Field Level Media
25 Nov 2021, 01:10 GMT+10
Two teams that are 120 miles apart are flying 1,200 miles to face each other Thursday on a basketball court for just the second time in four decades.
Maryland and Richmond, both coming off home wins in which they fended off challenges from Hofstra, meet on Thanksgiving night in the opening round of the Bahamas Championship in Nassau.
Maryland (4-1) survived the closer call against Hofstra, needing two free throws by Ian Martinez with 4.2 seconds left to win 69-67 on Friday. Three nights later, Richmond (3-2) rallied from 14 points down in the first half to race past Hofstra 81-68.
"Midway through the first half, we were able to impose our will," Richmond coach Chris Mooney said. "Being able to do that is going to be important later in the season."
Maryland is still in recovery after losing to Richmond's Atlantic 10 rival, George Mason, last week. The defeat, the first ever in 10 games against the Patriots, knocked the Terps out of the Top 25.
Maryland is trying to find some touch, hitting just 25.4 percent of its shots from beyond the arc to rank No. 338 among the 358 teams in Division I. Richmond has had no such struggles, making 40.9 percent of its 3-pointers to rank No. 26.
The Spiders' top two scorers are their most dangerous threats from long distance. Tyler Burton, who is averaging 19.8 points per game, is hitting 58.6 percent from deep. Grant Golden, who is averaging 17.6 points, is hitting 50 percent of his 3-point tries.
Richmond's floor leader, Jacob Gilyard, has passed Pepe Sanchez as the A-10's all-time leader in steals. He also is the school's all-time leader in assists.
Maryland will try to counter Gilyard with Fatts Russell (12.8 points per game). Eric Ayala (15.4 points) is the Terps' top scorer despite making only 12 of 42 from beyond the arc (28.6 percent).
"Maybe us getting out of here, going down to warm weather and just bonding, maybe we'll come back one of the hottest teams shooting the ball in America," Maryland coach Mark Turgeon said.
The teams have met only once in the past 40 years, that an 88-82 Maryland triumph in 2016.
The winner will face Louisville (3-1) or Mississippi State (4-0) on Saturday night.
--Field Level MediaGet a daily dose of Maryland Leader news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Maryland Leader.
More InformationDHARAMSHALA, India: The Dalai Lama turned 90 on July 6, celebrated by thousands of followers in the Himalayan town of Dharamshala,...
ZAGREB, Croatia: A massive concert by popular Croatian singer Marko Perković, known by his stage name Thompson, has drawn widespread...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: Elon Musk's entry into the political arena is drawing pushback from top U.S. officials and investors, as his decision...
CULVER CITY, California: TikTok is preparing to roll out a separate version of its app for U.S. users, as efforts to secure a sale...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: President Donald Trump claimed he was unaware that the term shylock is regarded as antisemitic when he used it in...
PARIS, France: A strike by French air traffic controllers demanding improved working conditions caused significant disruptions during...
OTTAWA, Canada: With Canada Post struggling to maintain operations amid labour unrest, rivals like FedEx and UPS are stepping in to...
NEW YORK, New York - U.S. and global markets showed a mixed performance in Tuesday's trading session, with some indices edging higher...
PARIS, France: French military and intelligence officials have accused China of orchestrating a covert campaign to damage the reputation...
NEW DELHI, India: Birkenstock is stepping up its efforts to protect its iconic sandals in India, as local legal representatives conducted...
HONG KONG: China has fired back at the European Union in an escalating trade dispute by imposing new restrictions on medical device...
NEW YORK, New York - Monday's trading session saw mixed performances across U.S. and global markets, with several major indices posting...