COLLEGE PARK, Md. — No. 21 Maryland had five players in double figures and was never threatened in an 83-69 victory over Quinnipiac in both teams’ season opener Tuesday night at the Xfinity Center.
The Terps have now won 45 consecutive home openers.
Maryland was led by junior forward Qudus Wahab, a Georgetown transfer who finished with 17 points and six rebounds, while freshman forward Julian Reese, a St. Frances Academy product, added 11 points, seven rebounds and three blocks off the bench. Senior guard Eric Ayala started his final year in College Park on a high note with 13 points and eight rebounds.
Junior forward Donta Scott also had 13 points while graduate transfer guard Fatts Russell tallied 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting with a team-high four assists.
As Maryland struggled to find consistency during the opening minutes, it used timely shooting and solid defense to jump out to a 14-5 lead.
The Bobcats cut Maryland’s lead to 14-8 before Reese, the brother of Terps women’s basketball player Angel Reese, checked into the game and provided an immediate spark.
With 11:16 to go in the first half, Quinnipiac’s JJ Riggins drove to the basket for a layup but was greeted by Reese, who delivered the first of his team-high three emphatic blocks. His rigid defense continued when he stole the ball before converting a layup at the other end.
Reese scored on a second-chance layup before knocking down a mid-range jumper to give the Terps a 26-12 advantage.
Fans were jumping when sophomore guard Ian Martinez stole the ball and threw an alley-oop to Scott, which gave Maryland a comfortable 35-15 lead with 4:14 left in the first half.
In the second half, Wahab found his rhythm early and scored nine of Maryland’s first 10 points. Wahab was showcasing his shooting touch, knocking down a turnaround jumper and a mid-range shot during that stretch.
Senior guard Tyrese Williams scored 19 points and junior guard Matt Balanc had 25 points and five steals to lead the Bobcats. Balanc had the play of the game when he dunked over Russell in the first half.
Quinnipiac cut Maryland’s lead to 63-48 before Ayala nailed back-to-back 3-pointers to put the Terps up 71-51 with under eight minutes remaining. The Terps shot 6 for 17 from deep and 49.2% overall from the floor.
The Terps’ new frontcourt dominated the glass, outrebounding the Bobcats 44-29 while Reese had four of Maryland’s 13 offensive rebounds. The Terps struggled at the free-throw line, making 15 of 23 attempts, and committed 13 turnovers to Quinnipiac’s 12 but were no match inside for the Bobcats and finished with 38 points in the paint.
