Terps roll past bumpy start

Early in the second half last night, Adrian Bowie received an inbounds pass and began weaving his way through Seattle's full-court press.

It wasn't long, though, before the Terrapin men's basketball guard fumbled the ball away to the Redhawks, who converted for an easy layup. The Comcast Center crowd let out a collective groan over the umpteenth turnover it had seen the Terps commit against the fast-paced Redhawks.

It wasn't the type of night Bowie envisioned in his first game as a senior, which began with two early fouls and finished with seven turnovers.

But even with his struggles and a tight first half, the Terps found a way to run past a pesky Seattle team to win their season opener, 105-76, and post the most points in an opener since 2005. Led by guard Sean Mosley (21 points) and forward Jordan Williams (17 points, 15 rebounds), the Terps began their season by avoiding a loss they couldn't afford.

"The way they played, it was never over because they can score in bunches," coach Gary Williams said. "We are trying to win and learn at the same time this year."

The Terps' depth and endurance ultimately devastated the Redhawks, as 11 different players finished in the scoring column. And after reaching the century mark in points only twice last year, the Terps hit triple digits for the second straight showing. They managed 106 in an exhibition against Florida Southern last week before again reaching familiar territory against its first Division I competition last night.

Early mishaps that lingered for much of the game marred an otherwise well-rounded offensive performance. The team finished with 29 turnovers against the Redhawks, including a flurry of mistakes at the game's start.

"We just have to step it up early," Jordan Williams said. "We only had two points in the first four minutes and we let them hang around."

Less than four minutes after tip-off, Bowie drew his second foul, forcing coach Gary Williams to go to his freshman backups earlier than anticipated.

Bowie could only watch as backcourt counterparts Terrell Stoglin and Pe'Shon Howard electrified the crowd. Stoglin's behind-the-back pass spurred a Williams slam, while Howard's no-look dishes to Mosley and forward James Padgett resulted in easy scores.

"I thought they played great for their first college game," Gary Williams said. "They played with a lot of confidence."

But even with the flashy play off the bench, the Terps continued their turnover woes and allowed Seattle to stick around for much of the half. The Redhawks turned 29 turnovers into 35 points, and 11 different Terps turned the ball over.

"That game is going to have a lot of turnovers when you play at that pace," Gary Williams said. "We had some unforced turnovers, which we will need to get rid of. Teams are going to press you if they see that you are not very good at handling pressure, so we need to show them that we can handle it."

The Terps continued to push their up-tempo approach during their 46-point first half, and soon distanced themselves from the Redhawks with a 14-4 run to end the half. When their defense hardened in the second half, their lead only lengthened.

"Once we were able to stop people, we were able to get into transition and score," Bowie said. "But as soon as tip-off starts, we need to be ready."

As ugly as it may have been, the victory should provide the Terps ample momentum for the rest of the week. Williams will get a chance to address the night's problems against College of Charleston on Wednesday and then Maine four days later before the team meets No. 4 Pittsburgh at Madison Square Garden.

"Twenty-nine turnovers is entirely too much," Bowie said. "We do that against Pittsburgh, we're going to get killed."

ceckard@umdbk.com