BALTIMORE — As soon as he saw the ball leave guard Rasheed Sulaimon’s hands, forward Jake Layman took off for the basket.

With the Terrapins men’s basketball team deadlocked at 27 against Princeton late in the first half Saturday, Layman watched as Sulaimon’s attempt hit the netting. He kept running.

Layman then wheeled around a Princeton defender, tiptoeing the line before pushing the ball to Sulaimon, who passed back to Layman in the corner. He kicked it to forward Jared Nickens, leaving guard Melo Trimble wide-open along the perimeter.

Moments later, Trimble’s 3-pointer swished through the net, sending the Terps fans at Royal Farms Arena into a frenzy. The Terps never trailed again.

READ MORE: Layman’s big night leads Terps to win over Princeton

Coach Mark Turgeon’s team once again played down to its competition early on Saturday, falling victim to the Tigers’ 3-2 zone and press. But after Layman’s save, the Terps rode stifling defensive play and hot shooting to an 82-61 win.

Here are my postgame grades:

Guard Melo Trimble: B+

Trimble didn’t attack the basket, instead opting to serve as the Terps’ facilitator, which he did a good job of. At one point in the second half, he assisted baskets on consecutive possessions — a layup from center Diamond Stone and a 3-pointer to Jaylen Brantley. The sophomore racked up a game-high 10 assists and had just three turnovers .

Guard Rasheed Sulaimon: B+

Sulaimon had five assists, but he also shot 3-for-4 from long-range and added six rebounds. It was the type of complete game we haven’t seen often from other Terps this season. His highlight was finding Layman for an easy alley-oop in the second half.

Forward Jake Layman: A-

I’ve often criticized Layman for his lack of aggressiveness, but I can’t do that tonight. He drilled the game’s first shot — a 3-pointer — and never cooled off en route to a season-high 19 points. He was active in the post, too, grabbing eight rebounds. Most importantly, he didn’t take any plays off and looked alert.

Forward Robert Carter Jr: B-

The 6-foot-9 Carter seems intent on mimicking Los Angeles Clippers forward Josh Smith’s practice of taking ill-advised jumpers. He looked dominant around the rim, spinning through the defense for a layup in the first half and executing a steal and score in the second half. He still finished with 12 points on 5 of 8 shooting, but he could’ve done better. On consecutive possessions in the first half, his 3-pointer rimmed out before he missed a pull up jumper just in back of the free-throw line.

Center Diamond Stone: B-

The freshman was the beneficiary of a number of nice passes from his guards, but his post defense left something to be desired. He still scored 11 points in 19 minutes, though.

Guard Jaylen Brantley: B+

Much of the announced 11,076 at Royal Farms Arena was Terps fans, and they never seemed to scream louder then when Brantley went off late in the game. The junior college transfer has been ridiculed for his lackluster production, but he shone on Saturday. His lone first-half attempt was blocked, but he promptly sunk a 3-pointer after checking in with about nine minutes left in the game. He proceeded to dazzle with a hot stroke and crafty moves, finishing with 14 points, second on the team.