COLLEGE PARK, Md. — No. 7 Maryland (2-0) sophomore forward Jalen ‘Stix’ Smith recorded his second consecutive double-double to start the season as the Terps survived a strong first half by Rhode Island (1-1) and overcame a 12-point deficit Nov. 9 to secure a 73-55 victory in College Park.
“What a great game for us to play a team that’s physical and a team that I thought was more ready to play the game at the start than us,” Maryland head coach Mark Turgeon said after the game. “They have four guys from the area, coach (David) Cox is from the area. They were ready to go and we weren’t and they kind of punched us in the face.
“We finally settled down. The zone got us going. We played a little 1-3-1. We hadn’t shown it and it kind of rattled them a little bit. We got our break going and it gave us confidence. And then I thought in the second half defensively we were really really good.”
With 14 first-half turnovers, Maryland carried just a three-point lead heading into halftime, but the Rams would go on scoring droughts of more than four minutes and three minutes in the second half that gave the Terps the separation they needed to pull away. Maryland would use an 18-4 run in the second half to distance itself from the visiting team.
“It was pretty amazing and we needed it,” Turgeon said of his team’s second-half run. “I was really worried because we couldn’t score. We turned it over on probably 50 percent of our possessions and we had no rhythm on offense. There was just no rhythm to the game whatsoever. It was a very physical game. So to go on that run and to rebound and get our zone going was big.”
Smith scored 12 points in a three-minute span in the second half to finish with a game-high 19 points to add to his 11 rebounds. He shot an efficient 7-for-12 from the floor and added two blocks to his totals.
“He can score anywhere on the court with his abilities and his length and his ability to shoot the ball,” Terps sophomore wing Aaron Wiggins said of Smith. “Coach Turgeon wanted us to give him the ball in the post and he was able to go to work, draw a couple fouls, get to the free-throw line, and I think once he saw the ball go through the net a few times his confidence up and he was able to go when he wanted to.”
It took Terps senior point guard Anthony Cowan Jr. until just under 15 minutes left in the game to score his bucket, but he didn’t stop after that, netting 13 of Maryland’s next 16 points after his first field goal and finishing the game with 14 points, five assists, three rebounds, and two steals.
“We changed our offense a little bit in the second half, spaced them, changed our ball-screen, and really got [Cowan] and Eric (Ayala) both going a little bit,” Turgeon said. “His leadership was amazing, his poise. He never stopped talking, and his defense. We don’t talk about his defense enough. I guess he’s just being a senior, and he likes to bring us home, which is good. I’d much rather have that than a guy who plays well in the first half and can’t do it in the second.”
Wiggins provided some perimeter scoring for Maryland, hitting 2-of-5 from downtown and finishing with 13 points and 13 rebounds on Saturday night. He also swiped three steals for the second straight game.
“[Wiggins] was so active at the top getting steals and deflections, and that 1-3-1 zone really slowed them down a lot,” Terps sophomore guard Eric Ayala said.
Ayala also netted 13 on the bench after starting the season-opener earlier in the week.
Junior guard Darryl Morsell and freshman center Makhi Mitchell each got their first start of the season for the Terps, but combined for just 6 points. Mitchell dealt with foul trouble throughout the night, picking up four fouls in just four minutes.
DMV natives Jeff Dowtin and Jermaine Harris led Rhode Island in scoring with 14 and 10 points, respectively, but the Terps did an excellent job of shutting down Rams’ floor general Fatts Russell, who shot 1-for-8 from the floor and finished with five points and four turnovers.
“We kept [Russell] in front and tried to make him take tough shots,” Cowan said. “He’s a really good guard. He’s really aggressive, but he’ll have better games than this one.”
Rams senior forward Cyril Langevine ripped down a game-high 17 rebounds on Saturday night, but the Terps edged out Rhode Island on the boards overall, 43-42.
“That guy’s a terrific player,” Turgeon said of Langevine. “Man is he good. Best second jump I think I’ve ever coached against.”
Despite some turnover issues early for the Terps, Maryland’s defense forced 18 turnovers, which helped lead to a 24-4 differential in fast-break points on Saturday night.
“We just had to stay with it,” Cowan said. “In the second half, I think we got more stops that allowed us to get out in transition, so it was a lot easier to come out and score.”
Maryland now gets a full week to prepare before hosting Oakland in College Park on Nov. 16.
