Xfinity Center’s newly-expanded student section was packed to the brim Friday night for Maryland men’s basketball’s home opener against Georgetown. Fans dressed in Gold Rush yellow created an electric
atmosphere for head coach Buzz Williams’ first game in College Park.
Those fans didn’t get anything resembling the show they were hoping for. The Terps’ offense was abysmal all game long, shooting 13-of-52 from the field and 4-of-21 from 3-point range en route to a disheartening 70-60 loss to the Hoyas.
It’s the first time Maryland has lost a home opener since 1976.
Georgetown only led by five points at halftime, with Maryland taking advantage of repeated trips to the free-throw line. But back-to-back 3-pointers by Malik Mack to begin the second half kicked off an 18-3 Hoyas run that Maryland failed to crawl back from.
The Terps did not have a single lead Friday night. Georgetown led by as many as 20 points in the second half.
DeShawn Harris-Smith’s return to College Park was the biggest story entering the game. The junior spent two seasons at Maryland before leaving for the Hoyas as part of the exodus following Kevin Willard’s departure.
Fans booed Harris-Smith every time he touched the ball. But he ended up largely a non-factor for the Hoyas, with just three points and one rebound in 17 minutes off the bench.
Maryland set the tone for its poor outing immediately. It turned the ball over on its first two possessions, displaying poor rebounding effort — the Hoyas had three offensive rebounds before the Terps had one — and disjointed offense. Georgetown started the game on an 11-0 run before Williams called timeout to stop the bleeding.
Maryland’s first four shots were all from beyond the arc — it missed all of them. Over three minutes into the game, Pharrel Payne drew a foul and made both free throws to finally get the Terps on the board.
Those struggles continued throughout the first half. Maryland started the game 1-of-9 from the field, with Elijah Saunders finally converting the team’s second basket over 10 minutes into the game.
Two straight Georgetown buckets — including Harris-Smith’s only make of the night — extended its lead to nine points. Then, the game slowed to a snail’s pace.
Georgetown did not make a field goal in the final eight minutes of the first half. All nine of its points in that span came from free throws.
Maryland wasn’t much better, shooting 2-of-10 across those eight minutes. Both makes were three-pointers, courtesy of Diggy Coit and Myles Rice — Rice’s was a stepback with six seconds left to cut the Hoyas’ lead to 32-27 as both teams headed to the locker rooms.
Mack’s beyond-the-arc explosion to open the second half was part of what was otherwise a standout day for the junior. Mack — who hails from Oxon Hill, Maryland, and notably has a Terps tattoo on his left wrist — notched a team-high 19 points to go along with eight rebounds and two steals.
Rice and Payne were the biggest contributors in a late comeback effort by the Terps, combining for 11 straight points to cut Georgetown’s lead to seven. But an on-ball double team left Mack open for his final score of the game, a 3-pointer that sucked the energy out of Xfinity Center and sent fans to the exits.
Rice, playing his first game as a Terp after missing the season opener with an ankle injury, led his team with 19 points. Payne was close behind with 17.
Three things to know
1. Rice played, but Del Pino started. Rice made his first appearance as a Terp after missing the season opener with an ankle injury, Even with the guard rotation fully healthy, though, Spanish freshman Guillermo Del Pino got another start after playing just 10 minutes without a shot attempt against Coppin State.
Del Pino turned the ball over on Maryland’s first possession, fouled the ensuing shot attempt and was removed from the game after just one minute. He did not return to the game.
2. Another strong game at the charity stripe. The only reason Maryland hung around as long as it did was frequent, successful trips to the line. It shot a whopping 37 free throws, making 30 of them.
That kind of success is a nice bonus for an efficient offense, but not something to rely on. The Terps were anything but efficient Friday night.
3. Historic rivalry renewed. Maryland and Georgetown played every season from the end of World War II until 1980. This is just the sixth matchup between the local rivals since then. The Terps are 4-2 in those six games.
