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Maryland Basketball: Terps Roll Over Gardner-Webb

By Wesley Brown

NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 25: Head coach Mark Turgeon of the Maryland Terrapins reacts against the Richmond Spiders in the first half during the Barclays Center Classic at Barclays Center on November 25, 2016 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 25: Head coach Mark Turgeon of the Maryland Terrapins reacts against the Richmond Spiders in the first half during the Barclays Center Classic at Barclays Center on November 25, 2016 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /
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On a snowy afternoon in College Park, the Maryland Terrapins were able to get the job done.

After illness (Justin Jackson) and injuries (Bruno Fernando), the Terrapins had to play shorthanded, but it was not a back-breaker. In fact, it brought even more positives to the spot light.

In the 82-60 win, fans saw plenty of players they were not used to, especially inside. Ivan Bender started alongside Michal Cekovsky, and they were rotated with Sean Obi and Joshua Tomaic.

Tomaic was probably the most impressive face in this game, which was his first significant amount of minutes this season. The Redshirt Freshman from the Canary Islands showed his wide range of skills in the still limited time he had on the floor. He finished with nine points and six rebounds in 16 minutes on the floor.

With two minutes left in the half, Tomaic nailed a corner three that forced a Runnin’ Bulldogs’ timeout. His shooting, accompanied with a knack for slick passing, really shed a light on the depth Maryland has inside.

At the half, Maryland was leading 38-24, and had just six turnovers against a rather tough defensive team. Gardner-Webb kept switching from man defense to zone, including a really solid 2-3 zone that Maryland learned how to break down.

The Terrapins really just used the second half to expand onto their lead and try some new things. They also managed to limit their turnovers, finishing with 5 for the second half and 11 for the entire game.

“We’re getting a little more comfortable with what we’re running”, said Mark Turgeon after the game. With another game coming up on Tuesday, comfort is a good thing to build as the season goes on.

Turgeon also shed light on the outlook for Fernando and Jackson. Bruno is feeling better, but his status for Tuesday is still up in the air after his ankle injury. Justin Jackson “should” be able to by then with the rest he’ll have this weekend.

Catholic University comes to College Park Tuesday night at 7PM for Maryland’s third game in six days.