Coming off decisive but unimpressive wins against overmatched opponents, Maryland and Davidson meet Friday night in the opening round of the Asheville (N.C.) Championship.
Maryland (1-0) kicked off its season Tuesday at home with a 68-53 win over Mount St. Mary’s. Julian Reese had 18 points and eight rebounds, both game highs.
The Terps also received scrappy work from their backcourt as veteran Jahmir Young and freshman DeShawn Harris-Smith scored 12 points apiece and combined for nine rebounds, six assists, five steals and three blocks.
The downside for Maryland, which went 22-13 last season and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament, was its 15 turnovers and 18.8 percent shooting (3 of 16) from 3-point range.
“We have to take better care of the ball,” Maryland coach Kevin Willard said. “I don’t think we were very good in transition. I thought we took some bad shots in transition. And we just can’t turn it over that many times.”
Davidson (1-0) was an 86-63 winner over Division III Washington & Lee on Monday night at home. Villanova transfer Angelo Brizzi led the Wildcats with 15 points.
Washington & Lee led by one point at the break and the game was tied 44-all early in the second half before Davidson went on a 10-point run, which included a 3-point play by Grant Huffman and a pair of layups by David Skogman.
Huffman, a starter last year, and Skogman, the sixth man last season, combined for 25 points and 15 rebounds. Freshman Bobby Durkin added 13 points and sophomore Reed Bailey contributed 10 points and nine rebounds for the balanced Wildcats.
Coach Matt McKillop’s team, which went 16-16 last season, made just 27.8 percent (10 of 36) of its shots from deep on Monday.
With a tougher matchup ahead on Friday, Davidson will look to Huffman, the top returning scorer from last season.
“Go-to guy means the guy who you trust is going to make the right decision,” McKillop told the Charlotte Observer. “We knew Grant would be the one we can trust to do that, and after game one, I think it’s pretty obvious that he’s capable and gonna do that well for us.”
–Field Level Media