Gophers lose heartbreaker at home to #9 Maryland after Terrapins hit miracle 3

The Gophers came out of the gates on fire Wednesday, as the team hit five threes in the first six minutes, but were unable to survive a late push by the Terrapins, capped off by a long three to put Maryland over Minnesota.

Maryland squeaked out a win, 74-73, after the Gophers took a 16-point lead into the second half. The game came down to free-throw attempts missed by the Gophers in the final minute and a long three drilled by Darryl Morsell with just seconds left the clock.

The final seconds were in stark contrast the early moments of the game when it seemed the Gophers just couldn't miss. The Gophers offensive spark was led by sophomore Daniel Oturu, who scored 28 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, and supported by three-point splashes by Marcus Carr, who scored 19 points on the night, along with Gabe Kalscheur and Isaiah Ihnen.

Minnesota explosive early scoring was met with ice-cold shooting from the Terrapins shooting just 31 percent from the field in the first and 14 percent from three. But, the Terrapins were able to turn around shooting in the second half, with Maryland outscoring Minnesota 43-26 during the period. The Terrapins finished with five players in double-digit scoring.

A Gophers win would have gone a long way to help the team get off the bubble and have a shot at a tournament berth.

Minnesota will head on the road to take on unranked Wisconsin for their next game on Sunday.