Bruno Fernando had 21 points to pace Maryland to a 92-77 win over Mount St. Mary's Sunday afternoon at Xfinity Center in College Park, Md.
The home win kept Maryland (5-0) undefeated this season, while the Mountaineers (0-4) of the Northeast Conference continued their slow start. The 6-10 Fernando came up big, hitting 10-of-12 shots and equaling a career high with his scoring total, to go with seven rebounds and four blocked shots.
On the season, the sophomore center, who took himself out of the NBA draft last spring, is shooting 82.9 percent (34-of-41) from the floor. He was 8-of-8 in his last game, a win over Hofstra.
The Terrapins dominated inside, outscoring The Mount 56-22 in the paint, and controlling the boards 40-22. Freshman Jalen Smith added 16 points and 10 rebounds, while fellow frosh Serrel Smith, Jr., had career highs of 13 points and four rebounds.
Maryland pulled away for a 47-29 halftime edge, controlling the action inside behind Fernando's 13 first-half points. The taller Terrapins had a 30-4 advantage in points in the paint, a 22-9 rebounding edge, and shot 65.5 percent (19-of-29) in the first 20 minutes.
The Mount led very early, though, and the score was tied at 7-7, when Omar Habwe hit a jumper at 15:42. But the Terrapins went on a 10-0 run, starting with Eric Ayala's 3-pointer at 15:24. When Aaron Wiggins drained another three at 11:48, Maryland was up 17-7, and the Terrapins were on their way.
Habwe led Mount St. Mary's with 18 points, and K.J. Scott added 15.
Another Wiggins' 3-pointer pushed the Maryland lead to 32 points with nearly 11 minutes left to play, at 75-43. Maryland is now 8-0 all-time against The Mount in a series that dates back to 1987.
Mount St. Mary's plays its first home game of the season Wednesday against North Carolina A&T. Seven of the Mountaineers' first eight games this season are on the road. Maryland's six-game homestand continues Friday, with Marshall coming to College Park for a 6 p.m., contest.
--Field Level Media
Mount St. Mary's | Maryland | |
Omar Habwe 18 | Scoring | Bruno Fernando 21 |
Damian Chong Qui 3 | Assists | Eric Ayala 6 |
Omar Habwe 6 | Rebounds | Jalen Smith 10 |
Omar Habwe 7 | Free Throws Made | Jalen Smith 4 |
Omar Habwe 4 | Steals | Darryl Morsell 3 |
Omar Habwe 1 | Blocks | Bruno Fernando 4 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Mount St. Mary's | 77 | 40.0 | 10-29 | 19-22 | 11 | 18 | 1 | 10 | 13 |
Maryland | 92 | 62.3 | 7-19 | 9-15 | 23 | 38 | 5 | 7 | 17 |