Sometimes, it’s Greivis Vasquez. Other times, it’s Landon Milbourne and occasionally, it’s been Dave Neal.
“You never know how you’re going to win games sometimes,” Milbourne said. “It could be one person, it could be somebody coming off the bench, it could be anything. That’s the good thing about our team.”
MARYLAND (10-2) vs. CHARLOTTE (5-6)
When: Saturday, 4 p.m.
Where: Comcast Center
TV/Radio: CSN/105.7 FM
The Terrapins have relied heavily on the big three of Vasquez (17.3 ppg, 6.3 rpg), Milbourne (12.5 ppg., 4.8 rpg) and Neal (7.5 ppg, 4.3 rpg) to win 10 of their first 12 entering Saturday’s game against Charlotte (5-6) at 4 p.m. at Comcast Center.
“It’s great to have guys who can score at will and capable of taking over the game,” Milbourne said. “Sometimes that’s the way it’s going to have to be.”
In a 76-50 victory over Elon on Tuesday, all three showed flashes of brilliance. Vasquez scored a game-high 17 points, including 10 straight for his team during a stretch of three minutes, seven seconds in the second half, and added eight assists.
“They feed off my energy,” Vasquez said. “I try to make things happen.”
Milbourne scored 14 points and Neal’s game-high 10 rebounds marked just the third time a Terrapin has reached double-figures.
“I’ve got to go after the ball, because we’re undersized,” Neal said. “It’s going to happen when we play bigger teams, we’re going to need rebounding.”
Still, Maryland coach Gary Williams is concerned with the team’s post play. The Terrapins can flex their muscle against less talented nonconference teams, but when they’ll be undersized when Atlantic Coast Conference play begins against Georgia Tech (8-4) on Jan. 10. The Terrapins don’t start a player taller than the 6-foot-7 Neal or Milbourne, which will put them at a decisive disadvantage against conference foes North Carolina, Duke and Wake Forest.
“For [Dave] to step up and get 10 [rebounds], I think that may be where senior leadership comes into play,” Williams said. “I’ve been on the team about that and how we need guys to get individual players to get more rebounds, not just rebound as a team. Dave stepped it up tonight, which was good to see. Hopefully, we’ll have other guys do the same thing.”
