By Gio Insignares
In the team’s second game after losing team leader Dez Wells, the Maryland Terrapins got plenty of offensive production out of the rest of the team in order to propel past VMI, 95-77, on Sunday night.
Maryland is now 7-0 for the first time since the 2006-2007 season, in which they started 8-0.
With a monumental matchup looming against No. 9 ranked Virginia at home on Wednesday, the Terps could not afford to lose any momentum. Instead, they remained focused throughout the matchup against the Keydets.
“We just had a lot of guys step up and really play really well for us,” Turgeon said. “Good win.”
The good win by Maryland, however, took a while before it was secured.
The first half was characterized by a consistent back-and-forth between the two teams. The largest lead for either club was eight points, and it was a 10-2 Terrapins lead only 2:58 into the game.
New Terps Richaud Pack and Melo Trimble were responsible for most of the offensive load in the early going.
Pack had 16 of his team-high 22 points in the first half, while Trimble had 14 of his total 19 points in the same period. Together, the two carried Maryland into the half with a 49-45 lead.
At this point, the Terps knew they had to keep the pedal to medal and put their opponent away. While Pack and Trimble were having great starts, it was time for others to pick up the slack.
In response, the halftime lead would not be one the Terps would relinquish.
Maryland led the entire second half, slowly increasing their lead behind a different combination of players.
This time, Jake Layman and Dion Wiley asserted themselves as the dominant figures after the break. Layman had 12 of his overall 19 points in the second half and Wiley complimented him with 17 of his total 19 points in the same period.
Behind the consistent scoring by the players, Maryland’s knockout punch began with about 16 minutes left to play and them leading 55-53. The Terps rolled together 13 straight points to take a 68-53 lead with 12:11 left and kept VMI scoreless throughout those four minutes.
After that quick scoring run, the Terps’ lead didn’t get any smaller than 11 points as they raced to the 95-77 final.
From the overall team perspective, Well’s absence has forced other players to carry more of an offensive load, and to their credit, the Terps players have so far proved themselves on taking on the challenge.
Their biggest test, however, comes next with a primetime matchup against former ACC rival and #9 ranked Virginia.
The colossal matchup brings along added pressure and attention for the Terps. Maryland is now ranked #21 in the country by the Associated Press, the team’s first time being ranked during Mark Turgeon’s tenure.
Coach Turgeon, though, isn’t too worried about how his team will handle the larger spotlight and is confident the team will perform well against anyone.
“We just want guys to get healthy and to prepare,” Turgeon said. “My guys play with poise; they just keep figuring it out and hopefully they just continue to do that.”
The No.21 ranked Terps will host the No.9 ranked Virginia Cavaliers on Wednesday as part of the Big Ten/ACC challenge. Tip-off is scheduled 9:00 p.m.
