COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- A basketball-thirsty Maryland fan base came out in droves to support its Terps as they hosted Butler (2-1) at Xfinity Center Nov. 15 for this year’s installment of college basketball’s Gavitt Games. And they weren’t disappointed, as Maryland (3-0) rolled the Bulldogs, 79-65, behind a game-high 25-point, 10-rebound performance by sophomore point guard Anthony Cowan.
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Cowan shot 5-for-8 from the field, including 3-for-6 from beyond the arc, while also going 12-for-15 from the free throw line, and dishing out five assists to one turnover in his 37 minutes of action.
“Man, was he good tonight,” Maryland head coach Marky Turgeon said. “I mean, 25 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, one turnover, he guarded like crazy, and he didn’t even look tired to me. He was a one-man press offense out there when he pressed us and he was terrific. I think he’s really getting a feel for it and how to run the team.”
In the Terps ‘ first major out-of-conference matchup of the season, Turgeon went with a starting lineup of Cowan, Kevin Huerter, Dion Wiley, Justin Jackson and Michal Cekovsky. The outlier of the group was Wiley, who started his first game for Maryland since Dec. 10, 2014 when he was a freshman.
Wiley made the most of his opportunity and posted 11 points, three three-pointers, and three rebounds against the Bulldogs.
“I thought he was great,” Turgeon said. “He looked like he belonged. And he hasn’t looked that way since his freshman year, so it was good for him. I’m happy for him.”
But the first two players off the bench for the Terps were freshmen Bruno Fernando and Darryl Morsell, who each had a major impact on Maryland’s victory.
Fernando came out ferociously and was quick to throw down two dunks and pick up a block. He finished the game 4-for-5 from the floor for eight points and four rebounds. Like Fernando, Morsell also brought some toughness to the defensive end of the floor for the Terps while also showing off some athletic dunks and natural scoring. Morsell shot 6-for-10 from the field and finished with 13 points, two blocks and a steal.
“It was a great feeling,” Morsell said. “I had a lot of family here. Students came out in full support. I think it was pretty much sold out. These are the games Iike. This is why I put in all of the hard work and everything, to shine in the bright lights.”
Maryland proved to be a much more physical team than Butler and the Terps outrebounded the Bulldogs 40-27. Turgeon credited his freshmen for setting the physical tone for his team.
“We went out and we added three tough guys in Darryl and Bruno and Sean Obi, and they make practice everyday more physical, and it just feels right to me,” Turgeon said. “Last year we had a heck of a year and started three young guys and had a heck of a year. But this team has potential to just continue to grow and we are much more physical. It’s nice to see. We’re boxing out better, rebounding better, guys are going to get it. We’re almost fighting over rebounds down there, which is good to see.”
Despite a pretty flawless performance, the one concern the Terps might have is the lack of offensive production from NBA prospect Justin Jackson. Jackson only took four shots throughout the game and made two. He did, however, lead the Terps with 11 rebounds and block a shot, and Turgeon isn’t too worried about his standout sophomore.
“I’m not worried about him because I see him at practice making plays and doing things. And the great thing is that he didn’t hang his head. He kept defending and he kept rebounding, so that’s a really good sign for us moving forward. But we can’t be great moving forward if Justin’s only taking four shots a game. We need him to be a bigger part of it and that’s my job to figure out how to get him more shots.”
Both teams came out hot in this contest and it was a back-and-forth affair early, but Maryland eventually locked in on defense and was able to create turnovers and get out in transition for some fast-break points. The Terps held the Bulldogs to 34 percent shooting and came up with seven blocks as a team.
“We’re a great team defensive team,” Cowan said. “We can key in and lock in and when we do that we get stops and when we do that I think we’re pretty good in transition. And I think that really helped us out tonight.”
Maryland’s offense was also lights out, shooting 57 percent from the floor and 45 percent from downtown. The Terps have a multitude of players who can score and it appears that Maryland will not be an easy team to guard this season.
“We’re hard to guard,” Turgeon said. “We have so many guys that can make tough shots that we’re hard to guard. We can really space the floor.”
Next up on the schedule for the Terps is a home meeting Saturday night against Bucknell.
