Eric Ayala blocked a shot with five seconds left and Ian Martinez followed with a pair of free throws with 4.2 seconds to go as No. 20 Maryland fended off a determined challenge from Hofstra, preventing a second straight home loss in a span of three days to win 69-67 on Friday in College Park, Md.
With the game tied and Hofstra in possession in the closing seconds, Ayala swatted away a 3-point attempt by Omar Silverio. Martinez collected the rebound and drew a loose-ball foul, which led to his free throws. In the final seconds, Fatts Russell stole an inbounds pass to seal the win for Maryland (4-1).
Martinez, a transfer from Utah, was a spark plug for the Terrapins, coming off the bench to score 13 points and grab five rebounds. Ayala led Maryland with 14 points and also had five boards. Russell contributed 13 points, five rebounds and four assists.
Hofstra (1-3) was led by Jalen Ray, who hit a trio of 3-pointers in the final seven minutes on his way to 18 points. But the Pride, who fell at another ranked team, Houston, in their opener, couldn’t deliver the upset win for rookie head coach Speedy Claxton, who played six years in the NBA and starred at the school two decades ago.
Hofstra also got 13 points from NJIT transfer Zach Cooks plus 12 points and nine rebounds from Oregon transfer Aaron Estrada.
Maryland gained the game’s biggest lead early in the second half when Ayala drained a 3-pointer to put the Terps up 45-38. But Hofstra surged as reserve Silverio drained 3-pointers from the same corner of the court to spark a Pride rally.
In the first half, neither team led by more than four points. On the strength of a pair of 3-pointers each by Ray, Cooks and Dubar, the Pride had a 31-27 lead.
Martinez then sparked the Terps. In the final 3:16, he hit a jumper, sank a 3-pointer and took a fastbreak feed from Russell and hammered home a dunk. Martinez also had a crowd-pleasing block during the run as Maryland transformed the four-point deficit into a three-point halftime lead.
–Field Level Media
