On the chopping block

A vagabond in competitive college basketball, Longwood took the court at Comcast Center last night with no delusions about how it would fare against the Terrapin men's basketball team.

The Lancers had been all but handpicked to fill an open date in the Terps' conference schedule, one in which they would presumably act as little more than a speed bump as the Terps surged ahead in league play.

And with little resistance, Longwood gave coach Gary Williams and the Terps just what they had envisioned when the two sides first agreed to the matchup: a monster win and an added boost of confidence. In their largest margin of victory this season, the Terps cruised to a 106-52 victory behind guard Sean Mosley's 20 points and forward Dino Gregory's double-double.

"It was very important that we came out ready to play," Williams said. "You don't want to get into any bad habits at this point in the year."

Few things were difficult last night for the Terps (16-8), who didn't take long to establish a healthy lead. Before the Lancers scored their first field goal nearly three minutes into the contest, they had already committed four turnovers, air-balled a jumper and allowed the Terps to collect rebounds at will.

After an early 11-0 deficit, the Lancers cut the lead to less than double digits just once the rest of the night.

"We took advantage of the opportunities that we had," Mosley said. "That's one thing we've been working on in practice."

Even with forward Jordan Williams picking up three first-half fouls, the Lancers' visit to College Park ended no differently than their games against national powerhouse Kansas or Big East members Marquette and Seton Hall earlier this season.

Such is life for Longwood, an independent school unaffiliated with any conference and without any players taller than 6-foot-8. The smattering of fans who trekked to Comcast Center expecting to see the Terps afforded a chance to rest their starters, flex their offensive muscle and trot out benchwarmers did not leave disappointed.

"This was a test to see how tough we were as a team," Mosley said. "We took over the game early. We just tried to execute every play."

Forward Haukur Palsson, who hit his first four shots, set a career-high mark in points (13) for the second straight game, while fellow freshman Pe'Shon Howard (11 points) continued his strong play as the team's starting point guard.

Four other Terps scored in double figures against the Lancers, while Williams and guard Cliff Tucker both finished with nine.

Frequently disrupting the Lancers on defense, the Terps found little trouble transitioning to find open looks on offense. The team shot 54.2 percent from the field and set a season high with 10 3-pointers. The Terps also set a season-best mark for assists for the second straight game.

"Players were really unselfish," Gary Williams said. "All the guys really looked for each other. I didn't expect it to be quite like that."

The Terps outrebounded the undersized Lancers, 55-28, and received large contributions from their bench, which outscored its counterpart, 42-6. Afterward, there were few qualms about the all-out effort.

"We just have more confidence in each other," Palsson said. "If someone is having a down game, someone else has to step up, and a lot of guys did that today."

The 54-point drubbing added another win to a Terp team quietly surging toward the end of its regular season. The Terps will head into their last stretch of ACC play having won five of their past six games.

"Longwood isn't a big name," Gregory said. "But it gives us a win and keeps our momentum going for Boston College [on Saturday]."

ceckard@umdbk.com