LINCOLN, NEB. – Bruno Fernando was frustrated, feeling a little claustrophobic with all the double teams the Nebraska men’s basketball team was throwing at him. Anthony Cowan Jr. was still in an offensive funk, seemingly trying to find a balance between not shooting too much or even at all.

It was left to Jalen Smith to rescue No. 24 Maryland from another slow start and potentially another bad loss.

Smith, who like Fernando has been frustrated recently with the way opposing teams have been using their physicality to defend him, and like Cowan has gone from dominating to disappearing in a matter of minutes in some games, did just that.

After scoring 11 straight points in the first half to help the Terps go on a 20-5 run that turned an early seven-point deficit into an eight-point halftime lead, Smith scored seven more in a 15-4 run that eventually led to a 60-45 victory Wednesday night at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

The former McDonald's All American and Mount Saint Joseph star finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds, his third double double of his freshman year, and, more importantly, his first against Big Ten competition.

“We were really struggling. It was 15-8, and ‘Stix’ really kind of changed the game for us offensively,” coach Mark Turgeon said after Maryland (18-6, 9-4) won its fourth Big Ten road game this season, double last season’s output.

The performance by Smith was partly the byproduct of the Cornhuskers playing their third straight game without senior forward Isaac Copeland, who was lost for the season with a torn ACL suffered against Ohio State on Jan. 26, but also the extra practice time Smith had put in recently.

Since Smith finished with just six points and three rebounds in a 69-55 loss at Michigan State on Jan. 21, starting a stretch of three defeats in four games that knocked the Terps from a second-place tie to fifth in the Big Ten, Turgeon has tried to toughen up Smith.

“ ‘Stix’ has gotten four or five extra weight workouts in,” Turgeon said. “After practice, he sticks around and we get the pads out and we beat on him pretty good, trying toughen him up a little bit and it’s starting to carry over. … He’s working to become a better player.”

Smith said he can feel a difference after going through those post-practice sessions with strength coach Kyle Tarp and some of the team’s student managers, who use plastic blocking pads as well as their own forearms to simulate what the skinny 215-pound forward might encounter during a game.

“I believe I’m holding onto the ball more during those physical bumps and hits, and it’s helping me open up my shot and finishing layups around the rim,” said Smith, who had six offensive rebounds and only two turnovers.

Smith took a season-high 16 shots, hitting eight of them, including a straightaway 3-pointer that helped open a 44-33 lead after Nebraska (13-10, 3-9) closed an 11-point deficit early in the second half to two. Smith celebrated by raising his arms in the air as a boxer might after a knockout.

“After the bad game I had [against Wisconsin, when he had only five points and four rebounds in a 69-61 loss], that me happy,” said Smith. “I guess that was my yell.”

Said Fernando: “We always count on him to have a good night. Obviously we got to get him going and things like that. We’re a very different team whenever he’s playing the way he played tonight.”

Bruno gets booed for stepover

Fernando, who as a freshman last season scored a then-career-high 21 points in a 70-66 loss against the Cornhuskers, got off to a slow start Wednesday offensively but eventually finished with 13 points and a career-high 19 rebounds.

don.markus@baltsun.com

twitter.com/sportsprof56

NO. 24 MARYLAND 60, NEBRASKA 45

MARYLAND (18-6): Fernando 4-7 5-6 13, J.Smith 8-16 1-3 18, Ayala 2-6 2-4 8, Cowan 2-10 1-3 5, Morsell 1-5 0-0 2, Lindo 1-1 0-2 2, Bender 0-0 0-0 0, Mona 0-0 0-0 0, Wiggins 2-8 0-0 6, S.Smith 2-5 0-0 6. Totals 22-58 9-18 60.

NEBRASKA (13-10): Borchardt 0-1 3-4 3, Roby 7-22 4-8 20, Thorbjarnarson 0-1 0-0 0, Palmer 2-13 8-11 12, Watson 0-10 0-1 0, Heiman 0-0 0-0 0, Allen 2-6 2-2 7, Akenten 1-4 0-0 3. Totals 12-57 17-26 45.

Halftime—Maryland 28-20. 3-Point Goals—Maryland 7-20 (S.Smith 2-3, Ayala 2-4, Wiggins 2-6, J.Smith 1-3, Cowan 0-4), Nebraska 4-17 (Roby 2-6, Allen 1-3, Akenten 1-3, Thorbjarnarson 0-1, Palmer 0-2, Watson 0-2). Fouled Out—Borchardt. Rebounds—Maryland 53 (Fernando 19), Nebraska 38 (Roby 14). Assists—Maryland 10 (Cowan 4), Nebraska 5 (Palmer 3). Total Fouls—Maryland 19, Nebraska 17. Technicals—Nebraska coach Tim Miles.