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No. 5 seed Maryland beats No. 13 seed Hawaii 73-60

That changed Sunday night in Maryland’s 73-60 win over Hawaii in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament, punching the Terrapins’ first ticket to the Sweet 16 since 2003.

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“They should be celebrated, and I know Hawaii and – that’s what I told our guys, the state of Hawaii is very proud of them”, Hawaii coach Eran Ganot said.

Sophomore point guard Melo Trimble led the Terps in scoring with 24 points and eight rebounds.

– When the Kansas basketball team gets to Louisville, Kentucky, later this week there won’t be a March Madness Cinderella waiting for the top-seeded Jayhawks.

The box of about 1,000 leaves was accidentally diverted to Anchorage before Hawaii’s first opening round game, but the 13th-seeded Rainbow Warriors still beat No. 4 Cal, 77-66, Friday for Hawaii’s first NCAA tournament victory in program history.

Soon the Bows were going, all right, as Hawaii jumped out to a 13-6 lead and at the half remained in position for the upset while trailing 28-27.

It was Maryland’s second-half performance against Hawaii that offers encouragement against Kansas.

That’s when the bottom fell out. Stefan Jankovic stood out for Hawaii, registering 16 points, five rebounds, and one block. Head coach Mark Turgeon’s team led by 18 and then held on to defeat the Jackrabbits 79-74 to advance to the second round and face Hawaii. The stellar frontline includes 6-foot-11 freshman Diamond Stone along with Layman, a 6-foot-9 senior who made five 3-pointers and was 7-of-11 shooting against South Dakota State. The Hawaii Rainbow Warriors are undefeated with a 1-0 record in games where opponents have a similar or higher FG%.

In some senses, Maryland’s first half was bad.

Playing loose and free, confidently contesting the high expectations of major college power Maryland, a team with vastly more depth and the pervasive anticipation of a return run to the Final Four championship it won in 2002, the ‘Bows played 30 minutes of captivating basketball Sunday in Spokane. The Terps shot 0-of-8 on three-pointers, and they continued to chuck them up even as they were 9-of-12 on twos and 10-of-10 from the foul line in the first 20 minutes. Maryland missed its first 15 3-pointers before Trimble made one during the game-breaking run, before finishing 1-for-18.

Trimble said the team will not get caught up in hype. Quincy Smith scored 19 points while Roderic Bobbitt added 17 points for Hawaii. They’ve been through a lot this year.

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The Rainbow Warriors went on a 10-4 run to take a 39-36 lead. They also lost the first-half offensive rebounding margin 8-1, but they managed to get into the break with a one-point lead based nearly exclusively on free throws.

SPOKANE WA- MARCH 20 Melo Trimble #2 of the Maryland Terrapins celebrates with teammtes in the second half against the Hawaii Warriors during the second round of the 2016 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena on Marc