COLLEGE PARK, Md. _ This was supposed to be a fresh start for a Maryland basketball team that featured several new faces, including a two freshmen who started Friday night's season opener at Xfinity Center.
As happened the last time they started two freshmen in a season opener _ Joe Smith and Keith Booth in an overtime win over Georgetown in 1993-94 _ the Terps won, barely.
While neither point guard Anthony Cowan Jr. nor wing Kevin Huerter came close to replicating the coming-out party that Smith had more than two decades ago, they helped No. 25 Maryland survive a huge scare from American, 62-56.
Cowan brought the Terps back from an early deficit to take a 31-25 lead by scoring eight straight points in one stretch, and Huerter made two big 3-pointers down the stretch _ his only points of the game _ to help bring Maryland back from a 47-43 deficit in the second half.
Junior guard Melo Trimble looked more like his old self, especially getting to the basket, to lead the Terps with 22 points. Cowan finished with 12 points and nine rebounds, and graduate transfer L.G. Gill added 11 points and six rebounds. While the Terps were trying to show off a new cast after losing four starters from last year's 27-9 Sweet 16 team, the game itself looked very much like many Maryland played in the early season a year ago.
