Maryland-Eastern Shore @ Maryland preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 12, 2015 ) Maryland - E. Shore 56, Maryland 77

Maryland’s season-opening victory Friday was marked by highlights from some of the Terrapins' top players, as well as a few areas in which coach Mark Turgeon seeks improvement when his team hosts Maryland-Eastern Shore on Sunday. Friday’s 76-61 triumph over Stony Brook featured a balanced scoring approach in the first game since the departure of Melo Trimble, and forward Justin Jackson’s third career double-double stood out as five players reached double figures in scoring.

“Early we were nervous, we were shooting the ball over the rim, fumbling the ball,” Turgeon told reporters afterward. “Defensively, we were great. Then, we settled in offensively.” The Terrapins did not struggle for long, shooting 51 percent in the first half while building an 18-point advantage at intermission. Jackson, who Turgeon has urged to be more aggressive on the backboards, finished with a career-best 14 rebounds. The Hawks also won their opener Friday, getting a combined 51 points from freshmen Cameron Bacote and Sean Hoggs in a 95-69 victory over Valley Forge.

TV: 6 p.m. ET, BTN Plus

ABOUT MARYLAND-EASTERN SHORE (1-0): Bacote led the way with 28 points and 11 assists in the opener, hitting six 3-pointers, while Hoggs connected on seven 3-pointers en route to 23 points. LeAndre Thomas fell one rebound shy of a double-double, finishing with 10 points and nine rebounds. Maryland-Eastern Shore started 1-11 last season and faces a rough non-conference schedule that includes games at Georgetown, Virginia Tech, Creighton and Iowa State.

ABOUT MARYLAND (1-0): The Terps bring back a trio of key sophomore starters in Jackson, Anthony Cowan and Kevin Huerter, and the three combined for 39 points and 23 rebounds. Cowan committed only two turnovers in 31 minutes, finishing with a team-high 15 points plus four assists. Maryland played solidly on defense, holding Stony Brook to 36.5 percent shooting and owning a 42-26 rebounding advantage.

TIP-INS

1. Maryland freshman F Bruno Fernando finished with 10 points in 13 minutes in his debut.

2. Terps senior F Michal Cekovsky, who fractured his left ankle late last season, finished 3-for-3 from the field and 4-for-4 from the free-throw line in his return.

3. Maryland G Dion Wiley played 25 minutes Friday after missing all of 2015-16 with a knee injury and battling injuries most of last season.

PREDICTION: Maryland 81, Maryland-Eastern Shore 58