Wells scores 27 as Maryland beats CCSU, 93-57
COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — Maryland's Dez Wells has established himself as one of the premier players in college basketball with his ability to drive to the basket and make shots from around the perimeter.
The senior put on another dominant performance against Central Connecticut State.
Wells scored 27 points and Jake Layman added 14, leading Maryland to a 93-57 victory over the Blue Devils on Monday night.
The game was part of the 2014 CBE Hall of Fame Classic.
"You got to win and you have to win at a high clip," Wells said. "You have to do things the right way. Then, I feel everything else will fall into place."
Freshmen Dion Wiley and Melo Trimble each had 10 points for the Terrapins (2-0). Maryland shot 35 of 63 (55.6 percent) from the field, including 10 of 23 from 3-point range.
"Everyone wants to win," Wiley said. "All of the freshmen want to win. We compete hard everyday in practice."
Matt Mobley scored 14 of his 24 points in the first half, while Khalen Cumberlander had 11 for Central Connecticut (0-2).
The Blue Devils have all five starters back from last season, but had trouble adjusting to Maryland's tight man-to-man defense. The Terps started fast and a layup by Jon Graham gave Maryland a 19-6 lead midway through the first half.
Central Connecticut then went on a 16-4 run and a jumper by Mobley pulled them to within 28-22 with 4:44 left in the first half. However, a pair of steals and a 3-pointer by Wiley helped Maryland take 38-26 lead at the break. The Terps shot 16 of 31 (51.6 percent) and scored 11 points of eight Blue Devils' turnovers in the first half.
"I thought they out-manned us," Blue Devils coach Howie Dickenman said. "I thought we played hard for awhile, but I think we got worn down."
Maryland continued to pull away in the second half and Layman hit two 3-pointers to help push the margin to 61-36 with 13:17 left in the game. The Terps stayed hot with their shooting and a 3-pointer by Richaud Pack pushed the lead to 89-52 with 3:55 left.
"Obviously, I liked the way we played in the second half," Maryland coach Mark Turgeon said. "I thought the game started too easy for us. We got a little complacent and they got hot. Mobley is a good player. I'm a little disappointed we didn't recognize him as well as I would have liked to on the scouting report."
TIP-INS
Maryland: Senior Dez Wells was selected Monday as a member of the Wooden Award Preseason Top 50, which is given to the nation's best player who is making progress toward graduation and has 2.0 GPA.
Central Connecticut State: After scoring a career-high 30 points in the season-opener against Fairfield, sophomore Matt Mobley continued to spark the Blue Devils with his outside shooting. Mobley shot 10 of 18 from the field en route to his 24 points.
FRESHMEN SENSATIONS
Maryland freshman Melo Trimble was one of the most highly touted recruits and he has delivered by averaging 11.5 points over the first two games. His first-year counterpart, Dion Wiley, has also been effective averaging nine points. Fellow freshmen Jared Nickens and Michal Cekovsky also are pushing for quality playing time.
UP NEXT
Maryland hosts Fordham on Thursday before traveling to Kansas City, Missouri, for the CBE Hall of Fame Classic next week.
Central Connecticut State is in the midst of eight straight games away from home and plays Towson in the NABC CBE Tournament at Monmouth on Friday.