Pharrel Payne’s return pushes Maryland men’s basketball past UNLV, 74-67

Photo courtesy of Grayson Belanger/Maryland Athletics

In a game watched by few in Las Vegas and even fewer on the East Coast, Maryland men’s basketball (5-1) still delivered. 

After a 12:21 a.m. EST tip-off, the Terps went through a gritty affair with the UNLV Rebels (3-3) at the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas, beating the hometown team 74-67.

Both offenses were largely out of rhythm throughout the game. Despite a total of 58 3-pointers attempted between the teams, neither side shot above 30% from beyond the arc. However, just like they’ve done all season, the Terps showed up in the paint.

Despite turning the ball over 20 times, the Terps out-rebounded the Rebels 46-34, scoring 28 points down low and parlaying 16 offensive boards into 18 second-chance points.

Although the success in the paint continued, the Terps relied far less on foul calls than in the five games prior. Tuesday’s game was the first game this season where they converted fewer than 20 free throws, shooting 15-for-21. 

A major reason for that was the return of center Pharrel Payne, who played his first game since sustaining an injury against Marquette on Nov. 15. 

The senior dropped 20 points on seven-of-eight shooting and added 8 rebounds. Fellow Texas A&M transfer Andre Mills also showed up, contributing nine points, eight rebounds and a steal. 

UNLV continued to play an up-tempo game, but the Terps matched them and ultimately made fewer mistakes down the stretch. Graduate guard Diggy Coit sank two threes within the final two minutes and notched another two points from the free-throw line.

While the Terps started the tournament with a victory, they face a quick turnaround. Maryland will play again just 19 hours after the final horn sounded. Next up, the Terps will find themselves matched up with No. 12 Gonzaga, which is fresh off a win against No. 8 Alabama. 

“They’ll score 100 points in the first half if we turn it over 15 times,” head coach Buzz Williams said postgame. 

The Terps’ destiny for the rest of the tournament is now in their hands. Tipoff against the Bulldogs will be at 9:30 p.m. EST.