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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) -- After struggling in the opening minutes of their first two games, the Maryland Terrapins addressed the
issue during two intense practice sessions.
Their hard work paid off in a big way Monday night.
|  | | Maryland's Juan Dixon, center, flies past Lamont Perry, left, and Wim Van de Keere. |
Juan Dixon scored nine of his 21 points in a game-opening 23-1
run, and Maryland (No. 22 ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll, No. 24 AP) cruised past overmatched Fairleigh Dickinson 104-45.
Freshman Drew Nicholas had 27 points on 9-for-11 shooting for
the Terps (3-0), who entered the AP poll for the first time Monday
after spending all last season ranked seventh or higher. Maryland
faces No. 11 Kentucky on Wednesday night in the semifinals of the
Preseason NIT.
Maryland was tied with San Francisco after 10 minutes last
Wednesday and trailed Tulane 27-10 in the early going Friday night.
In contrast, the Terrapins barely let the Knights peel off their
warmups before getting to work.
"We really came out flat the last two games," forward Mike
Mardesich said. "We talked about coming out strong early, hustling
for the loose balls and working hard. I'd say we did that."
The Terrapins scored the game's first five points before Keith
Martin made a free throw for the Knights. Maryland then reeled off
18 straight points for a 23-1 lead before FDU's Khalid Coursey
scored on a drive with 12:10 left in the half.
"We know we can play. It's just a matter of letting it go
sometimes," Maryland coach Gary Williams said. "Why we played
like that and not against Tulane, I don't know."
Sophomore Wim Van de Keere scored a career-high 16 points for
the Knights (0-1), who had seven field goals and 17 turnovers in
the first half. After practicing for well over a month, FDU began
its season by missing its first 10 shots and committing nine
turnovers in the opening eight minutes.
"They jumped on us right away and the knockout punch was
delivered early," Knights coach Tom Green said. "This was a
first-round TKO."
It was the 67th consecutive non-conference home victory for the
Terrapins, the longest current streak in the nation. Maryland,
which starts five underclassmen, has won nine straight
regular-season games.
It was the eighth-most lopsided victory in school history, but
things should be quite different against Kentucky.
"I think we know what to expect. We know it's a big game,"
center Lonny Baxter said. "We're going to come out and everybody's
going to be firing."
That strategy certainly worked against Fairleigh Dickinson.
Things went so perfectly for the Terrapins that Dixon scored from
12 feet while attempting to set up Baxter with an alley-oop pass.
That made it 28-5, and after FDU closed to 34-14, Nicholas had a
pair of 3-pointers in a 14-0 run that made it 48-14.
The Terrapins led 59-24 at halftime and 91-41 with seven minutes
remaining.
Maryland forward Terence Morris, a preseason All-America
selection, missed seven of 10 shots and finished with seven points.
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ALSO SEE
Mens College Basketball Scoreboard
Fairleigh Dickinson Clubhouse
Maryland Clubhouse
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