Terps overcome first-half deficit
NO. 21 MARYLAND 68, VERMONT 57
COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Eric Ayala and Fatts Russell each scored 22 points, and No. 21 Maryland rallied Saturday to defeat Vermont 68-57.
Ben Shungu scored a career-high 27 points and Isaiah Powell added 14 points and 11 rebounds for the Catamounts (1-1), who have not defeated a Big Ten team since 1977.
Maryland is off to a 3-0 start for the eighth consecutive season after allowing just eight points in the final 8:57.
“I’ve been doing this a long time, and that last 10 minutes was as good as one of my teams has ever played defensively,” Maryland Coach Mark Turgeon said. “I’ve had a lot of good defensive teams, and that was something else.”
The Terrapins trailed by nine in the first half and 3932 early in the second before Ian Martinez’s three-pointer finished a 12-2 run that gave them the lead for good with 12:48 left.
Maryland struggled to fully put away Vermont until late. Ayala and Russell combined for nine points during a 10-0 run in the final minutes to push the lead to 13.
Shungu scored 20 points in the first half, including a pair of three-pointers in the final minute to give the Catamounts a 36-32 lead at the break.
“He got going in the first half,” Ayala said. “I came in at halftime and was telling the guys, ‘If we stop him, we win the game.’ He had most of their points in the first half and I think he got tired. In the second half, we were wearing him down.”
In other Top 25 games Saturday, Drew Timme scored a career-high 37 points as top-ranked Gonzaga beat No. 5 Texas 86-74 in an early-season showdown. Gonzaga Coach Mark Few returned to the sidelines after serving a three-game suspension for a DUI, sitting out two exhibition games and the season-opening win over Dixie State. Rasir Bolton added 16 points for Gonzaga (2-0), which won a school-record 53rd consecutive home game. The Bulldogs’ last home loss was in 2018. Timmy Allen scored 18 points for Texas (1-1), which was trying to beat a top-ranked team for the first time in program history. Instead, the Longhorns fell to 0-12 against No. 1 teams. … Freshman Emoni Bates scored 15 points and Landers Nolley added 12 to help No. 12 Memphis defeat North
Carolina Central 90-51. Jalen Duren and Lester Quinones added 10 points each. Duren also had 10 rebounds for the Tigers (2-0), who have won both of their first two games in dominating fashion. Eric Boone had 11 points to lead the Eagles (0-2) … Paolo Banchero led No. 9 Duke (3-0) with 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting, seven rebounds, a steal and a block in a 67-56 victory over Campbell. Ricky Clemons and Cedric Henderson Jr. each scored 18 points apiece for the Camels. Henderson also had 11 boards, helping Campbell outrebound Duke 3431. … Adama Sanogo kept up his sharp shooting, tying his career high with 20 points as No. 24 UConn beat Coppin
State 89-54. R.J. Cole added 16 points and Tyrese Martin 15 for the Huskies (20). Sanogo made 10 of 13 shots and had nine rebounds. The sophomore forward is shooting 19 for 24 this season. … Eli Brooks scored 15 points, Caleb Houstan added 13 points, and No. 6 Michigan cruised to a 77-49 victory over Prairie
View A&M. Hunter Dickinson scored 11 points and added 10 rebounds for the Wolverines (2-0), who improved to 16-2 in regular season nonconference games under third-year coach Juwan Howard.