In changeup, Tucker leads Terp rout from bench

As the Terrapin football team stole the headlines the past week with the dismissal of longtime coach Ralph Friedgen, the basketball team flew largely under the radar.

That was until coach Gary Williams made some changes Wednesday night.

Instead of making his 12th start of the season, guard Cliff Tucker stood clapping in line with the rest of the bench as the Terps' starters were announced. Freshman guard Pe'Shon Howard got the starting nod in Williams' first adjustment to the starting this season.

Howard quickly acclimated himself, nailing a 3-pointer for the team's first field goal of the night, and the Terps cruised to an 89-50 win against NJIT. By halftime, the Terps had already established its dominance, holding a 35-poind lead against a bumbling Highlander team.

They used a balanced scoring attack — six players finished in double figures — that featured Tucker, who reestablished his presence off the bench. Through the first half, he led the team with nine points, five assists and four rebounds in 12 minutes.

"Pe'Shon Howard started because how he played in practice," Williams said. "Cliff didn't start, not because we took him out of the lineup — it was to give him a chance to look at the game a couple minutes before he got in there. He really looked comfortable with his shot tonight."

Entering the season, some looked at Tucker as the most logical replacement to replace the scoring of former Terp guards Greivis Vasquez and Eric Hayes. He started the season strong with six straight games in double figures, but had only hit that mark once in the previous five games entering Wednesday night.

But the inconsistent Tucker hit a new low for the Terps (8-4) in the team's loss to Boston College on Dec. 12, when he went 1-for-7 from the 3-point arc and missed two late free throws.

With Tucker's struggles, Williams opted for Howard against the Highroaders (2-7) on Wednesday night.

"Everything is dependent on practice this year," Williams said. "That's why Pe'Shon was out there tonight."

The Terps would have been sound with either starting last night. With much of the offense focused on forward Jordan Williams the past few weeks, the Terps opened the scoring up to the rest of the lineup. While Williams finished with his sixth straight double-double, it was his counterparts that led the rout.

"We tried to move the ball a lot," Jordan Williams said. "We did a great job at getting everyone involved. I'm not going to score 27 every night. It's good to know that my teammates will help me."

Williams finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds while forward Dino Gregory also finished with 14 points, adding nine rebounds.

With seven days until the Terps' next game, Tucker's new spot — not to mention much of the starting lineup — is far from set.

"Coach is trying to find the starting five that will play the hardest, or come and start the game out fast," guard Sean Mosley said. "Cliff did a great job today as a senior coming off the bench. Cliff may start the next game, I don't know."

ceckard@umdbk.com