Maryland’s Jahmir Young did what he wanted in the second half against Iowa on Tuesday night.
And that, Hawkeyes’ coach Fran McCaffery said, was the problem.
Young’s layup with two seconds left gave the Terrapins a 69-67 win over the reeling Hawkeyes, who were smarting after their second consecutive home loss.
Iowa fell to 11-8 overall and 3-5 in the Big Ten, and while it’s still late January and it seems like there’s still time, a hole is being dug and the Hawkeyes know they have to get out of it soon.
“We’ve just got to stay together,” said guard Payton Sandfort, whose 3-point attempt from half-court at the buzzer fell painfully short. “We’ve done a great job. Obviously today was disappointing, Saturday was disappointing (an 84-70 loss to Purdue). We’ve just got to stick together.”
Young, who averages almost 21 points per game, scored 17 of his game-high 22 points in the second half. He had Maryland’s last eight points — a 3-pointer with 1:24 left that gave the Terrapins a 65-64 lead, a 3-pointer with 38 seconds left for a 67-65 lead, and then the game-winner.