Maryland was locked in another close game when Melo Trimble let the ball fly from well beyond the 3-point circle as the shot clock was about to expire.
Swish.
The freshman guard did it again just over a minute later, and soon after, the 16th-ranked Terrapins were celebrating a gritty 69-65 victory over Nebraska on Thursday night.
Trimble scored 26 points on 7-for-9 shooting and made 10 of 11 free throws. He also led Maryland with six rebounds and five assists.
"Melo was terrific down the stretch," Terrapins coach Mark Turgeon said. "The kid's just a winner. I've been saying that since we got him. It sure is nice to have him, I'll tell you that."
Dez Wells and Jake Layman each scored 14 for the Terrapins (22-5, 10-4 Big Ten), who were tied with 5:38 left before Trimble took over.
After Wells made two free throws, Trimble beat the clock with a jumper from atop the key. He connected again from beyond the arc with 2:18 remaining for a 62-54 lead.
"That's what I do when the clock is winding down, I want to take the 3 or get to the basket," Trimble said. "Mostly, I want to take the 3. That's what I did tonight."
Said Turgeon: "The second one was really deep. I was like, `I just hope he has enough legs to get it there.'"
Nebraska played excellent defense right up until the shot clock was about to expire. And then ...
"Trimble made huge plays down the stretch," Huskers coach Tim Miles said. "He really hurt us. Those are the two 3's I remember that seemed like the daggers. They might have hit some free throws, too."
Trimble scored 11 straight points for Maryland in the closing minutes, the last five at the foul line.
The Terrapins have won their last three games by a total of 11 points and are 8-0 in games decided by six points or fewer.
"We've been really good in close games," Maryland guard Richaud Pack said. "I think it's just an attitude, so far. We just expect to win and make great plays down the stretch. When we need to focus and make the right plays, we do it."
Walter Pitchford scored 19 and Shavon Shields added 13 for Nebraska (13-13, 5-9). Terran Petteway, who came in averaging 18.7 points, was held to eight on 2-for-14 shooting but contributed nine assists.
The Huskers have lost four straight and six of seven, but they gave the Terrapins all they could handle in this one.
A 3-pointer by Pitchford got the Huskers to 65-62 with 29 seconds left, Nebraska gained possession on a steal. But Wells stole the ball and Trimble made two free throws on the other end to clinch it.
"I never thought we were going to lose," Turgeon said.
Maryland improved to 16-1 at home, 7-0 in the Big Ten.
After Nebraska made the first two baskets of the second half to go up 38-34, Trimble hit a runner to spark a 10-0 run that put Maryland up by six.
Maryland led 50-48 when Petteway was called for his fourth foul with 8:05 left. Two straight field goals by Shields knotted the score at 52 with 6:59 to go, setting the stage for the exciting finish.
BIG TEN SHOWDOWN
Maryland has five days to prepare for a duel with first-place, fifth-ranked Wisconsin.
"We are going to treat it as a regular game," Pack said. "But knowing the team we have and how we've been this year, we kind of get up for those games a little more than we do for other games."
STREAKY
Nebraska has held its last 14 opponents to under 70 points on the road. That is the second longest streak in the nation, dating to last season.
TIP-INS
Nebraska: The Huskers are 0-7 on the road in Big Ten play. ... Shavon scored in double figures for a ninth consecutive game, tying a career high. ... Nebraska has lost five straight against ranked opponents. ... The Huskers have held 37 straight opponents under 50 percent shooting from the field.
Maryland: The Terps will play home-and-home series next season with five foes: Michigan, Northwestern, Ohio State, Purdue and Wisconsin. ... Maryland was held without an offensive rebound in the first half. ... Trimble has totaled 84 points in his last four games after scoring a combined seven vs. Ohio State and Penn State.
