Early in the second half, Maryland guard Jahmir Young scored two quick buckets off turnovers. 

Guard Ian Martinez forced a steal and lobbed the ball to forward Donta Scott, whose layup rolled around the rim and off, but Young got the rebound and nailed the second-chance bucket to increase Maryland’s lead to 43-35. 

Young’s two buckets powered Maryland men’s basketball (1-0) on a 9-0 run enabling the Terps to pull away and earn a 71-49 victory against Niagara (0-1), head coach Kevin Willard’s first as a Terp.

With the win, Maryland won their 46th consecutive home opener. 

Guard Hakim Hart started hot, scoring five of Maryland’s first six points, including the first bucket of the Willard era. 

Hart and Scott were critical in Maryland’s hot start, connecting on three three-pointers. Guards Jahari Long and Noah Batchelor each connected on a three early in the game as the Terps shot 74.1% from beyond the arc in the first eight minutes, building a 24-10 lead. 

Maryland struggled to pull away in the first half. Niagara remained in the game throughout the first half getting eight points from both guards Sam Iorio and Braxton Bayless. 

The Purple Eagles’ eight first-half offensive rebounds and the Terps’ inability to defend the paint kept Niagara in the game. Twenty of Niagara’s 27 first-half points came in the paint.

“We were in a really good offensive rhythm, we were scoring and then I put two lineups out there that really hadn’t practiced together,” Willard said. “It was very evident that we got very stiff and stationary.”

The Terps displayed tough discipline on defense throughout the game. On four first-half Niagara possessions, Maryland’s defense held Niagara to the final seconds of the shot clock before the Purple Eagles were forced to put up a shot.

At halftime, Maryland led 34-27.

Starters Don Carey and Julian Reese were silent in the first half but broke out in the second half.

Carey opened the second half by recording his first bucket as a Terp, a three-pointer. After not taking a shot in the first half, Reese scored three field goals. Reese grabbed some critical rebounds leading to a layup and had an assist on one of Scott’s four made three-pointers.

Midway through the second half, Maryland’s defense clamped down, holding the Purple Eagles scoreless for six and half minutes as the Terps built a 13-point lead.

“We came together and talked,” Scott said. “We know defense wins the game and had to step up… try to get rebounds.”

Martinez was a spark off the bench as he recorded a team-high, five steals. Two of Martinez’s steals came during that critical 9-0 run.

Young heated up in the second half scoring a big three-pointer late in the game, increasing the Terps’ lead to 63-45 with three minutes left. Young finished his Terps debut with 14 points, seven rebounds, and four assists.

Scott finished off his night with a steal, took the ball up the court himself, and laid down a massive dunk to give Maryland a 20-point lead.

Scott finished with a game-high 18 points in 35 minutes as the Willard era started with a win.

“We’re not even close to being good yet, but to get them playing as hard as they are playing, and as unselfish as they are playing, proud of the staff and of these guys,” Willard said.