Stoglin steps out of the spotlight vs. Miami

Terrell Stoglin had an opening at the top of the key late Tuesday night, so, naturally, he rose up for a 3-pointer.

Then he went another way. Nearing the top of his jump, Stoglin whipped a pass into the post for a wide-open teammate. Instead of tossing up the 3-pointer against Miami — a look no one would've argued with — the shot-happy guard set up guard Nick Faust for an easy layup on a pretty assist.

It was a telling moment for the Terrapins men's basketball sophomore, who doubles as the ACC's points leader and the team's de facto late-game scoring option. It was also a surprising one in the Terps' 75-70 cathartic win against the Hurricanes, with Stoglin content to play a backseat role in the game's most crucial moments.

While the guard had a team-high 20 points and attempted 17 shots, Stoglin opted against trying to take the game over himself. In the final 5:50 of play, his assists total (one, to Faust) matched his shots total.

During that stretch, his teammates scored 20 straight points and 22 of the last 26 overall.

"Coach [Mark Turgeon] has been on me a lot about trusting my teammates, so I tried to do that today," Stoglin said. "I feel it's the best win of the season because of the circumstances. It brought a lot of confidence."

Said Turgeon: "For the most part, we really executed and shared the ball better than we have probably all year. … Guys accepted roles tonight and that's really big for us."

The win brought an overwhelming sense of pride to a cast of players accustomed to deferring to No. 12. Guard Sean Mosley hit a big 3-pointer with 1:37 left, forward James Padgett converted a traditional three-point play moments later, and Faust forced a game-changing turnover. All this while their star watched in support.

Tuesday's game marked one of the first times this season Stoglin hasn't had to bear the burden of the team's scoring load late in the game. Often, the sophomore has turned to himself to pull out a victory.

His efforts were certainly noted as he saved the Terps from potential embarrassments to nonconference foes in December. But all of that work has left Stoglin exhausted late in the season — a reason for his missed shots Tuesday, according to Turgeon.

"He had to carry us against Radford, he had to carry us against Mount St. Mary's," Turgeon said of Stoglin's efforts earlier this year. "The kid is tired. I have to get Terrell's legs back under him because he's way, way too important."

So Turgeon looked elsewhere in one of the team's first marquee wins this year. That he found enough help, and that Stoglin wasn't really a part of it, stood out to players after the game.

"I think it pulls us together," Mosley said. "Knowing that we did this as a team makes this feel so much better. The locker room was unbelievable."

"No one player can win the game," Padgett said. "So when he facilitates the ball, everybody else can get the ball and now teams can't key on him. It helps us be a better team."

The result? The team's biggest win to date.

ceckard@umdbk.com