Men's basketball bounces back in Spartan blowout

On a fast break late in the first half last night, Jordan Williams rose over a helpless UNC Greensboro defender and slammed in a one-handed alley-oop from guard Cliff Tucker.

By halftime, the Terrapin men's basketball forward had all but secured his eighth double-double of the season with 14 points and nine rebounds.

And by the end of the Terps' 99-56 victory against a reeling Spartan team that has now lost all eight of its games this season by double digits, Williams' might and that of his teammates had been made patently obvious.

"That was a big game for us to play well," coach Gary Williams said. "I know we were favored going into the game, but I wanted to play well."

Jordan Williams finished with 23 points and 13 rebounds while also converting seven of 11 free throws in a balanced night for the Terps' offense.

"We're being a lot more patient," the sophomore forward said. "We're allowing each other to play our own games. We're looking for other people."

Three days after his team's disappointing 64-61 loss to Temple, Gary Williams kept his normal starting lineup intact despite speculation he might make a change, trotting out guards Adrian Bowie and Cliff Tucker for tip-off as guards Terrell Stoglin and Pe'Shon Howard remained on the bench.

Tucker, who had scored a combined two points in the previous two games, finished the first half with a buzzer-beater to hit double figures for the seventh game this season. Bowie scored a season-high 16 points, missing just one shot from the field.

"I really believe in them," Gary Williams said. "They've been loyal four-year players. That means a lot to me. They struggled a bit in a couple games, but that doesn't mean they can't be outstanding players for us this year."

Stoglin continued his scoring surge off the bench for the Terps (7-3), often driving to the basket and scoring easily inside. The freshman finished with 18 points, second only to Williams.

The Spartans (0-8) kept the game close for the first 10 minutes, but a 12-0 Terp run in the middle of the first half put them away for good. After Williams converted a three-point play, Stoglin grabbed a steal off the Terps' full-court press for an easy layup.

"Once we got the momentum going, we wanted to keep it going," Jordan Williams said. "We didn't want to turn back. We wanted to keep pushing. We didn't want to slow down for anybody."

Bowie and Tucker highlighted the run with back-to-back 3-pointers. After going just 3-for-13 from behind the arc in their previous four games, the starting duo hit four of their first five from deep last night.

Bowie also picked up his play on the defensive end. Five minutes into the second half, the senior blocked a seemingly open Spartan layup after a Terp turnover.

"We had it going," Bowie said. "We wanted to come out stronger. Hopefully, it will carry forward the rest of the season."

The dominant win, though, might have been more of an indictment of the Terps' target inside Comcast Center. Far from the Southern Conference's best offering, the Spartans were coming off losses to Wofford and Furman by a combined 35 points.

That mattered very little to a team happy to be winning again last night.

"It's frustrating because we really could be undefeated right now," Jordan Williams said. "A couple plays here and there, a couple loose balls, some free throws and we're undefeated. We know how good we can be."

ceckard@umdbk.com