Terps put Peacocks away in first half, cruise to 66-56 victory
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- Maryland opened the game on a 14-0 run and never trailed against Saint Peter’s as freshman forward Justin Jackson scored a game-high 19 points to lead the Terps in a 66-56 win that wasn’t as close as the final score would indicate.
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It was a tale of two halves for a Terps team that had been struggling early in games so far this season. The Terps flipped the script against St. Peter’s, outscoring the Peacocks 40-18 in the opening stanza before Saint Peter’s went on a late second half run to close the gap to 10 points as the final buzzer sounded.
“I thought we played a great first half,” said Maryland head coach Mark Turgeon. “ We really defended, shot the ball well and shared the ball. We had 10 assists on 13 baskets. Kevin Huerter really played well. Michal Cekovsky was good early. I thought Melo Trimble really shared the ball early.
“In the second half we were the exact opposite. We weren’t very good and we weren’t very focused. We just didn’t finish the game. They were using 30 seconds even though they were down by 20 to 25 and our guys got caught up in it. We just didn’t finish the game the way we would have liked to finish it. We’ll put it all together next game.”
Freshman guard Kevin Huerter hit a pair of threes during the Terps’ opening 14-0 run, en route to a career-high 14 points.
“I thought we played well in the first half,” said Turgeon. “We played inside out and executed. We shared the ball and guys made shots. Kevin kind of got us going...we’re still kind of a work in progress, but it was good to see Kevin get going.”
Turgeon has made getting Huerter more open looks a priority in the early goings this season as the freshman guard continues to build his confidence on the floor.
“It definitely helps hitting your first shot,” said Huerter. “And once you hit your first shot your confidence gets going and teammates start to find you more. As the season goes on you’re getting more comfortable with the offense and I think everyone is starting to get more comfortable.”
Michal Cekovsky again in the starting lineup, provided the Terps with an offensive presence in the paint, scoring eight points, while also providing a bit of a spark on the defensive end, adding three rebounds and a pair of blocks.
The Terps’ third freshman starter, Anthony Cowan, also played well, adding eight points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals.
“I thought Anthony did some great things--he drove the ball and I thought he did a lot of good things out there,” Turgeon said.
The win over Saint Peter’s also marked the second straight game Mark turgeon was able to rest Terps leading scorer Melo Trimble, who played just 26 minutes. He had one of his quietest games of the season offensively, not even attempting a shot in the first half against the Peacocks. He finished with just five points but added a game-high four assists as he looked to get his teammates going early on.
“We’re always trying to spread the ball around,” said Huerter. “I think that just says something about Melo. He’s our leading scorer, he’s obviously our leader and he didn’t take a shot in the first half. Him not taking a shot in the first half just shows how unselfish he is, how he’s trying to get everyone else the ball. And ultimately, if the shot isn’t there for him; he didn’t try to force anything all night.”
The Terps won’t get much time to rest as they will return to action Monday evening for the first of two final non-conference games next week against Jacksonville State. The game is set to tip at 7 p.m. ET in Xfinity Center and will be televised on ESPNU.