Maryland men’s basketball cruises past Alcorn State 84-64

Photo by Kevin Snyder/Maryland Terrapins. Photo courtesy of Maryland Athletics.

Coach Buzz Williams stressed free-throw shooting and clean defense after Maryland men’s basketball’s home opener against Georgetown. 

The Terps delivered on both fronts on Tuesday night.

Maryland took more than double the number of free throws as Alcorn State (0-4), cruising to an 84-64 win at the Xfinity Center in College Park.

“Like we talked about last time, offensively, can we play to get fouled … and then defensively, can we play without fouling?” Williams said.

The Terps (2-1) shot 25% from the field in their home opener against Georgetown. One of the main reasons it was not worse was Maryland’s ability to assert itself near the basket.

Eighteen paint points fueled a 33-27 halftime lead. Center Pharrel Payne, Maryland’s leader in points, rebounds and free throws attempted, seemed to get to the basket at will. Alcorn State had no one to physically contend with the 250-pound senior – Mike Jones, the Braves’ heaviest player, gave up three inches and over 30 pounds to Payne. 

Payne and the Terps continued to draw contact, as they’ve done through two games this season. Unlike its performances against Coppin State and Georgetown, Maryland struggled to convert from the free-throw line in the first half.

The Terps shot 81.1% from the line versus the Hoyas, missing only seven of their 37 free-throw attempts. They missed six in the first half alone against Alcorn State before returning to form and shooting over 90% in the second half. 

Maryland also failed to get into a shooting groove once again.

Graduate guard David Coit made the Terps’ first 3-pointer over 16 minutes into their game against the Hoyas. They finished that game 4-for-21 from beyond the arc. It took Coit less than five minutes to sink Maryland’s first three against Alcorn State, but the Terps struggled just as mightily afterwards. 

The Terps went just 1-for-11 from behind the arc the remainder of the half, with the lone basket coming on a fortunate bounce off the backboard on a shot by redshirt freshman guard Andre Mills.

Freshman guard Darius Adams has especially struggled to find a rhythm. The five-star recruit went 0-for-4 on 3-pointers and 0-for-6 from the field in the first half. Entering the night, Adams was shooting 4-for-17 from the field and had missed all seven of his 3-point attempts.

Maryland’s 3-point shooting troubles allowed Alcorn State to get back into the game. The Braves went on a 17-6 scoring run in the final 8:59 of the first half, with all of Maryland’s points coming on free throws.

But the Terps shored up their scoring issues in the second half.

Fueled by Payne and senior forward Elijah Saunders, Maryland opened the half on a 15-2 run. Saunders converted four straight free throws to start the scoring run, Maryland’s jumpers started falling from all spots on the floor, and freshman forward Aleks Alston’s first collegiate points put the Terps up 48-29.

Freshman guard Guillermo Del Pino sank his first collegiate 3-pointer two minutes later, and Adams followed suit. Adams connected from three on consecutive possessions, a high point of a second half that saw Maryland shoot 6-for-14 on 3-point shots.

“[It was] like a Disney movie,” Mills said about watching Adams’ 3-pointers. “Being 18 years old and playing in this league is not easy at all, so I’m really impressed with [Adams].”

Even with a sluggish first half reminiscent of its struggles against Georgetown, Maryland’s offense flashed down the stretch. Its 84 points are a season high, and the Terps shot more free throws once again.