Pharrel Payne sets points career high in Maryland men’s basketball’s 89-63 win over Wagner

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

When Maryland men’s basketball’s offense has stagnated, the Terps have often relied on Pharrel Payne. Tuesday’s contest against Wagner was no different.

Payne’s career-high 30 points, including 14 from the free-throw line, propelled Maryland past Wagner 89-63 at the Xfinity Center in College Park. The Terps attempted 22 more free throws than the Seahawks’ 23 and scored nearly twice as many paint points.

Payne and freshman guard Darius Adams entered Tuesday averaging over seven free-throw attempts a game. Both rank in the top five in the conference in the metric.

“Our free throw rate, specifically [Adams and Payne], has to continue to stay at a high rate,” coach Buzz Williams said. “We’re so dependent.”

Payne – a near 80% free-throw shooter this season – converted his first four free throws, but missed the next three.

The first two came after junior guard Myles Rice dished a behind-the-back pass to Adams, who missed the layup. Payne grabbed the rebound and drew a foul shortly after, but missed both foul shots.

Maryland (6-3) has often leaned on Payne, who leads the team in scoring at 17.3 points a game, when the offense struggles to score. The first half may have been the most glaring instance this season.

Payne scored 15 of the Terps’ 33 first-half points. Maryland converted on just six of its 26 attempts outside of Payne. Most of the 6-foot-9, 250-pounder’s paint touches ended in a trip to the free-throw line or Payne muscling through contact for a layup. Payne shot a team-high 11 free throws and hauled in six rebounds — three of them offensive. 

“Just doing what I do. Physicality is a big part of my game,” Payne said. “That definitely helped me with the free throws … just being aggressive and scoring at the hoop.”

The Texas A&M transfer continued to dominate down low in the second half, shooting 14-for-20 from the free-throw line and leading the Terps with 30 points.

Senior Elijah Saunders was the only other bright spot in Maryland’s first-half offense. The forward was just 5-for-20 on 3-pointers before Tuesday, but netted a pair of corner threes. His six first-half points trailed only Payne.

The Terps pulled away once Adams, their third-leading scorer on the season, found a scoring rhythm in the second half.

After scoring only four points and missing five of his six field goal attempts in the first half, Adams scored eight points in six minutes in the second. 

“I think he’s doing a better job taking the right shots. I think that’s part of what all freshmen have to figure out,” Williams said. “He got to the rim at a great level; he just didn’t finish on some of those shots. But I like the trajectory he’s on.”

In a dominant second half, Maryland’s paint control set the tone.

The Terps pulled down 23 rebounds – 11 more than Wagner (1-6) – and attempted 28 free throws. Maryland also cleaned up its layups in the second half, en route to 51.6% shooting from the field.

After surrendering 100 or more points in each of their last two games, the Terps sorely needed a defensive boost. Senior forward Solomon Washington provided that in his Maryland debut.

“[Washington] helps us from an athleticism standpoint, helps us from a length standpoint, [and] can guard the ball,” Williams said. “I think he will help us on the glass, on both ends of the floor.”

Washington missed the first eight games this season with an ankle injury, but started in his return. The Texas A&M transfer helped hold Wagner to 36.8% shooting from the field, its lowest mark this season. Maryland also limited Wagner to its second-fewest threes made this season.

Despite Payne’s excellence, Maryland’s dependence on him may not be sustainable. Big Ten opponents will have the size to better match up with Payne. Adams, Rice, graduate guard Diggy Coit, and others will need to step up.