Maryland needed a clean finish more than style points. It got one Saturday, grinding out a 67-62 win at Minnesota on Feb. 8, 2026, and flipping a tight game with a better second half.
The Terps (9-14) arrived in poor form (WLLLL), but they left with a road win that matters in a season short on momentum. Minnesota (11-13), spiraling at LWLLL, couldn’t convert a slim halftime edge into a closing push.
How it swung
Minnesota carried a 33-32 lead into the break, but the margins tightened further after halftime. Maryland’s 35-point second half — compared to Minnesota’s 29 — was the difference in a game that stayed within one or two possessions deep into the finish.
Second-half execution decides it
The story was less about a single run and more about possession-to-possession control. Maryland won the closing math by getting to 67 with a stronger fourth-quarter output (35 points in the second half overall), while Minnesota’s offense dipped to 29 after intermission.
In a game without overtime, that late edge was enough: Maryland turned a one-point halftime deficit into a five-point final, the kind of incremental swing that often comes down to cleaner late-game decisions and fewer empty trips.
What it means going forward
For Maryland, the win stabilizes a team that had been sliding, and it does so in the most valuable currency available right now: a road result. At 9-14, the Terps still have work to do, but this is the template — win the second half, win the game.
Minnesota, now 11-13, is left with another close loss during a rough stretch. The Gophers were in front at halftime, but the inability to match Maryland’s second-half scoring pace underscores the urgency to find more reliable offense late in games.
Final
Maryland 67, Minnesota 62 (Minnesota led 33-32 at halftime; Maryland won the second half 35-29). Venue: TBD.