During Maryland men’s basketball’s two-game losing streak, guard Anthony Cowan couldn’t get going early, entering halftime against Penn State with three points and heading to the locker room against Michigan with two.

He opened those games a combined 2-for-14, watching as the Nittany Lions ran away with a huge win and the Terps failed to separate from the Wolverines. As usual, he made some shots late to finish in double figures in both games, but the efforts were far too belated to factor into the outcome.

On Friday, though, he got on the board early and often, and there was nothing quiet about his team-high 21 points, which included several tough finishes around the rim, a trio of 3-pointers and none of the inefficiency that has beleaguered him for much of his junior campaign.

“It’s obvious: I have to play well [for us] to win,” Cowan said. “I completely understand that. It’s no extra pressure on me. I just know what I’m capable of.”

[Read more: No. 24 Maryland basketball closes regular season with routine 69-60 win over Minnesota]

Cowan scored the team’s first five points and had seven at the 7:50 mark, when his pump fake got guard Brock Stull in the air. Cowan immediately pulled up with an awkward shot in hopes of drawing a foul. Stull knocked him over, and no whistle came, but it didn’t matter. As Cowan fell onto his back, the ball fell through the net.

The 6-foot guard spent the next timeout discussing with a referee why the contact wasn’t a foul. Considering that stoppage came with Maryland leading by 14, however, Cowan didn’t protest too heavily.

“I kind of got going a little bit earlier today, rather than doing everything I need to do in the second half,” Cowan said. “That was a good feeling.”

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The Terps rarely lose when Cowan is shooting well. His field goal percentage in Big Ten wins (46.2) is 15 points higher than his mark in losses (31.2).

Cowan didn’t point to anything as being different Friday beyond crediting his teammates for passes, such as the one from guard Darryl Morsell that found him in the corner for Maryland’s opening bucket.

But he also created for himself plenty, beating his man off the dribble and showing the touch around the rim that has seemed to elude him at times this year.

He toyed with the Golden Gophers defense with about 11 minutes left, driving into the paint and putting on the brakes, then pivoting three times in a complete circle while making multiple ball fakes and eventually finishing with a right-handed scoop that kissed the front of the rim and fell in to complete the circus shot.

“It was great to see Anthony hit a few shots,” coach Mark Turgeon said.

Cowan had gone a combined 1-for-11 from three-point range in the previous two games, and his 3-for-5 mark Friday was the second time he made more than half of his 3-pointers in the past 15 games.

The Terps’ leading scorer getting whatever he wanted was a familiar sight for Minnesota, however.

During the team’s first meeting, Cowan erupted for a season-high 27 points, taking over after halftime as the Terps ran away with an 82-67 win.

That game was also when forward Jalen Smith earned his season-high of 21 points. Smith also broke out of a slump by repeating his performance Friday, scoring 19 points to get the Terps back on the right track after dropping games to Michigan and Penn State.

“Those three, with [forward Bruno Fernando], are as talented as any three players in our league,” Minnesota coach Richard Pitino said. “Cowan has been a terrific player in this league for a long time.”