COLLEGE PARK — Eric Ayala scored 13 points, surpassing 1,000 for his career, and No. 21 Maryland beat Quinnipiac 83-69 to start the season on Tuesday night.
Qudus Wahab added 17 points for the Terrapins, who led by 16 at halftime and never let Quinnipiac get closer than the final margin of 14.
Maryland (1-0) won its 45th consecutive home opener and improved to 28-2 against current members of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.
Matt Balanc scored 25 points and Tyrese Williams added 19 for Quinnipiac, which faced Maryland for the first time.
Ayala entered the game with 994 points and made a 3-pointer and a three-point play in the early minutes to reach 1,000.
The Terrapins opened the season with a mix of talented holdovers (Ayala and Donta Scott) and incoming transfers in Wahab and Fatts Russell were in the starting lineup as well.
Wahab, a 6-foot-11 transfer from Georgetown, went 7 of 10 from the field and contributed six rebounds. Russell, a 5-foot-11 transfer from Rhode Island, scored 12 points with four assists.
Quinnipiac (0-1) led only once in the game, after a 3-pointer by Williams put the Bobcats up 3-2. The Terps gradually pulled away as the half progressed. A dunk by Scott made it 35-15.
It was 41-25 at halftime, and the lead grew to as many as 24 points in the second.
BIG PICTURE
Quinnipiac: The Bobcats got leading scorer Jacob Rigoni back for a fifth year this season, but he was quiet offensively, scoring only seven points on 2-of-9 shooting. Quinnipiac was still able to recover from its poor start and outscored Maryland by two points in the second half.
Maryland: Chemistry is crucial this season for the Terps as they welcome key newcomers to the lineup. They didn’t have too many problems in the opener, although they did end up with a 17-13 assist-turnover ratio. Maryland handled Quinnipiac on the boards 45-29 and held the Bobcats to 41% shooting from the field.
UP NEXT
Quinnipiac: Host Western New England on Friday.
Maryland: Host George Washington on Thursday night.
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