Maryland men’s basketball cruises to 83-61 win over Coppin State in season opener

Photo courtesy of Mackenzie Miles/Maryland Terrapins

It had been 221 days since Maryland Basketball had played a game with record implications. On Nov. 3, a new campaign began for the Terps – under a new coach with a roster featuring one returner from the 2024 season. 

Although not at home, the Terps didn’t have to travel far, taking the Beltway up to Baltimore to take on in-state foe Coppin State. The Terps cruised to an 83-61 victory over the Eagles.

The victory marks the 12th consecutive season-opening win for the Terps, while Buzz Williams became the ninth head coach in program history to win his first game at the helm. 

Despite dealing with injuries to projected starters Myles Rice and Solomon Washington, the Terps’ offense wasted no time creating chemistry. They finished the first half with 47 points, the program’s highest first-half total since the 2019-2020 season. 

Pharrel Payne, one of four players to follow Williams from Texas A&M, led the effort with 21 points, the most for a transfer in their first game with the program. Payne shot six-for-eight from the floor and went nine-for-nine from the charity stripe, while adding six rebounds, two assists and a steal. Payne also led the Terps in points in last week’s exhibition game against UMBC. 

“I’m leaning on my guys,” Payne said. “They had my back, I had their back, and that’s why we were able to come out with a win.”

Kansas transfer David Coit and Washington State transfer Isaiah Watts, both of whom were returning from injury, gave the Terps something they severely lacked last season: bench scoring. The two combined for 19 points, while the former sank three shots from beyond the arc. In total, the Terps converted 10 shots from long range, tied for the most in program history in a season opener. 

Another notable storyline was the impact of the Terps’ true freshmen – Darius Adams and Guillermo Del Pino. With both starting the contest, the Terps had multiple freshmen in the starting lineup of a season opener since the 2018-2019 season, when Jalen Smith and Aaron Wiggins debuted for the Terps.

Adams was the Terps’ second leading scorer with 16 points, with 10 of them coming from the charity stripe. Between Maryland’s exhibition against UMBC and its season-opener against Coppin State, Adams attempted a combined 25 free throws.

“We’re trying to play inside out and get fouled,” Adams said. “It’s helped our team. I mean, it’s easy points.”

At one point in the second half, the Eagles pulled within seven points. Williams called a timeout, and from that point on, the Terps were in cruise control.

“I think the timeout [Buzz] called changed the way we were thinking about the game,” Adams said. “After that timeout, things went our way a little bit more and we were just locked in a little bit more.”

While still very early in the season, the Terps are off to a strong start on both sides of the court. With 10 players earning minutes tonight and more help on the way from players set to return from injury, the team has the chance to be lethal up-and-down the lineup. 

“I understand it’s a small sample size, but I thought there was more continuity on both sides of the ball,” Williams said. “I thought the energy was more pure and our execution was more apparent. I think the guys who were on the court, regardless of who they were, were at least trending in the same direction.”

The Terps will turn their sights to Friday for the home opener, where they’ll welcome Georgetown to the Xfinity Center for the annual “Gold Rush” game. It will be the first time the teams have played since Nov. 15, 2016.