Slimmed-down Donta Scott scored 18 points to help Maryland deliver new coach Kevin Willard a 71-49 victory over Niagara in his Terrapins debut on Monday in College Park, Md., in the season opener for both teams.
Charlotte transfer Jahmir Young tallied 14 points, seven rebounds and four assists while Hakim Hart added nine points on a night when the Terrapins pulled away in the second half thanks to strong defense.
Niagara was paced by Braxton Bayless who registered 14 points, six rebounds and six assists. Sam Iorio added 12 points.
When Bayless hit a step-back jumper four minutes into the second half, Niagara trailed 39-35. But over the next 6:41, the Terps used swarming pressure defense to hold the Purple Eagles scoreless.
During the stretch, Ian Martinez made off with three of his five steals and Young made two field goals as the Terps scored nine straight points to take a 48-35 lead.
Niagara whittled the deficit back to single digits with less than eight minutes left, but Scott drilled a pair of 3-pointers to keep Maryland in command.
Scott, who dropped 40 pounds in the offseason, made 4 of 5 attempts from beyond the arc. He also added a celebratory dunk with 2:23 left.
Also sparking Maryland was Julian Reese, who scored all seven of his points in the second half. He grabbed seven rebounds, too.
After trailing briefly in the opening minutes, Maryland took the lead for good as Hart and Scott made back-to-back 3-pointers and Young followed with a pair of free throws in an eight-point run that made it 11-4.
Midway through the half, the Terrapins’ reserves got into the act. Jahari Long, a transfer whom Willard brought from his previous stop at Seton Hall, and freshman Noah Batchelor made back-to-back 3-pointers on their debut shots as Maryland took its biggest lead of the half, 24-10.
The Purple Eagles did not make a 3-pointer in the game, attempting only six. Meanwhile the Terps went 9 of 20 (45 percent) from beyond the arc.
–Field Level Media