Pharrel Payne leads Maryland men’s basketball to win over Alcorn State
The Maryland Terrapins (2-1) offense found their rhythm against the Alcorn State Braves (0-4), winning 84-64 on Tuesday evening, a bounce back from their home opener loss to Georgetown.
Senior forward Pharrel Payne was Maryland’s most reliable scorer. He dominated on both ends, scoring all his points inside, while Maryland was outscored by two points when he sat.
“In my opinion, we probably have the best big in the league. So if you see his number, throw him the ball,” redshirt freshman Andre Mills said.
Payne scored a season high of 22 points and snagged seven rebounds. Mills trailed Payne in scoring with 16 points and freshman guard Darius Adams had 10 points, rounding out the backcourt.
The Terps entered Tuesday night struggling to get started. During the first minutes of the game, Alcorn State made three consecutive shots, part of a back-and-forth three minutes. After, the Terps went on a 27-10 run before an Alcorn State timeout 12 minutes into the game.
When asked about any changes to the rotation after three games, Head Coach Buzz Williams said, “No, sir,” adding that most of the answers he is searching for will come through practice.
“In year one, week two, I’m not concerned with our rotation yet,” Williams said.
The Terps defense became aggressive, holding the Braves scoreless on their next eight shots over seven minutes.
Maryland scored 13 points, six from Payne to widen the lead up to 20-7.
The Terps then went the last nine minutes of the first half without making a field goal. Alcorn State outscored Maryland, 17-6, during that stretch.
Alcorn State’s guard Jameel Morris started the comeback. After back-to-back layups, the Braves found themselves within striking distance, cutting the lead to 33-27 before halftime.
The Braves capitalized on Maryland turnovers and cold perimeter shooting just two of 14 from beyond the arc before the half.
Though the Terps struggled in the first half, they found solutions in the second. Payne scored nine points that included a 3-pointer and a dunk in a 15-2 run to open the second half.
Williams cautioned that his team wouldn’t and shouldn’t shoot excessive three pointers after shooting 10 for 29 from beyond the arc in last Monday’s season opener.
This seems warranted given the fact that Maryland shot 8 for 28 against Alcorn State and with a season average of around 28%.
“We’re still trying to figure each other out,” Mills said. “[It’s the] third game of the season and I think, from a player’s point of view, I think we are starting to figure each other out, figure out who shoots what, how they shoot it, where they’re going to shoot it from.”
They closed out the second half shooting 17 for 28. Adams, Mills, graduate guard David Coit and freshman guard Guillermo Del Pino each contributed by making one shot.
Maryland grabbed a season-high 14 offensive rebounds, but turned the ball over 17 times.
Following the loss to Georgetown in College Park, the Terps were successful, especially in the second half, with shooting. With a 10 for 14 layup rate, the Terps boosted their field goal percentage to 50%.
Williams added that points in the paint and limiting turnovers will be important to the Terps moving forward.
Maryland returns to action Saturday when coach Buzz Williams faces one of his former teams, Marquette, in Milwaukee.