Terps schooled on the boards again

One way to explain why the Terrapin men's basketball team struggled early last night, and eventually lost to Virginia, is as simple as taking a look at an old basketball lesson: Grabbing that ball under the hoop. You know, rebounding.

Rebounding, of course, is the fundamental basketball concept in which a player grabs the ball after it didn't go into the basket. Usually, if a team has more rebounds, it gets more chances with the ball and thus more chances to score.

Last night in front of a sold-out Comcast Center, Virginia won the rebounding battle 45-32 and reminded the Terps what happens when a team doesn't rebound well: The team usually loses, which has been exactly the Terps' case this season. In all seven of their losses, they have been outrebounded.

"Rebounding is a huge part of the game. It takes away your opportunity to run when they get offensive rebounds," coach Gary Williams said. "There was a series there where they got two or three rebounds before they scored and that really hurt us."

Two of those series that Williams mentioned occurred during the game - both exemplified the rebounding frustration for the Terps last night.

Early in the second half, Virginia earned a tough two points on three offensive rebounds, extending its lead to 12. The Cavaliers finished with 18 offensive rebounds.

"We just couldn't get our hands on that ball," junior forward James Gist said. "That's what it came down to - we just couldn't get our hands on the ball."

The second, and more probable of Williams' allusion of bumbled rebounds, came at a more crucial point. With a little more than two minutes left in the game and down three points, the Terps allowed two straight offensive rebounds, and senior guard D.J. Strawberry then committed a foul underneath the basket.

The ensuing free-throws gave the Cavaliers a late five-point lead and added a possession to a rally - a big difference at the end of the game.

"It's all attitude - rebounding is all attitude," Ibekwe said. "We all gotta get in there. There was a lot of long rebounds that a lot of guys should've got."

The late series of missed rebounds showed that failing to rebound at key points during the end of the game can kill a team's chances of winning just as well as failing to rebound throughout the entire game.

When asked about the difficulties with rebounding throughout the game, especially at key points, Williams made a face showing disgust, looked down and paused.

"I was disappointed," he said as he looked up, before pausing again. "I guess I thought we could rebound with them."

After the multiple segments of rebounding struggles, the Terps did come back to within three points with seconds to go. But as freshman guard Eric Hayes' shot missed, the Cavaliers essentially ended the game with a rebound.

It was a fitting end to a tough night on the glass.

Contact reporter Bryan Mann at bmanndbk@gmail.com.