In a game that was never in doubt, Maryland won their final non-conference game against Longwood in the Comcast Center 106-55 on Tuesday night. Maryland at 12-5 will now return to ACC play against NC State at home on Saturday. Longwood falls to 4-15.
Maryland had and never lost control of this game. They dominated an undersized team at home and did well on every aspect of the contest, from defense to shooting to the boards.
One of the keys of the game that Maryland can take is that their leader, Greivis Vasquez, did not have a good game. He ended with 10 points, including none from first half field goals, and three assists. He was due for a struggle, he had not had less than 17 points since the December 6th match against Villanova, but Maryland was playing just fine without him having a great game. Eric Hayes took the early start and played aggressive all game, and Maryland’s other two playmakers, Landon Milbourne and Sean Mosley, had terrific shooting, ending with 19 and 21 points respectively. Jordan Williams even got a double double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. It is good to see Maryland play that well when Vasquez is not on his game, but they will need to continue that success against ACC squads, not just against teams like Longwood.
Maryland would get good play out of their bench. Four Maryland players off the bench got over 20 minutes of time on the court. Adrian Bowie and Cliff Tucker looked adaquate, but it was more important for Dino Gregory and James Padgett to work on skills. Padgett showed some good signs, being aggressive down low towards rebounds and shooting, ending with 10 points and seven boards. His free throws still need work, but at least that night he looked more comfortable as a forward attacking in the paint. For Gregory, he played well defensively, coming up with four blocks and seven rebounds. His shooting was still suspect as his choice of shots was not good, but the defensive aspect is much more needed from Maryland’s bench.
Overall it is hard to tell if Maryland can translate this team performance to a stronger team. But at least what the game showed is that Maryland has the ability to do it.
