By Sebastian Obando
Robert Carter Jr. held the ball at the top of the key with his back facing the basket, eyeing for an open teammate to throw the ball to. After a series of quick body movements to gain some separation from his defender, the forward tossed the ball to Jake Layman at the other side of the court. The senior rapidly rose and launched from long range. The successful three-pointer carried the Terps to a straightforward 96-55 win over Saint Francis University in front of an announced sellout crowd at the Xfinity Center.
“I was obviously pleased tonight. It was a step in the right direction for us,” head coach Mark Turgeon said. “I’m really proud of the group. To shoot 67 percent [as a team], it’s a lot of fun to coach. We were very efficient offensively.”
Connecting 31 of 46 shots, the Terps set a season high for points, despite not getting much scoring production out of leading scorer Melo Trimble. With only three points, the sophomore was much more active as a playmaker in the 26 minutes he played, garnering a total of seven assists and only two turnovers. Carter Jr., the game’s top scorer, posted 20 points, while notching six assists and six rebounds. Both Layman and Diamond Stone added 16 points, with the senior scoring double-digit figures for the first time in three games.
“I look at myself as an important piece of this team. Not just scoring-wise, but defensively too,” Layman said after the game. “After being in a slump, just seeing the ball go through the net is always good.”
Defensively, the Terps held the Red Flash to just 29 percent from the field, while causing 13 turnovers. Inside, the Terps were able to dominate the paint, winning the majority of the rebounds on the defensive end due to the poor shooting.
“I just feel we guarded tonight,” Carter Jr. said. “We made them shoot a pretty bad field-goal percentage. We probably have the best offensive team in the country. Defensive-wise, we can probably get better.”
The victory improves Maryland’s record to 7-1 on the year, a step in the right direction as the team travels to Madison Square Garden to meet Connecticut on Tuesday.
