Maryland men’s basketball has struggled to claim an offensive identity.

Wagner entered Xfinity Center Tuesday night boasting the nation’s 302nd best defense, according to KenPom. The Seahawks were the third-best team in the Northeast Conference in terms of net rating (-12.60), but they lost five of their first six contests by an average margin of 11.2 points.

Against the Terps’ uninspiring offense, Wagner stayed close for about 23 minutes. Buoyed by free throws and layups from senior forward Pharrel Payne, Maryland pulled ahead in the second half and won, 89-63.

“We don’t know who we are, and we’re trying to figure out who we are while going to play a top-15 team on the road Saturday,” coach Buzz Williams said. “We can’t change the schedule. We are thankful for the healthy bodies. … We’re just trying to make up for missed time.”

Payne poured in a career-high 30 points in 29 minutes and added a game-high 10 rebounds. His effort was needed — outside of Payne, the Terps shot just over 33 percent from the field.

Coming off what Williams called the worst two losses of his career at the Players Era Tournament in Las Vegas, the Terps (6-3) trailed for less than four minutes on Tuesday. But it wasn’t convincing with Big Ten matchups on deck against Iowa and No. 3 Michigan.

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Senior forward Solomon Washington made his Maryland debut Tuesday. Williams called Washington’s seven-week recovery from a leg injury an “ongoing deal.” The 6-foot-7 defensive specialist participated in warmups and dressed for all three games in Las Vegas, but didn’t play.

“We knew since Vegas, I was going to be cleared December 1st, so I was practicing the entire time out there,” Washington said. “And I knew I was going to be ready. I got to get my wind back, but I’ll be straight.”

Williams cautioned last week that Washington’s return wouldn’t “change everything” that has gone wrong for the Terps this season. They’re still a flawed offensive team, and Washington — who averaged 4.7 points on 35. 8 percent shooting with Texas A&M in 2024-25 — isn’t likely to change that.

But he recorded an early block and shut down a myriad of Wagner’s (1-6) perimeter actions. Washington sat at the front line of Maryland’s defensive press, acting as a disruptor and thwarting the Seahawks’ attack.

He added 10 points, six rebounds and a pair of alley-oop dunks down the stretch — capping a balanced first performance as a Terp.

The Aggie transfer started alongside Myles Rice, Darius Adams, Elijah Saunders and Payne — part of an almost-fully healthy Terps rotation. Rice and Washington replaced graduate guard Diggy Coit and redshirt freshman Andre Mills in the starting five.

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Williams has experimented with lineups this season amid shorthanded depth. But if this is the five he sticks with entering conference play, it’ll certainly hold its own defensively. Rice is the smallest player at 6-foot-2, but they all possess positive size, physicality and versatility.

Saunders has struggled through the early portion of the season, but Williams stuck with the senior — even with Washington’s return. The Virginia transfer, who shot 25 percent on 3-pointers in the first eight games, drilled three of his six 3-point attempts on Tuesday.

Payne, as he did in four of his first seven games played, led the Terps in scoring. His dominant effort exclusively came in the paint and at the free throw line, where he shot 14-for-20.

“I don’t know that anything that we’re going to do would ever be aesthetically pleasing for a while,” Williams said. “But I think we can get closer to it.”