In his first two appearances with Villanova at Verizon Center as a freshman and a sophomore, Herndon native Scottie Reynolds played like it was nice to be home.
Now that he’s a senior, he’s acting like he owns the place.
Not only did Reynolds have 25 points and eight assists — both season-highs — as the third-ranked Wildcats (8-0) held off upset-minded Maryland, 95-86, he also got down on his hands and knees to help wipe the floor after a beverage was tossed onto the court midway through the second half.
Villanova harassed the Terrapins (5-3) into coughing up the ball a season-high 19 times while fearlessly launching from deep at the other end, finishing with a season-high 16 3-pointers.
Facing a ranked opponent while unranked for the first time in the BB&T Classic, Maryland lost for the fourth time in the last five years.
In the first half alone, the Terps fell one turnover short of matching their season average for a game (11) while the Wildcats went into halftime matching their season-high for threes (11). In the first half, not only did Villanova take more shots from behind the arc (22) than in front of it (19), Reynolds (3 for 5), Corey Stokes (4 for 6) and Corey Fisher (2 for 3) were a combined 64 percent from long distance.
Sean Mosley (career-high 26 points) scored 10 points during a 18-7 run in which the Terrapins (5-3) cut a 16-point Villanova lead early in the second half down to three. But Fisher (20 points) struck again from downtown, Reynolds added two free throws and then picked off a Maryland pass and finished an acrobatic layup between two defenders on the break to help Villanova restore its double-digit advantage.
The first meeting between the two teams since 1986 was replete with locals — Reynolds is one of four Washington-area players on the Villanova roster. Maryland senior Eric Hayes (season-high 20 points) was his former AAU teammate.
