COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- Alex Len had 18 points, seven rebounds and four blocked shots, and Maryland used its inside game to get past LIU Brooklyn 91-74 on Friday night.
Freshman guard Seth Allen scored 19 and Dez Wells added 15 for the Terrapins (2-1), who also got 13 assists from Pe'Shon Howard.Maryland outrebounded the Blackbirds 45-33 and finished with 10 blocks. The Terrapins have six players over 6-foot-7, compared to one for LIU Brooklyn.Julian Boyd led the Blackbirds (0-3) with 22 points, and Brandon Thompson and Jamal Olasewere each had 16. Jason Brickman contributed 14 points and 10 assists.The Blackbirds stayed within striking distance until a basket by Wells and a 3-pointer by Allen sparked a 14-8 run that made it 82-68 with 4 minutes remaining.Although Maryland connected on eight of 12 shots from beyond the arc, the Terrapins won because of their height. After the Blackbirds closed to 43-35, 6-foot-8 James Padgett made a three-point play and the 7-1 Len followed with successive dunks for a 15-point cushion with 14:40 to go.Maryland won despite committing 15 turnovers.The Blackbirds went 2 for 13 from beyond the arc and took only two free throws in falling behind 39-30 at halftime.Maryland fell behind 7-2 before Len made two free throws, a follow-jam and a layup to put the Terrapins ahead for good. After Len scored Maryland's first eight points, Nick Faust drilled a 3-pointer and Wells made a layup for a 13-7 lead.With 9 minutes gone, the Terrapins had four blocks, a 13-7 rebounding advantage and led 21-11. After making three of their first five field-goal tries, the Blackbirds missed 11 of the next 13.It was 27-17 before Boyd scored six points in a 10-3 spurt that occurred while Maryland made only one basket over 7 1/2 minutes. A jumper by Logan Aronhalt and a 3-pointer by Allen pushed the margin to nine points at the break.
