Maryland breezes past Division III St. Mary's 93-45

COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) After opening the season with a pair of tight victories, Maryland really needed a stress-free matchup against an inferior opponent.

That is precisely what the Terrapins got.

Damonte Dodd had 13 points and 10 rebounds, L.G. Gill scored 15 and Maryland cruised past St. Mary's 93-45 on Thursday night.

''It's nice to have something like this,'' coach Mark Turgeon said after the Terps (3-0) overwhelmed their in-state Division III opponent.

The blowout came after the Terrapins squeezed past American and won an emotional thriller on Tuesday at Georgetown.

''We didn't put any prep into it. That's really the grind of the season,'' Turgeon said. ''We put so much into American and Georgetown, it was nice just to show up and play a game.''

Turgeon started three freshmen, along with Dodd and junior guard Melo Trimble. Two of those first-year players, Anthony Cowan and Justin Jackson, combined for 10 of Maryland's first 11 points.

Ten different players scored in the first half for the Terrapins, who led 13-2, 21-3 and 26-6 before an 18-4 run made it 44-10.

The 6-foot-11 Dodd is three inches taller than anyone on the St. Mary's roster. He dominated the lane on both ends and had three blocked shots.

''It feels good,'' Dodd said. ''It was fun to be out there. They tried their hardest. They had some really good players. But it was nice to have a blowout and get our rhythm on defense and offense. This really helps us a lot going into the next game.''

Trimble, the star of the team, contributed seven points in 15 minutes. Freshman Kevin Huerter and Jaylen Brantley each scored 11.

Tre Mouton scored 16 for the Seahawks (1-1), a member of the Capital Athletic Conference. St. Mary's was coming off a 95-66 win over Penn State Altoona, but this obviously represented a huge leap in the level of competition.

''I told the guys to be proud of the effort you put out there,'' coach Chris Harney said. ''You never know how bad it could have been. We could have been walking out of here (having lost) 150-10. Clearly, it was two different teams as far as size and skill.''

The Seahawks opened by going 1 for 7 from the floor with seven turnovers and did not make successive baskets until midway through the second half.

This marked the fourth time in 12 years under Harney that the Seahawks faced a team higher than Division III. They're 0-4 in those games.

YOUTH IS SERVED

St. Mary's: Because the Seahawks are in rebuilding mode, Harney was particularly pleased with his team's performance. ''We don't have any seniors, we have a pretty young team. This for us was really preparation for our season in Division III.''

Maryland: The freshmen shined - Jackson had 10 rebounds, Cowan finished with eight points and seven assists, and Huerter led the team with five field goals. But Turgeon was most impressed with sophomore center Ivan Bender, who had seven rebounds and six points in 18 minutes. ''He's the most improved player on our roster,'' the coach said.

THE TAKEAWAY

St. Mary's: The Seahawks took a beating, but at least they got to play in a major college arena before resuming a schedule that includes road games against Wesley and Christopher Newport.

Maryland: The Terrapins received a modest workout in a game situation. The low-pressure scenario enabled Turgeon to shuffle his freshmen and work on plays that will be useful in the future.

UP NEXT

St. Mary's faces Baldwin Wallace on Saturday in the Dan Greene Memorial Invitational.

Maryland hosts another in-state foe, Towson, on Sunday afternoon.