It wasn’t clear who would take control through the opening minutes on Saturday night, but the Terps would ride a huge run in the second half to pick up their second consecutive win of the season and 14th consecutive home win.
The two teams traded the lead through the first 13 minutes of the game as South Alabama found the recipe for success early. The Jaguars’ zone defense stifled the Terps’ halfcourt offense early, while South Alabama shot 50% from the field and 57% from three-point territory through the first half. On the other end, ten offensive bounds turned into nine second-chance points for the Terps as they struggled to find open shots until Scott picked up the slack. Ten points from Scott over the final 7:40 in the first half helped Maryland take a narrow 29-26 lead into halftime.
Scott would team up with Julian Reese and Jordan Geronimo to help Maryland build a 23-4 run through the opening seven minutes of the second half, stretching the Terps lead to as many as 22 points before South Alabama called a timeout with Maryland leaving no doubt.
Julian Reese would finish the second half a perfect 6-for-6 from the field, adding 15 points and eight rebounds, while Jordan Geronimo added ten points of his own over the final 20 minutes.
Despite the scoring barrage, only four Terps would score on Saturday night as Reese and Scott tied for a game-high 19 points while Reese notched his third double-double and second consecutive double-double of the season with 15 rebounds. Jahmir Young added another 16 points while Jordan Geronimo finished with 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting.
The rest of the team? A combined 0-of-12 from the field, including Deshawn Harris-Smith missing all five attempts from the night which came from three. Maryland still struggled from deep, finishing just 5-of-31 from deep as Young and Scott were the only two players to make at least one attempt. Maryland also finished with 15 turnovers, tallying at least 13 turnovers in every game so far this season.
Maryland will look to get back over .500 overall on Tuesday night when they host Rider for a 7 PM tipoff.
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