Solomon Washington makes Maryland men's basketball debut in win vs. Wagner

Chase King
3 days ago
3 min read

Maryland hosted its get-right game against Wagner following their two losses in the Players Era Festival by a combined 72 points, which it won 89-63.

Senior forward Solomon Washington, who followed head coach Buzz Williams from Texas A&M this offseason, made his debut for the Terps.

Washington was a projected starter in the offseason before suffering an injury that sidelined him for the Terps' first eight games.

He was dressed on the sideline during the Terps' trip to Las Vegas, where they suffered their two big losses to No. 12 Gonzaga and No. 8 Alabama.

Washington made the start in his first game with Maryland, along with freshman guard Darius Adams, redshirt junior Myles Rice, senior Elijah Saunders, and senior Pharrel Payne.

The Terps started slow on offense, starting 2-for-10 from the field, but made up for it with a strong defensive performance early.

In Washington’s first game back, he would be a big help on defense, racking up a block and a steal.

“He helps us defensively, he helps us from an athleticism standpoint, helps us from a length standpoint, can guard the ball,” said Williams, “I think he will help us on the glass, on both ends of the floor.”

Despite the all-around defensive effort from the Terps, Maryland would continue to struggle on offense throughout the first half, stemming from missed three-pointers and inefficiencies on shots at the rim, shooting 7-16 on layups.

Maryland’s offense would finish the first half shooting 30.3% from the field and 27.3% from behind the arc, but led 33-26 after a dominant defensive performance.

Wagner was largely outmatched in the paint and would double-team, but they were double-teaming in the paint, early on, and getting good contests on Maryland’s inside shots.

Despite that, Payne was able to overpower the Wagner defense inside and would fight through double teams to carry the Terps' offensive load.

Payne would finish the first half with 15 points while shooting 4-7 from the field and 7-11 from the free throw line, and he would also count for eight of the Terps' 14 points inside the paint.

Despite the poor shooting, the Terps were able to produce on offense, largely because they reached the free-throw line at their highest rate this season, ending the game with 45 free throw attempts.

“Our free-throw rate, specifically [Darius Adams] and [Pharrel Payne], has to continue to stay at a high rate. We're so dependent. The reason why we had our highest OER is because of [the free throw rate],” said Williams

The Terps would continue doing what worked by feeding Payne to start the second half. Feeding Payne inside, along with pushing the pace, gave the Terps some early life on offense.

“Just doing what I do. Physicality is a big part of my game, being aggressive and getting to the hoop,” said Payne on what worked so well for him.

Payne would end the game with a career high 30 points on 8-for-11 shooting from the field and 14-for-20 shooting from the free throw line. He entered the game 30th in the country with 7.7 free throw attempts a game.

Williams said after the game that they need Payne to have a high usage rate.

The Terps would start to break away early in the second half after a 14-4 run gave the Terps a 17-point lead with 11 minutes left in the game, a lead they would expand to 26.

In the second half, the defense shined and turned turnovers into points. In the second half, the Terps caused five steals, three of which came from Rice, and had 11 points off turnovers.

Wagner finished with 18 turnovers.

On the offensive turnovers were a central issue for the Terps in their performance at the Players Era Festival, finishing with 47 turnovers through the three games. Against Wagner, Maryland finished with a season-low of eight turnovers.

“I thought that the reads were cleaner, and I thought what we were trying to accomplish was more defined in a better way,” said Williams. “And I think being able to sub in or out with healthy bodies if you do right or do wrong, and everybody understands the expectations.”

Maryland now looks to Big Ten play, starting at Iowa on Saturday.

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