After stepping into the conference, Maryland quickly stepped back out of conference to face LaSalle tonight.
The Terps were coming off a 74-60 loss to Rutgers.
The LaSalle Explorers was just what the Terps needed. Maryland would show their dominance in a largely balanced attack in their 84-71 win.
Five players would finish in double-figures with Eric Ayala’s 23 points leading the way. “I think we’re just growing together,” said Ayala.
Seven Terps scored in the first 20 minutes as head coach Mark Turgeon played nine players in the first half.
Early on, the Terps found success inside the paint where they scored eight of their first ten points. “We had a lot of paint touches,” said head coach Mark Turgeon. It probably helped that they got off to a slow start from the three point line.
The Terps pushed out to a double digit lead when Jairus Hamilton hit a three pointer.
LaSalle didn’t back away going on a 9-2 run capped by a Jhamir Brickus layup but for most of the night, the Explorers offense looked herky-jerky against the Terps defense.
But the Terps stingy defense spurred on a 10-0 run that would put them up 15 at the half. “First half we were really good defensively,” said Turgeon.
Aaron Wiggins highlighted the run with a steal-and-score followed by a secondary transition three-pointer.
That had to be a sight for sore eyes and Wiggins’ season can be labeled as “inconsistent” at best. Wiggins would finish the night 7-16 from the field for 15 points. When asked about his night, Wiggins said “.”
The second half was a lot like the first half. The Explorers giving out supreme effort against team not in their pay grade.
Whenever LaSalle went on a little run that would make the feel good about themselves, Maryland had an answer. When the the Explorers cut it to 12 with under 17 minutes left, Donta Scott’s answered with a three pointer to push the score to 48-33.
Donta Scott out here being vicious at the rim. ? @TerrapinHoops x @umterps pic.twitter.com/KqHjcHa6ss
— Maryland On BTN (@MarylandOnBTN) December 23, 2020
With 12:22 left in the second half, LaSalle would cut the lead to 52-45 but the Terps would answer again with a 9-2 run. “When they cut it to eight, I said we are going to win by 18,” said Turgeon.
Once again, Turgeon got a good performance from Hakim Hart. The sophomore continues to impress and was critical during a run late in the half that kept the Terps up by double-digits. He would end the night with 13 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists.
It was a “get right” game for several players but Darryl Morsell wasn’t one of them.
Against Clemson and Rutgers (Maryland’s two previous games), Morsell shot a combined 10-23. Tonight he continued his cold shooting with a 3-11 performance. The highlight of his struggle was on full display when he got a good offensive rebound and then follow it up with a missed layup.
The Terps hit the Big Ten road for the next two games. Trips to Purdue (6-2) and Wisconsin (7-1) will be challenging ones.
The Boilermakers only two losses came at the hands of Clemson and Miami (Fl). Their best win was over Ohio State.
Wisconsin’s only loss was a two-point squeaker to in-state rival Marquette. The Badgers have wins over Rhode Island and Louisville.
Turgeon certainly thinks the team is heading in the right direction. “We’ve gotten better since the Clemson game.”
Photo Credit: Maryland Athletics
