor, while Penn State converted 25-of-60.