Maryland, Rider hope to snap 3-point shooting woes

Field Level Media|published: Mon 27th November, 19:22 2023

Mar 18, 2023; Birmingham, AL, USA; Maryland Terrapins forward Donta Scott (24) drives past Alabama Crimson Tide guard Mark Sears (1) during the first half at Legacy Arena. credits: Vasha Hunt-USA TODAY Sports

When Maryland plays host to Rider of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference on Tuesday, it will be a matchup of teams trying to fix their wayward 3-point shooting.

While the Terrapins (3-3) are hitting 21.4 percent of their shots from long distance, the Broncs (1-4) are shooting 25.2 percent from beyond the arc.

Both teams are coming off their worst 3-point shooting games this season and now rank among the worst from distance in Division I.

In a 68-55 win over South Alabama on Saturday, Maryland hit just 5 of 31 (16.1 percent) from deep against a tightly-packed zone defense that dared the Terrapins to fire away from the perimeter.

"They were gonna make us shoot the basketball," Maryland coach Kevin Willard said.

Fifth-year starter Donta Scott is making 37.0 percent of his 3-point attempts this year and connected on 3 of 8 on Saturday. But none of his teammates are shooting better than 30 percent from distance.

DeShawn Harris-Smith and Jamie Kaiser Jr. each went 0-for-5 from long range on Saturday. The pair of freshmen are a combined 4-of-41 (9.8 percent) this season on 3-pointers.

"Our 3-point shooting is obviously a struggle right now," Willard said. "We're kind of compounding it a little bit by getting down on ourselves."

The positive for Maryland against South Alabama was its finishing inside as it made 73.1 percent of its 2-point attempts. Julian Reese hit 7 of 8 shots on his way to collecting 19 points, 15 rebounds and four blocks.

After opening with a 113-67 domination of Division III Immaculata, Rider has lost four straight, including a 55-48 defeat at Stony Brook on Nov. 20, when the Broncs missed all seven of their 3-point attempts in the second half.

Mervin James, who leads the Broncs in scoring (15.4 points per game) and rebounds (7.2 per game), largely operates close to the basket.

Veteran Allen Powell, who was 0-for-8 from 3-point range against Stony Brook, has made just 6 of 32 (18.8 percent) from distance this year.

"Guys I'm counting on aren't coming through for us right now," Rider coach Kevin Baggett said. "I'm not down on the season. All I know is, go back to work. Go back to work, figure it out."

—Field Level Media

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