Maryland guard Melo Trimble, left, drives past Penn State guard Geno Thorpe in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2015, in College Park, Md. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Jonathan Graham, Jared Nickens, Jordan Dickerson
Penn State center Jordan Dickerson, center, dunks over Maryland guard/forward Jared Nickens (11) and forward Jonathan Graham, right, in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2015, in College Park, Md. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Patrick Chambers
Penn State head coach Patrick Chambers directs his players in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Maryland, Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2015, in College Park, Md. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Evan Smotrycz, D.J. Newbill
Penn State guard D.J. Newbill collides with Maryland forward Evan Smotrycz as he drives to the basket in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2015, in College Park, Md. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
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COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — Dez Wells scored 23 points, Jon Graham scored 12 of his career-high 16 after halftime and No. 17 Maryland edged Penn State 64-58 Wednesday night to avert its first losing streak of the season.
The Terrapins (19-4, 7-3 Big Ten) were tied with 4:59 left and barely got past a 12th-place team seeking its first league win on the road.
After building a 57-52 lead, Maryland let the margin dwindle to one point before Wells made two foul shots with 39.3 seconds remaining. Then, after a Penn State miss, Wells grabbed the rebound and added another free throw to clinch it.
Maryland improved to 4-0 this season following a defeat. The Terrapins were coming off an 80-56 loss at Ohio State.
D.J. Newbill scored 18 for Penn State (14-9, 2-8). The Nittany Lions are 0-6 on the road in the Big Ten, with five of those defeats by six points or fewer.
Graham, who played two seasons at Penn State before transferring to Maryland, scored a career high on 6-for-7 shooting. That offset a subpar night by freshman guard Melo Trimble, Maryland’s leading scorer, who finished with four points and missed all five of his shots from the field.
Graham accounted for Maryland’s first seven points after halftime to turn a 29-28 advantage into a 36-31 lead. Two of his baskets came on passes from Trimble, who had the Terrapins’ lone assist in the first half.
A 3-pointer by Wells upped the margin to eight points with 15:54 left.
Newbill then scored five straight points before Wells hammered home a dunk and added a free throw for a three-point play. But Newbill answered with another 3, and a basket by Shep Garner made it 42-41.
The Terrapins remained in front until Devin Foster made a layup with 9:48 left to make it 47-46, Penn State’s first lead since 28-27.
TIP INS
Penn State: Newbill needs only eight points to move into sole possession of fourth place on the school scoring list. He is 10 points short of becoming the second player in Penn State history to reach 500 in three consecutive seasons.
Maryland: This was the first meeting between the teams since Maryland won 62-39 on the road in 2010. The teams last played in College Park on Nov. 30, 1968, a 66-56 Maryland victory. The Terrapins lead the series 10-7.
UP NEXT
The Nittany Lions host Nebraska on Saturday.
Maryland travels to Iowa on Saturday.