Maryland pulled away for a 78-57 win over host Navy at the fifth annual Veterans Classic in Annapolis Friday night, but that final score hides what the game really looked like.
The Midshipmen had the game tied 39-39 with 14 minutes and change left in the second half. The Terrapins responded with a 13-4 run to move ahead, then a 16-3 run within the final 10 minutes to widen the gap for good.
Neither side looked flawless, so here are takeaways both Maryland and Navy can carry forward into the rest of their non-conference schedules.
1. Cowan’s leadership is the standard
His stat line of 24 points, six assists, four steals and three rebounds is one way to gauge how Anthony Cowan’s night went, but beyond that, the Maryland junior clearly oozed something intangible wherever he was on the floor. Cowan averaged 37 minutes per game last year and played 37 minutes on Friday. With no Kevin Huerter, Justin Jackson or Dion Wiley on this roster, it’s Cowan’s team more than ever.
But Cowan is a quiet leader.
“It’s hard to judge his body language because he just thinks he’s so cool. It’s hard if he’s being cool and pouting,” coach Mark Turgeon teased after the game, with Cowan sitting next to him. “I think it’s more about the way he responds to situations, responds to his teammates. He’s more involved with his teammates.”
2. Threes aren’t falling yet
The Terrapins only shot 5-for-23 from the 3-point line Friday, but hey, that was an improvement over their season opener against Delaware, when they shot a woeful 2-for-19.
Huerter was the team’s favorite 3-point sharpshooter, but he’s in the NBA now. Wiley and Jared Nickens were also reliable from deep — and they’ve also moved on, leaving Cowan as the top returning option to shoot the three.
Besides that, Maryland has only shot 41.3 percent from the field altogether in its first two games. But the team knows that can get better.
“For us to not be shooting the ball well in these first games, but we’re still locked in defensively, shows a lot about this team,” Darryl Morsell said. “When we start hitting shots, it’s gonna be fun. That’s all I can say.”
3. Figuring out the freshmen
Maryland’s top three freshmen all started against Navy: five-star power forward Jalen Smith, four-star small forward Aaron Wiggins and four-star combo guard Eric Ayala. All of them were among the top 100 in their class nationally.
Ayala was tapped to start at shooting guard over Morsell, whom Turgeon wanted to motivate after a poor performance against Delaware. It was nice to see Morsell respond with 15 points off the bench — but Ayala only scored five in 29 minutes.
Smith and Wiggins both hit double digits, though. Turgeon promised the media we “haven’t really seen the real Aaron Wiggins yet,” and Cowan and Morsell seemed to flash a knowing smile at that. The class is no R.J. Barrett-Zion Williamson-Cam Reddish trio like Duke has, but if Turgeon coaches them to their full potential, watch out.
4. Loehr coming into his own
Luke Loehr played a total of 10 minutes for Navy as a freshman last year. Friday night, he showed he had blossomed into a reliable sixth man and borderline starter for the Midshipmen. Loehr scored 11 points, second-most on the team, on 4-of-8 shooting.
Loehr said he built confidence during a preseason trip the team took to Canada, where they played four exhibition games. His coach, Ed DeChellis, called him the “ultimate team player.”
“He’s a really good shooter. I’ve got to figure out how to get him more shots,” DeChellis said. “He’s a kid who rebounds the ball, and he’ll do whatever you ask him to do. He’ll play hard for us. He’s made great improvement from his freshman year to his sophomore year, and we’re only two games in so he’s going to get better and better as the season goes on.”
5. Shoring up the shooting and mental mistakes
The Midshipmen were picked third in the Patriot League preseason poll, and their 0-2 start to the season likely won’t weigh on them with so much more basketball to be played. Navy graduated three starters from last year, Shawn Anderson, Bryce Dulin and Tom Lacey, so this squad needs to grow and find its new shape.
They committed 20 fouls and turned the ball over 17 times against Maryland, which could be chalked up to the physical mismatch against some of the Terrapins’ biggest players. But DeChellis was most concerned about getting the shooting right again. Navy went 19-for-52 from the field.
That included getting seniors George Kiernan and Hasan Abdullah better shots, DeChellis said. The team’s most experienced players combined to shoot 2-for-12 against Maryland.
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