Kevin Willard made his first starting lineup change of the season on Tuesday against Canisius, and it paid dividends.

Maryland’s coach slotted Rodney Rodney into the backcourt and moved DeShawn Harris-Smith to the bench. The Terps’ new starting five got off to a blazing start, carving out a 45-point advantage in the first half.

It included a 41-2 run in a 12-minute span, which Maryland men’s basketball used to defeat Canisius, 108-37, at Xfinity Center. It was the Terps’ largest margin of victory since 1998.

The Terps (4-1) poured in 22 points in the game’s opening seven minutes before Willard made his first substitution. Their previous season-high in a game’s first 6 and a half minutes was 17.

“We’re learning to play with each other and learning where each other wants the ball,” Julian Reese said. “I feel like it’s all coming together.”

Canisius owned the third-worst defense in the country entering Tuesday, ranking 362nd out of 364 qualifying teams, according to KenPom. Maryland used that to its advantage and scored its most points in a first half under Willard.

The Golden Griffins missed 11 consecutive field goals at one point in the first period. That, coupled with 15 turnovers, gave Maryland a 59-14 lead entering the break.

[Maryland men’s basketball is still figuring out Derik Queen, Julian Reese pairing]

Seven players scored above their season average in points and seven contributors scored double-digit points. Maryland eclipsed the 100-point scoring mark for the first time this season after doing so twice last year.

Reese attained his first double-double of the season in the first half alone, tallying 14 points and 10 rebounds. The senior ended the night with 20 points and 12 rebounds.

Willard said he drew up the first set of the game for Reese — he made a conscious effort to get him the ball inside after he scored two points and attempted just three shots in the Terps’ loss to Marquette.

Reese got the ball in the post on Maryland’s first possession and kicked it out to a wide-open Selton Miguel. Willard praised the senior’s willingness to share the ball despite his previous lack of touches.

“We went into Julian right away because we just didn’t get him the ball enough,” Willard said. “I thought Julian set the whole tempo. We threw it in, he didn’t rush it, he kicked it out and we got a wide-open three … I really thought that set the tone.”

[Maryland men’s basketball battles but falls to No. 15 Marquette, 78-74]

Reese and freshman forward Derik Queen didn’t look fully comfortable alongside each other in the season’s first four games — Willard said he’s still figuring out how to best utilize the two talented big men. While most of their minutes came with only one on the floor, Tuesday was the first time both big men scored five or more field goals in the same game.

South Florida transfer Selton Miguel scored a season-high 15 points. Queen, Ja’Kobi Gillespie, Malachi Palmer and Jayhlon Young each added at least 10. It was the first time this season that all five Maryland starters finished in double-digits.

Willard’s decision to swap Rice for Harris-Smith came after the sophomore guard scored a season-high nine points against No. 15 Marquette on Friday. But Harris-Smith missed two crucial free throws down the stretch of that game, which essentially doomed the Terps’ chances of a comeback when they were down two points.

Rice outscored Harris-Smith in three of the Terps’ first four games of the season, including a 28-point outburst against Mount St. Mary’s on Nov. 8. He did the same against Canisius with a 13-point performance on 3-for-6 shooting from the perimeter.

It was a get-right game for the Terps coming off their first loss of the season, and a strong confidence builder ahead of another crucial nonconference game against Villanova in New Jersey on Sunday.