The Terrapins men’s basketball team got off to an ugly offensive start against Bowie State on Saturday in its final exhibition game of the preseason. It didn’t score for the first three minutes of play and committed two turnovers in that span.

But after a thunderous dunk from guard Dez Wells broke the drought, the Terps went on a 14-5 run and never looked back in an eventual blowout victory. All 14 of those points were scored by either Wells or forward Jake Layman, the team’s eldest and most experienced players.

It was the Terps’ natural leaders stepping up when their teammates were struggling to find a rhythm in a new motion offense. Even highly touted freshman point guard Melo Trimble, who went 0 of 2 shooting with a turnover in the first six minutes of action, took a while to get going.

Yet when asked after the game if he and Wells would play that pick-me-up role during the regular season, which kicks off Friday against Wagner at Xfinity Center, Layman gave an interesting response.

“When I think of that, when games are kind of slow and we have slow starts,” he said, “I think that will come down to Melo and him getting control of our team.”

Layman continued: “I’m the kind of guy that understands who needs to lead on the court. And it’s the point guard, the guy who has ball in his hands.”

That’s quite the onus to put on a rookie who hasn’t played a minute in an actual college game. But it certainly displays what kind of player the Terps believe Trimble will become, and it’s the level of poise and consistency at point guard the team will need to be successful this season.

Trimble showcased that potential in the Terps’ two exhibition games against San Francisco State and the Bulldogs. In 49 combined minutes over the two contests, he scored 27 points and dished out 10 assists to five turnovers.

On top of his assists, Trimble kept the ball moving efficiently on offense, a skill Terps point guards have lacked in coach Mark Turgeon’s first four years in College Park.

Seth Allen, who transferred to Virginia Tech in the offseason, did a majority of the team’s ball-handling after returning from his foot injury in late December. But he was a clear score-first player.

Allen averaged 11 field-goal attempts per game and was second on the team in scoring at 13.4 points per game. And while he led the Terps with three assists per game, that falls more on the team’s unwillingness to pass than Allen’s success finding open teammates.

In fact, since the 2009-10 season, the last time the Terps qualified for the NCAA tournament, the program hasn’t had a single player average four assists or more per game. That year, Greivis Vasquez (6.3) and Eric Hayes (4.0) reached that benchmark.

Both droughts might end this year with Trimble at the point.

“He just had a lot of composure out there,” Turgeon said of Trimble after the point guard dropped 19 points and five assists in an exhibition win over San Francisco State on Nov. 1. “He’s just got a lot of game.”

Trimble’s production in both points and assists was promising during the preseason. But what impressed me more was his decision-making and ability to create off the dribble drive.

When nothing opened up after working through the motion offense, Trimble would attack the basket with ferocity, even giving fans a glimpse of his trademark floater. Many times, he drew fouls — an art form he’s started to learn from fifth-year senior guard Richaud Pack, who is well-versed in the savvy techniques needed to sway calls.

Then Trimble’s shooting stroke would take over. And in the two exhibition games, he made 13 of 16 free throws.

All these things provide hope that Trimble, the program’s first McDonald’s All-American since 2003, could play a major role in a rebound season for the Terps.

One thing’s for sure: When the team hits a wall offensively, teammates and fans alike will be counting on him.