Julian Reese scored 21 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead host Maryland to an 84-53 victory over Florida A&M on Monday night at College Park, Md.
Reese barely missed a double-double but led the Terrapins (3-0) to their third consecutive victory by 30 or more points to open the season.
Reese was one of five Maryland players to score in double figures as the Terrapins led wire-to-wire and were able to play 14 players after taking a double-digit lead for good with 3:53 left in the first half.
Tyler Shirley with 10 points was the lone double-figure scorer for the Rattlers (0-3), who continued to struggle early on against tough competition in coach Patrick Crarey II’s first season. Shirley, however, fouled out with 9:36 left in the second half.
Maryland scored the game’s first 15 points in three minutes.
The Terrapins took advantage of five turnovers during that span and that became a theme throughout the contest as they finished with 11 steals. Florida A&M ended up with 22 turnovers overall, which led to 31 Maryland points.
Ja’Derryus Eatmon’s layup with 16:41 left in the first half finally got the Rattlers on the scoreboard. It also sparked a 12-2 surge, which cut Maryland’s early advantage to five.
But the Terrapins continued to turn mistakes into fast-break points and broke the game open by halftime, leading 40-21.
Maryland finished with only six turnovers and a 19-3 edge in fast-break points.
Selton Miguel totaled 14 points while Ja’Kobi Gillespie had 12 points and five rebounds. Derik Queen scored 11 points and had three assists. Rodney Rice, who scored a career-high 28 points in Maryland’s previous game over Mount St. Mary’s, had 10 points.
The Terrapins shot 48.4 percent from the field (31 for 64) and 51.6 percent in the second half to lead by as many as 39 points.
Maryland faces its first ranked opponent of the season in its next game Friday when it hosts No. 15 Marquette. Florida A&M will also potentially face a ranked opponent next when it travels to Gainesville to face No. 20 Florida on Nov. 19.
