Georgetown transfer Qudus Wahab scored 18 points and sparked No. 21 Maryland out of its lethargy with an electrifying slam dunk, propelling the Terrapins to a 71-64 victory over George Washington on Thursday night in College Park, Md.
Rhode Island transfer Fatts Russell had 15 points and drained a 3-pointer with 45 seconds left to help seal the win. Eric Ayala added 11 points as Maryland (2-0) overcame a 3-of-20 performance from beyond the arc to withstand a determined challenge from its Washington, D.C., neighborhood foe. Wahab also grabbed 15 rebounds.
Energized by the hostile crowd, George Washington’s Joe Bamisile scored 20 points and added eight rebounds. Backcourt mate James Bishop added 13, all in the final 10 minutes, as the Colonials (1-1) nearly pulled off their first road upset of a ranked team since a win at No. 1 UMass in 1996.
After trailing through most of a lackluster first half, Maryland cranked up its defense and scored 10 straight points in a run that bridged the half. Wahab notched six of the points, closing the first half with a buzzer-beating slam on a fastbreak feed from Utah transfer Ian Martinez.
Wahab followed with the first four points of the second half and later made a steal that led to a fastbreak layup by Russell to complete the run.
Maryland grabbed its biggest lead, 65-53, with less than six minutes to go. But George Washington answered with an 11-1 run to throw a scare into Maryland. Brendan Adams (14 points) hit a 3-pointer in the run.
Wahab made one last big play when he blocked a shot by Bishop. When Russell followed with his 3-pointer, the Terps were home free.
Maryland struggled from the start, missing 16 of its first 20 shots. Meanwhile, at the other end, the 6-foot-4 Bamisile was lighting up the Terps with 16 of his points in the first half, most of them on daring drives to the lane.
George Washington gained its biggest lead of the half when former Maryland reserve Ricky Lindo Jr. (13 points) hit a 3-pointer for a 26-21 advantage. But Ayala steadied Maryland with back-to-back baskets.
–Field Level Media
