Miami proves no match for Maryland, 81-59
Agitated by the hands-on defense of Maryland’s Jordan Williams, Miami’s Dwayne Collins flailed his elbows to ward off the freshman. It didn’t have the desired effect. Williams snatched the ball from the senior, for a literal defensive takeaway.
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Everything Miami tried Tuesday night at Comcast Center, Maryland countered. Propelled by relentless defense and the efficient offense of seniors Greivis Vasquez and Landon Milbourne, the Terrapins rolled to their fourth straight victory, 81-59, before a sellout crowd of 17,950.
Scoring on its opening possession and bolting to a decisive early lead, Maryland led all the way and never was challenged. With Vasquez (16 points, 9 assists), Milbourne (16 points, 5 rebounds), and Sean Mosley (10 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals) leading the way, the Terps led by as many as 21 points in the first half and 32 in the second.
In taking over first place in the Atlantic Coast Conference, Maryland (14-5, 4-1) followed a script that is becoming increasingly familiar: dictate the tempo with rabid defense. The Terps unraveled Miami (15-5, 1-5) with 14 turnovers in the first half and 17 overall, converting the miscues into 20 points in handing the Hurricanes their fourth straight defeat.
On a night when he passed Lonnie Baxter to become Maryland’s sixth all-time leading scorer, Vasquez had the first flurry for Maryland, scoring on a layup, then making a steal at mid-court and following with a breakaway windmill dunk to make it 12-2. Later, the Terps scored on six straight possessions to turn a five-point lead into 15. A 3-pointer by Eric Hayes (10 points, 4 assists) and old-fashioned three-point plays by Mosley and Williams highlighted the surge as Maryland took control, 32-17.
Things only got worse for Miami in the second half as Maryland cashed in on nine straight possessions, Mosley and reserve guard Adrian Bowie (9 points) each hitting a trey and combining for 11 points as the Terps sprinted to a 67-39 lead midway through the half.
Maryland finished shooting 53 percent from the floor and 47 percent from beyond the arc. The verdict was decisive enough that fan favorite David Pearman was on the floor with 3 minutes left, soon joined by fellow walk-on Ersin Levent.
Notes » Maryland outscored Miami 42-20 in the lane … Dino Gregory added eight points for Maryland … Maryland limited Miami, the top 3-point shooting team in the ACC, to four threes.
