Forward Damonte Dodd (left) and guard Roddy Peters (right) made a big impact for the Terps in their win over Wake Forest on Feb. 18, 2014.

Damonte Dodd and Roddy Peters jogged onto the court at an unusual time Tuesday night during the Terrapins men’s basketball team’s matchup with Wake Forest.

Neither Dodd, a forward, nor Peters, a guard, had been consistent enough to earn significant playing time during much of the ACC schedule. But coach Mark Turgeon didn’t hesitate to send the two freshmen into the game with 5:48 left as the Terps were clinging to an eight-point lead against the Demon Deacons.

Peters steadied the Terps’ offense upon hitting the floor, and Dodd swatted away a short jumper from Arnaud Adala Moto to help the Terps polish off a 71-60 victory. During a game in which the Terps leaned heavily on guard Nick Faust’s career-high 20 points, they also relied on their two rookies to close out an important win.

“We kind of had to get some different guys in the game,” forward Jake Layman said. “Damonte and Roddy really stepped up tonight.”

Tuesday night marked the second straight game Dodd and Peters were effective down the stretch. Turgeon said Peters played his best minutes of the season at then-No. 8 Duke, and the third-year coach praised Dodd for his interior defense in the 69-67 loss.

Dodd, a 6-foot-9 shot-blocking specialist, didn’t appear in the three contests leading up to the game at Duke, in which he played seven minutes, but he helped hold the Blue Devils to 23.1 percent shooting from the field in the second half. After playing in the closing minutes of a heated contest at Cameron Indoor Stadium, Dodd had little trouble maintaining composure before an announced 10,665 fans at Comcast Center on Tuesday night.

“Man, if I can do that in a big game like that, I know I can just be calm and do what I’m supposed to do,” Dodd said Monday. “It was a big confidence booster.”

Dodd’s playing time has been sporadic this season, and before the matchup at Duke, he struggled to acclimate to the college game. Turgeon has elected to keep the Centreville native on the bench in nine games this season, yet Dodd has played at least 10 minutes in seven other games.

But when Dodd stays out of foul trouble and avoids mental lapses, his length provides an added dynamic to the Terps defense.

“If Damonte can continue to grow as our team grows, it’s going to make us a better team,” Turgeon said. “Especially on the defensive end.”

Peters’ season has unfolded a bit differently than Dodd’s has. A four-star recruit from Suitland, Peters was thrust into a significant role early in the season, as starting point guard Seth Allen missed the team’s first 12 games with a broken bone in his left foot.

Peters exhibited flashes of promise in the season’s first two months. He started 10 games and earned ACC Rookie of the Week honors midway through December after he scored a career-high 14 points in an 88-80 victory at Boston College. Since Allen’s return, though, Peters has seen less time on the court, and he’s struggled to adjust to his limited role.

In back-to-back games against Virginia Tech and North Carolina earlier this month, Peters combined for six turnovers, one assist and zero points.

But Turgeon said the shifty guard learned while spending more time on the bench and showed improvement at Duke when he locked down guard Quinn Cook.

“Roddy’s playing time’s gone down, but his coachability has gone way up,” Turgeon said Monday. “He’s listening to the coach, which has made him a better player. So therefore, he’s going to get on the court a little bit more.”

Peters played 14 minutes against the Demon Deacons, his most since a Jan. 12 loss at Florida State, and dished out three assists to one turnover. With Allen proving ineffective for much of the game, Peters stabilized an originally erratic offense to help the Terps fend off Wake Forest, earning praise from Turgeon.

The Terps’ third-year coach hadn’t trusted Peters enough to put him on the floor during critical moments in the past several weeks, but Tuesday night his newfound faith in the freshman floor general paid off.

“Roddy Peters played well for us tonight,” Turgeon said. “He really ran the team.”