Associated Press, November 18, 2017

COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) Darryl Morsell scored 12 of his 15 points in the second half, and Maryland remained unbeaten by rallying from a 15-point deficit to defeat Bucknell 80-78 Saturday night.

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The Terrapins (4-0) trailed 50-35 at halftime before Morsell fueled a comeback in a thriller of a game that came down to the final buzzer, when Bucknell's Zach Thomas fired up a jumper too late off an inbounds pass with a half-second remaining.

Morsell, a freshman guard, scored eight points in a 10-3 run to start the second half. Successive 3-pointers by Anthony Cowan and Dion Wiley made it 55-51, and the Terrapins finally moved in front when Kevin Huerter nailed a 3-pointer to make it 63-61 with 9:56 remaining.

It was 68-all when Justin Jackson connected from beyond the arc to put Maryland ahead for good with 5:45 to go.

Cowan scored 17, Huerter added 16 and freshman center Bruno Fernando had 14 points and nine rebounds,

Stephen Brown led Bucknell (0-4) with 23 points and Nana Foulland added 15. The Bison return all five starters from a team that last year won the Patriot League and reached the NCAA Tournament.

Bucknell shot 65 percent from the field in the first half, including 7 for 10 beyond the arc.

After the Bison stretched out the Maryland defense with long-range jumpers, Foulland made an array of dunks and layups to help Bucknell expand its 30-27 lead to 15 at the break.

Both teams were playing for the fourth time in nine days. Bucknell's trek included road matchups against defending NCAA champion North Carolina and Arkansas.

The Bison showed their mettle at UNC, cutting a 16-point deficit to 59-48 before losing by 12.

The script changed in this one, but the result was the same.

HISTORY LESSON

Bucknell fell to 0-8 against Maryland and 2-22 against teams in the Big Ten at the time of the game. The Bison beat Purdue in 2012 and Penn State in 2013.

BIG PICTURE

Bucknell: This was tough opening stretch for the Bison, who played teams from the SEC, ACC and Big Ten in a span of seven days. Bucknell didn't win any of them, but can take consolation in knowing that the competition in the Patriot League can't possibly be any more challenging.

Maryland: The Terrapins won the game despite receiving a serious scare. After handily defeating Butler on Wednesday, Maryland looked like a completely different team – one that must improve significantly to be a force in the Big Ten.

UP NEXT

Bucknell: Opens its home schedule on Monday night against Siena.

Maryland: Concludes a four-game homestand against Jackson State on Monday night.