Takeaways from Maryland men’s basketball’s 81-66 win over Maryland-Eastern Shore

Maryland men’s basketball improved to 11-2 Saturday with a 81-66 win over Maryland-Eastern Shore at Xfinity Center.

The Terps struggled at times, but found their way in the final 10 minutes, expanding a seven-point lead to a 23-point one, which they rode to victory.

Here are three takeaways from the game.

Maryland ended nonconference play with a win

After 11 games, the Terps are now finished with nonconference play for the regular season — finishing the slate with a 10-1 record — and ended it in convincing fashion.

Maryland started slow, but finished strong. It led by just a point nearly 10 minutes into the first half, but entered halftime with a 16-point lead and never trailed.

The Terps were particularly dominant in the paint. They out-rebounded the Hawks, 37-32, and scored 46 points in the paint compared to Maryland-Eastern Shore’s 36. They also forced 14 turnovers.

Dominance over nonconference opponents has been common for Maryland this season. Against mid- and low-major opponents, the Terps are 8-0, winning by an average of 37.1 points per game.

Against fellow high-major opponents, Maryland has still performed well. It won two of three games, with the most significant being a 27-point victory over Syracuse a week ago.

With buy games and expected wins in the Terps’ rearview mirror, they will now have to prove they can compete with Big Ten competition on a nightly basis, starting on Thursday against Washington.

Julian Reese had a day

Reese has been a mismatch this season against mid- and low-major opponents, who don’t have forwards with the size or skill to stop him in the paint. He posted double-doubles in six of eight games against lower-major opponents, and nearly did so in the first half Saturday, tallying 13 points and seven rebounds in 16 minutes.

Feeding Reese in the paint was a clear focal point of the Terps’ game plan. Early in the first half, he was involved in multiple pick-and-rolls in which he received a bounce pass from the ball handler that led to an open push shot in the middle of the paint. He scored seven of Maryland’s first 11 points.

Reese was also given the opportunity to create his own shots. Late in the first half, Reese received the ball on the block, muscled through two defenders and then laid the ball in for an and-one.

He finished the game with 23 points, 11 rebounds, two blocks and two assists, while shooting 8-of-12 from the field and 7-of-12 from the free-throw line. He was also plus-29 when on the court, which led the team.

Reese has struggled this season against ranked opponents, averaging just 3.5 points, but will have an opportunity to redeem himself and prove his worth among the nation’s best in a week against No. 9 Oregon.

Neither team knocked down 3-pointers

Maryland entered the game shooting 37.1% from 3-point range, its best mark since 2017-18. But the Terps were far from good from deep Saturday, going 5 for 18 (27.8%).

Selton Miguel spearheaded Maryland’s shooting struggles with a 1-of-7 performance from distance, while Ja’Kobi Gillespie and Rodney Rice combined for 2-of-7 shooting. These struggles were particularly surprising for Miguel, who was Maryland’s leading scorer in the prior two games. Against Saint Francis (PA) and Syracuse, Miguel averaged 24 points and three assists per game, while shooting 75% from the field and 66.7% from 3-point range.

The Terps received some 3-point production from unlikely sources, though, as Jordan Geronimo and DeShawn Harris-Smith knocked down deep shots. They each shot below 21% from beyond the arc last season.

Luckily for Maryland, Maryland-Eastern Shore was even worse, shooting 4-of-16 (25%) from beyond the arc. Graduate Evan Johnson and junior Cardell Bailey were the only Hawks to make a 3-pointer.