College Park, MD – Maryland (14-1, 3-0) dominated an undermanned Rutgers squad 88-63 to stay atop of the Big 10 standings. Rutgers fell to 0-3 in the Big 10 and 6-10 overall. Maryland dominated from the opening tip and had a 31-12 advantage on the boards at halftime. The Terps led 46-18 at the half thanks in large to the play of its frontcourt.
Diamond Stone continued his great play of late. Stone proved why he is considered a top 20 pick in the upcoming 2016 NBA draft, by being relentless in the paint all night. Stone was a handful for a vastly undersized Rutgers squad, bullying his way down low and getting great position all night. Stone used his left hand extremely well on baby hooks and put backs. He has a knack for being in the right place at the right time. Coach Mark Turgeon has been very encouraged by Stone’s constant improvement on the defensive end. Stone finished the game with 15 points, ten rebounds and three blocks.
Combo guard Rasheed Sulaimon once again delivered a well rounded performance. Sulaimon looked for his shot early in the first half and knocked down two three pointers. He provided his usual stability, as point guard Melo Trimble was limited to only 14 minutes due to exiting the game with a hamstring injury. Sulaimon has the ability to score more, but often takes a backseat to make sure his teammates are involved. He finished the game with 15 points, five rebounds and two assists.
Jake Layman
The star of the night was senior forward Jake Layman. Layman was aggressive throughout the game. Layman’s lack of aggressiveness and effectiveness has caused a lot of scrutiny in his career. However, on this night Layman proved why he intrigues and perhaps frustrates many pro scouts. Layman used his driving and spot up ability to have an effective night. Layman finished with 18 points, 3 three pointers, four rebounds and two blocks.
For Rutgers the first half was a huge struggle. In the second half the Scarlet Knights actually outscored the Terps 45-42. Coach Eddie Jordan was very pleased with how his alma mater responded after a lack luster first half.
Rutgers senior combo guard Bishop Daniels was solid throughout. Daniels showed great poise and strength when driving the lane. He also led his team in rebounds as a 6-3 guard. Daniels finished the game with eleven points, ten rebounds and four assists. Senior guard Omari Grier also provided some firing power adding 13 points.
Rutgers most explosive player freshman point guard Corey Sanders was quiet for most of the game. Sanders came off the bench to start for the second straight game after starting every game prior. Coach Jordan addressed the issue in the post game press conference by saying Sanders needed to act in the best interest of Rutgers as a team. Jordan said Sanders did accordingly in this game. Sanders is a very emotional player as a highly talented freshman. At 6-2, 175 pounds Sanders is an elite athlete for a point guard. He has great quickness and leaping ability. Sanders hit three straight three pointers in the last two minutes to finish with 16 points, four rebounds and two assists.
Maryland took care of business tonight against Rutgers. The next several games for the Terps will test what they are made of. If they continue to play well they will have a good stranglehold in the Big 10 race. Rutgers desperately needs to get healthy, as they were missing junior forward Deshawn Freeman who was out with a knee injury.
Up next for Rutgers is a home game Saturday vs. Nebraska while Maryland is at Wisconsin on Saturday.
This article was written by Greg Walter, a correspondent and scout for NetScouts Basketball. You can subscribe to our RSS feed from the upper right corner of our home page, follow us on Facebook, or on twitter.
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