Maryland men’s basketball uses strong second half to pull away from Niagara, wins first game in Kevin Willard era, 71-49

Up big with 2:25 left in the second half, Donta Scott intercepted an inbound pass and went coast-to-coast to ice the game with a ferocious tomahawk slam. 

The slam dunk gave the Terps a 20 point lead, and Maryland men’s basketball finished with a 22 point win over Niagara, 71-49 — the first under new coach Kevin Willard.

Going into the game, many believed the Purple Eagles would be outmatched by the talented Terps roster. However, Niagara entered halftime down by only seven as Maryland’s interior defense was exploited, constantly being outmatched on the offensive glass. 

Niagara coach Greg Paulus seemingly had a contrasting offensive identity to Willard, as they continued to attack the paint while Maryland continued to launch from deep. As a result, Maryland was left with many big plays but also multiple empty possessions in the first half.

The Purple Eagles were not a threat from three at all in the game, preventing them from narrowing the deficit as the game went on. Niagara went 0-6 from three, a large reason why Maryland managed to pull away in the second half.

Conversely, it was the three-ball that allowed the Terps to extend their lead down the stretch. The Terps shot 45% from deep, including four makes from downtown in the second half.

Maryland got out to a hot start, led by Scott, who was getting it done on both ends of the floor. The senior was active in all facets of the game —  running in transition, nailing open threes, and getting active on the offensive glass. 

“[Playing with tempo] opened a lot because it was about pushing the ball … I can sprint to the corners and get my shots off and find them a little bit easier,” Scott said.

Scott and the Terps came alive late in the second half with under five minutes to go. He nailed back-to-back threes to give Maryland a 17-point lead, icing the win for the Terps. Scott led all scorers with 18 points and nailed four of five threes.  

Maryland grew its lead to double-digits by the end of the game, as the Terps got the Willard era off on the right foot.

Willard spoke about running in transition and playing full-court press as areas of emphasis for Maryland at its media day in late October, and the Terps took some time to adjust to their new identities early on. But after settling in, the Terps made many key defensive plays down the stretch and cashed in on easy opportunities at the free-throw line to pull away from Niagara.

“For as fast as we’re playing, as many guys that are touching the ball and being your first game and having 12 assists to 10 turnovers, I’m pretty happy,” Willard said.

Senior Charlotte transfer Jahmir Young made his Maryland debut and stuffed the stat sheet as he racked up 14 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two blocks. 

Young was a key player in executing Willard’s full-court press defense. He played 30 minutes and had to keep up his endurance to continue playing fast. 

“I love that, [playing fast],” Young said. “It was tough at first getting in the shape to play like that, being able to get up and down like that, but now that we’re controlling it, I feel like I like to get after it.”

The Terps have now won 46 consecutive home openers dating back to the 1977-78 season. Willard also remains undefeated in home season openers through 13 games at the helm of a program.

Maryland remains in College Park for its next bout against Western Carolina on Thursday.