No. 7 Maryland’s second half surge leads them past Rhode Island, 73-55

Saturday night was a little too familiar for the No. 7 Maryland.

Like in its season opener Tuesday night against Holy Cross, they found themselves again trading early baskets with an inferior opponent. 

Breakdowns on defense and early foul trouble allowed the visiting Rhode Island Rams to control most of the first half, eventually building a 24-12 lead.

Maryland was playing too fast and not letting the game come to them. On a few occasions, a player would try to dribble through traffic and either lose the ball or trapped into a turnover.

The Terps had 14 turnovers in the first half.

“They were ready to go and we weren’t,” head coach Mark Turgeon said of the team’s first half struggles. “They kind of punched us in the face.”

Down 28-20 with a little under five minutes left in the first half, Maryland started playing with an intensity that allowed them to take over the game.

A quick five points from sophomore guard Eric Ayala and a 3-pointer from freshman forward Donta Scott contributed to a 10-0 run that put the Terps up 30-28 with a little over a minute left in the half. 

They closed out the half leading 35-32, which boosted their stellar second half performance and helped them secure a 73-55 victory.

After the Rams shot 39.4 percent from the field in the first half, Maryland’s defense suffocated them in the second half, holding them to 20.6 percent from the field.

Turgeon contributed the improved second half defense to a switch to a 1-3-1 zone. This allowed the Terps to play the passing lanes and collect more steals. 

Sophomore guard Aaron Wiggins thrived in the zone, as he had three steals for the second consecutive game.

“Coach put [the zone] in because he loves our length and he loves our athleticism,” Wiggins said. “So putting that 1-3 in we saw that it kind of messed with them a little bit so I used my length and just tried to affect the guards who were handling the ball up top.”

Wiggins finished the night with 13 points, 13 rebounds and three steals.

Another contributing factor to the Maryland’s strong second half was the play of senior guard Anthony Cowan. 

After struggling in the first half with zero points on 0-4 shooting, Cowan began to play more aggressive on offense and eventually found his rhythm. He scored all 14 of his points in the second half, shooting 50 percent from the field and knocking five-of-six free throws down as well.

“I just let the game come to me a little bit more,” Cowan said. “I really wasn’t forcing anything in the first half, and in the second half my teammates started to find me. I saw the ball go in the basket a couple of times, so it got my confidence up a little bit.”

Sophomore forward Jalen Smith again looked like the most physically dominant player on the court, as his length and increased muscle allowed to him record his second double-double of the season. 

An impressive feed from Cowan allowed Smith to throw down a powerful two-handed dunk to bring the crowd to its feet late in the game.

Smith, also known as “Stix” by fans, coaches and teammates, finished with a game-high 19 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks.

Now 2-0 on the season, the Terps will get a week off to prepare for their next game.

Maryland will host Oakland on Nov. 16 at Xfinity Center at noon.