With each passing game, the perceived value of senior forward Pharrel Payne increases.
On Tuesday, Payne was again Maryland men’s basketball’s best offensive source. He made eight of the Terps’ 28 field goals in their 84-64 win over Alcorn State. Maryland was outscored by two points when he was off the floor, a concerning stat against a low-major Division I team.
“In my opinion, we probably have the best big in the league. So if you see his number, throw him the ball,” redshirt freshman Andre Mills said. “It’s like feeding the beast, basically.”
Payne, who poured in a team-high 22 points and seven rebounds, accounted for nearly a fifth of Maryland’s total boards. Mills (16 points) and freshman guard Darius Adams (10 points) led the Terps’ backcourt.
Despite the victory, the process felt uninspiring.
Maryland entered the night as 29.5-point favorites but struggled to open, shooting just 39 percent from the field in the first half. It rebounded with a 61 percent clip in the latter period, pouring in 51 second-half points to secure the second victory of the Buzz Williams era.
[Maryland men’s basketball’s offense shut down in 70-60 loss to Georgetown]
Asked if he’s gained any clarity on his team’s rotation after three games, Williams said, “No, sir,” adding that the answers he is searching for will mainly come through practice.
“I think in year one, week two, I’m not concerned with our rotation yet,” Williams said.
Alcorn State made three consecutive shots to open, part of a back-and-forth three minutes. But the Terps’ defense clamped down, holding the Braves scoreless on their next eight shots over a seven-minute stretch.
Maryland scored 13 points — six of which came from Payne — to open up a 20-7 lead during that stretch.
The Terps went the last nine minutes of the first half without making a field goal. Alcorn State outscored Maryland, 17-6, during that stretch.
It ended the half with 33 points, the fewest Alcorn State allowed of its first three buy games against Power Four opponents. The Braves surrendered 58 first-half points to Florida State and 48 to Minnesota.
Maryland was buoyed by a high number of free throw attempts — a clear trend this season. It got to the line 27 times, and although it shot a season-low 74 percent on them, its 20 makes paid dividends.
Williams cautioned that his team wouldn’t — and shouldn’t — haul excessive threes after shooting 10-for-29 from beyond the arc in last Monday’s season-opener.
[Maryland men’s basketball mailbag: What can fans expect in Buzz Williams’ first year?]
Two games later, his proclamation seems warranted. Maryland shot 4-for-21 from three against Georgetown last Friday and 8-for-28 on Tuesday, putting its 3-point percentage through three games around 28 percent.
With junior guard Myles Rice inactive for the second time in three games due to an ankle injury, a lot of the offensive burden fell onto freshman guard Darius Adams.
The former 5-star recruit continued his early-season struggles. Adams recorded just 10 points on 3-for-11 shooting, but converted his first two 3-pointers of the season late in the second half — a promising sign after an 0-for-12 start from deep.
Despite perimeter shooting struggles, the Terps found solutions in the second half. They shot 17-for-28 in the final frame, with Adams, Mills, graduate guard Diggy Coit and freshman guard Guillermo Del Pino each contributing at least one make.
Maryland grabbed a season-high 14 offensive rebounds, but recorded a season-worst 17 turnovers. A 10-for-14 layup rate boosted its field goal percentage to 50 percent, capping the Terps’ most efficient shooting night this season.
“We’re still trying to figure each other out,” Mills said. “[It’s the] third game of the season. And I think, from a player’s point of view, I think we are starting to figure each other out, figure out who shoots what, how they shoot it, where they’re going to shoot it from.”
