When speaking with the media Monday, three days after the Maryland men’s basketball team beat American by six its season-opener, coach Mark Turgeon emphasized his team’s need to play unselfishly.
The Terps relied on guard Melo Trimble to take over against the Eagles, but since then, Maryland has gotten more players involved. Their depth was on display against St. Mary’s (Md.) on Thursday night.
Behind scoring from 11 Terps, Maryland cruised to a 93-45 win over the Seahawks at the Xfinity Center. It was the team’s first blowout victory of the season.
“In practice, the ball gets moved around a lot,” forward L.G. Gill said. “Against American, we didn’t really display that. We’re seen as a selfish team, but we’re not a selfish team at all. Tonight, we were able to move the ball and just gel and hit guys for open shots.”
In Maryland’s 76-75 win over Georgetown on Tuesday, Turgeon didn’t want to depend on Trimble from the start. So two freshmen, guard Anthony Cowan and forward Justin Jackson, combined for 28 points and 12 rebounds.
Jackson’s performance earned him his first start Thursday, joining Cowan and guard Kevin Huerter in the opening lineup. It marked the first time the Terps (3-0) have started three freshmen since Jan. 25, 2015.
The newcomers, who have thrived in each game this season, set the pace from tipoff. The trio combined for 12 of Maryland’s first 15 points, so Turgeon sent in his reserves after the under-12 timeout.
As Turgeon switched between two lineups in the first half, the Terps recorded a season-high 12 assists en route to a 54-22 halftime lead. Maryland finished the contest with 18 assists and six players with at least eight points.
“We really shared the ball early, and we really shared the ball late,” Turgeon said. “In between, we got a little caught up in what was going on.”
Forward Damonte Dodd led the way in the first half, recording 10 of his 14 points and seven of his 10 rebounds while blocking three shots. It marked the senior’s first career double-double. Gill finished with 15 points.
The contest became such a blowout that some Maryland fans jokingly cheered when St. Mary’s guard Tre Mouton drained a three-pointer at the buzzer of the first half.
Maryland’s starting lineup went to the bench at the 14:28 mark of the second half, and Trimble and Dodd didn’t re-enter, another break after Turgeon rewarded his squad with no Wednesday practice. The Terps’ leaders cheered on the side until the final buzzer, a change after two close outings.
“The ball movement was good,” Dodd said. “That’s one thing Turgeon really expressed. We tried to drive and kick and get other guys shots. That was really good to get everyone touches with the ball and scoring in different ways.”
While Maryland’s victory was never in jeopardy, there were still some areas for improvement. After combining for 33 turnovers in their first two games, the Terps turned the ball over 12 times against the Seahawks (2-1). Turgeon displayed his frustration at one point by pounding his foot on the court multiple times after a turnover. Maryland also struggled at times to break the Division III program’s full-court press.
Still, after an emotional win over a local rival Tuesday, the Terps rebounded to dominate the Seahawks with diverse contributions and crisp ball movement.
“It’s just something we try to do in practice every day,” Huerter said of the passing. “Not worried about what guys take shots and getting used to playing with each other. Every team in the beginning of the year is still trying to figure themselves out. Going game by game, we should be getting better.”
