Two minutes after tipoff Wednesday, Penn State forward Lamar Stevens cut through the paint, received a pass at the post and, with one powerful dribble, shoved Maryland men’s basketball forward Jalen Smith out of his way for a layup.

And after five more points for the Nittany Lions — part of an initial onslaught the Terps never recovered from — Stevens showed his touch rather than his toughness. On the right wing, Stevens backed Smith all the way into the paint. Then, with Smith’s hand in his face, Stevens swished a turnaround jumper.

Smith smacked the ball before inbounding it to guard Anthony Cowan, an early sign of frustration at what would become a long night against one of the Big Ten’s premier scorers.

In Maryland’s first matchup against Penn State in December, Stevens required 24 shots to get to his season average of 19 points. On Wednesday, though, the Terps couldn’t find a way to slow Stevens during a 24-point, 53-percent shooting performance during their worst loss this season, allowing offensive struggles to pervade to the other end of the floor in the 78-61 loss.

“He’s just really good,” coach Mark Turgeon said. “I can’t explain it. How he gets his shot off and makes tough shots — he made a lot of tough shots.”

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With about six minutes left in the first half, there didn’t seem to be much Smith could have done differently against Stevens. When the junior caught a pass on the left side, he sized up Smith. Then, he dribbled toward the interior but was blocked off by Smith, who moved well laterally to remain in front and prevent a drive.

So, with his path to the basket denied, Stevens decided to circumvent. He spun back toward the baseline, jumped as he pivoted and sank a fade-away off the glass, part of eight first-half points.

“His patience and his pace have really slowed down,” Penn State coach Pat Chambers said. “He was more sped up in the beginning, maybe in January, trying to do too much. And now he’s feeling pretty confident about the guys around him. He’s reading the defenses a little bit better.”

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When the Terps faced the Nittany Lions in their Big Ten opener, Stevens was coming off two dominant games during his sophomore year against Turgeon’s squad. He combined for 40 points on 17-for-25 shooting last season.

Smith, though, made life difficult for the conference’s second leading scorer, who averages 19.9 points per game. During Maryland’s 66-59 win Dec. 1, Stevens couldn’t find a way past Smith on the dribble, settling for contested jumpers he didn’t frequently hit.

“I just watched film on it,” Stevens said. “I looked at where I may be effective on the court, and I felt like I was able to do that more tonight.”

Stevens appeared more comfortable shooting from outside Wednesday, not forcing drives past the 6-foot-10 freshman in front of him. Facing a zone early in the second half, Stevens — who’s hitting just 19.5 percent of his three-point attempts — was left with ample space as Smith stood in the paint alongside forward Bruno Fernando.

Stevens sank the triple, bringing the half-filled Bryce Jordan Center to its feet. Stevens added a dunk and a buzzer-beating jumper as part of a 7-0 personal run to push Penn State’s lead to 27. By that point, Turgeon subbed out all five of his starters, looking for any combination that may correct a dismal offensive night.

The Terps turned the ball over 17 times and shot 31 percent in the opening 20 minutes, creating a hole far too deep to overcome en route to a 78-61 loss.

“We just weren’t aggressive defensively early,” Turgeon said. “And we let our offense affect our defense throughout the game.”

Now, with a meeting against No. 9 Michigan looming on Sunday and the chance at a top-four seed in the Big Ten tournament hanging in the balance, Maryland will need a significant rebound.

Stevens won’t be there to contend against, but the Wolverines are ripe with talent, even with guard Charles Matthews likely missing out due to an ankle injury.

“We feel good about our season,” guard Eric Ayala said. “We feel very confident. And we’re looking forward to Sunday for a bounceback.”