Michael Conroy / AP
Kenneth K. Lam / Baltimore Sun
Ulysses Muñoz / Baltimore Sun
Darron Cummings / AP
Lloyd Fox / Baltimore Sun
Nick Wass / AP
Kenneth K. Lam, Baltimore Sun
Kenneth K. Lam / Baltimore Sun
Darron Cummings / AP
Darron Cummings / AP
Nick Wass / AP
Michael Conroy / AP
Nick Wass / AP
Mary Altaffer / AP
Kenneth K. Lam, Baltimore Sun
Patrick Semansky / AP
Nick Wass / AP
Kenneth K. Lam, Baltimore Sun
Lloyd Fox / Baltimore Sun
Patrick Semansky / AP
Nick Wass / AP
Elsa / Getty Images
Kenneth K. Lam, Baltimore Sun
Ulysses Muñoz / Baltimore Sun
Nick Wass / AP
Jim Young / AP
Darron Cummings / AP
Mary Altaffer / AP
Nick Wass / AP
Nick Wass / AP
Nick Wass / AP
Nick Wass / AP
Michael Conroy / AP
Kenneth K. Lam / Baltimore Sun
John Peterson / AP
Michael Hickey / Getty Images
Mary Altaffer / AP
Mary Altaffer / AP
Elsa / Getty Images
Darron Cummings / AP
Kenneth K. Lam / Baltimore Sun
Kenneth K. Lam / Baltimore Sun
Kenneth K. Lam / Baltimore Sun
John Peterson / AP
Michael Conroy / AP
Michael Conroy / AP
Elsa / Getty Images
Kenneth K. Lam / Baltimore Sun
Nick Wass / AP
Kenneth K. Lam / Baltimore Sun
Nick Wass / AP
Abby Drey / Centre Daily Times
Michael Conroy / AP
Mary Altaffer / AP
Kenneth K. Lam / Baltimore Sun
John Peterson / AP
Mary Altaffer / AP
Michael Hickey / Getty Images
Jim Young / AP
Kenneth K. Lam / Baltimore Sun
Patrick Semansky / AP
Elsa / Getty Images
Nick Wass / AP
Nick Wass / AP
Michael Conroy / AP
Abby Drey / Centre Daily Times
Patrick Semansky / AP
Kenneth K. Lam, Baltimore Sun
Michael Conroy / AP
Lloyd Fox / Baltimore Sun
Nick Wass / AP
Michael Conroy / AP
Patrick Semansky / AP
Kenneth K. Lam, Baltimore Sun
Michael Conroy / AP
Kenneth K. Lam / Baltimore Sun
Ulysses Mu–oz / Baltimore Sun
Lloyd Fox / Baltimore Sun
Ulysses Muñoz / Baltimore Sun
Darron Cummings / AP
Darron Cummings / AP
Darron Cummings / AP
Patrick Semansky / AP
John Peterson / AP
Elsa / Getty Images
Kenneth K. Lam / Baltimore Sun
Kenneth K. Lam, Baltimore Sun
Lloyd Fox / Baltimore Sun
Patrick Semansky / AP
Abby Drey / Centre Daily Times
Kenneth K. Lam / Baltimore Sun
Nick Wass / AP
Nick Wass / AP
Mary Altaffer / AP
Nick Wass / AP
Abby Drey / Centre Daily Times
Kenneth K. Lam / Baltimore Sun
Kenneth K. Lam / Baltimore Sun
Kenneth K. Lam / Baltimore Sun
Jim Young / AP
Jim Young / AP
Patrick Semansky / AP
Mary Altaffer / AP
Ulysses Muñoz / Baltimore Sun
Michael Conroy / AP
Michael Hickey / Getty Images
Kenneth K. Lam / Baltimore Sun
Michael Conroy / AP
Lloyd Fox / Baltimore Sun
Jim Young / AP
Darron Cummings / AP
Mary Altaffer / AP
Mary Altaffer / AP
Kenneth K. Lam / Baltimore Sun
Nick Wass / AP
John Peterson / AP
Kenneth K. Lam, Baltimore Sun
Nick Wass / AP
Darron Cummings / AP
Jim Young / AP
Nick Wass / AP
Kenneth K. Lam / Baltimore Sun
Michael Conroy / AP
Jim Young / AP
Darron Cummings / AP
Patrick Semansky / AP
Nick Wass / AP
Michael Hickey / Getty Images
Nick Wass / AP
Jim Young / AP
Kenneth K. Lam / Baltimore Sun
Ulysses Muñoz / Baltimore Sun
Ulysses Muñoz / Baltimore Sun
John Peterson / AP
Darron Cummings / AP
Abby Drey / Centre Daily Times
Nick Wass / AP
Nick Wass / AP
Nick Wass / AP
Darron Cummings / AP
Patrick Semansky / AP
Kenneth K. Lam / Baltimore Sun
Nick Wass / AP
Kenneth K. Lam / Baltimore Sun
Ulysses Muñoz / Baltimore Sun
Jim Young / AP
Nick Wass / AP
Michael Hickey / Getty Images
John Peterson / AP
Jim Young / AP
Nick Wass / AP
Jim Young / AP
Nick Wass / AP
Kenneth K. Lam / Baltimore Sun
Jim Young / AP
Nick Wass / AP
Patrick Semansky / AP
Nick Wass / AP
Nick Wass / AP
Patrick Semansky / AP
Elsa / Getty Images
Ulysses Mu–oz / Baltimore Sun
Patrick Semansky / AP
Abby Drey / Centre Daily Times
Kenneth K. Lam / Baltimore Sun
Nick Wass / AP
Michael Conroy / AP
Patrick Semansky / AP
Nick Wass / AP
Nick Wass / AP
Nick Wass / AP
Nick Wass / AP
Elsa / Getty Images
Michael Conroy / AP
Michael Conroy / AP
Jim Young / AP
Elsa / Getty Images
Darron Cummings / AP
Nick Wass / AP
Nick Wass / AP
Nick Wass / AP
Mary Altaffer / AP
Nick Wass / AP
Kenneth K. Lam / Baltimore Sun
Nick Wass / AP
Michael Hickey / Getty Images
Lloyd Fox / Baltimore Sun
Nick Wass / AP
Kenneth K. Lam / Baltimore Sun
Jim Young / AP
Kenneth K. Lam, Baltimore Sun
Mary Altaffer / AP
Mary Altaffer / AP
Jim Young / AP
Jim Young / AP
Nick Wass / AP
John Peterson / AP
Nick Wass / AP
Kenneth K. Lam / Baltimore Sun
Michael Hickey / Getty Images
Having special guests in attendance at Xfinity Center has had an adverse effect on the Maryland men’s basketball team the past two seasons.
Playing against Iowa last year, the Terps faded badly in the second half as Hall of Fame coach Gary Williams and members of the 2002 NCAA championship team watched from courtside.
Playing against then-No. 6 Michigan State last month, Maryland blew a 13-point halftime lead with former star Greivis Vásquez trying to still work his magic as a fan.
It certainly helped having Rutgers as the opponent Saturday night, with former Terps Melo Trimble and Jake Layman in attendance to watch Maryland’s 61-51 victory.
“I thought our guys were energized because we had a lot of former players back, seven or eight,” Maryland coach Mark Turgeon said, jokingly calling his ex-players has-beens. “It was good to have them. I was really happy for Jake and Melo. I wish it had been a sold-out crowd, a big game. You can’t orchestrate all that stuff.”
For the first time since Turgeon has been at Maryland, he called a timeout when the two players were introduced as honorary game captains.
“Those two changed our program, and got us to where we were a top-20 team every season,” Turgeon said.
It also helped having freshman center Bruno Fernando, who is starting to show signs that he could be Maryland’s next great big man and a potential program-changer in his own right.
Fernando hit eight of his nine shots, including his first career 3-pointer in the second half, to finish with 18 points and a career-high 16 rebounds.
Turgeon said Fernando’s motivation might have also come from how hard the coaching staff has been on him lately, especially when it comes to his defense.
“The film sessions haven’t been a lot of fun for him. He locked into the defensive game plan,” Turgeon said. “He was ready to go tonight. He was locked in. It was great to see.”
Said Fernando: “I’m just getting comfortable with the team, with the plays more and trying to relax more. I just try to facilitate the game for my teammates and make plays for them because I feel like I am going to see way more double teams from now on. Try to make better decisions with the ball instead of just rush a move.”
Behind Fernando’s fast start, Maryland (18-11, 7-9 Big Ten) used 10-0 runs at the start of each half to take control of the game early and eventually build its lead to as many as 24 points with 14:39 left in the game.
Rutgers (13-16, 3-14) cut its deficit to nine with about four minutes left before the Terps finally put the Scarlet Knights away.
“We’re young, we got up 19 with 7:30 to go and and maybe I shut it off, too. I’m thinking, ‘This is how I’m going to play the last four minutes of the game,’ ” Turgeon said. “And the next 3½ wasn’t good.
“We get better every game. We’re doing some really good things out there. And Rutgers is one of those teams that never stops and they play until the end and they figured out our double teams.”
Sophomore guard Anthony Cowan Jr. finished with 14 points for Maryland, while adding team highs of six assists and five steals. Kevin Huerter, the team’s other sophomore guard, scored 11 for Maryland. Cowan also held Rutgers guard Corey Sanders to six points on 3-for-14 shooting. Sanders also committed four turnovers.
“He could get hot at any time, so I really stayed on him and forced him to take tough shots,” Cowan said.
Fernando said he “prayed” Trimble would return for his senior year so he would have a chance to play with him. Cowan, who remains close to his former teammate, liked having Trimble back watching.
“I told him he’s ugly,” Cowan said with a smile. “We always joke like that.”
Trimble actually had something for Turgeon at the coach’s post game news conference.
“I just want to know if you miss me,” Trimble said to his former coach.
“What do you think?” Turgeon asked. “I miss you Melo. I miss you a lot.”
Third double double for Fernando
When Fernando scored on a post-up move on Maryland’s opening possession of the second half, it gave the 6-foot-10 Angolan a double double with 11 points and 10 rebounds — with all the rebounds to that point coming in the first half.
It was the third double double for Fernando, the first coming on Jan. 2 when he had 17 points and 11 rebounds in a home win over Penn State and the second being a 20-point, 10-rebound performance in a road loss at then-No. 3 Purdue on Jan. 31.
While the double double against the Boilermakers and 7-foot-2, 290-pound senior Isaac Haas remains the most impressive given the setting and opponent, what he did Saturday was eye-popping at times.
One play midway through the first half deserved to make ESPN’s top 10: a thunderous one-handed dunk off a lob pass from fellow freshman Darryl Morsell (Mount Saint Joseph) on an inbounds pass from under the Maryland basket.
“We drew that up, but it’s the first time it’s worked all year,” Turgeon said.
Asked what he liked better, the lob dunk or the 3-pointer, Fernando didn’t hesitate.
“The 3-pointer for sure,” he said. “Lob dunks I’m going to have every time. 3-pointers are like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so I had to get it.”
Fernando’s performance against the Scarlet Knights comes after he finished with 21 points, nine rebounds and five assists in Tuesday’s loss at Nebraska. After shooting 9-for-14 against the Cornhuskers, Fernando was 8-for-9 Saturday.
Asked what the difference has been in Fernando’s recent play, Turgeon said: “He’s figured out how to stay out of foul trouble, so he stays on the floor. I let him play through a lot of mistakes the other night at Nebraska, a lot of mistakes. For him to take that next step, he’s got to listen better and pay attention to details and tonight he did.”
Layman sees some similarities
Layman, who was Turgeon’s first player to play all four years for him at Maryland, said during a pregame news conference that the struggles of this year’s team remind him of what he experienced early in his career.
“It reminds me of my sophomore year a little bit, and freshman year also,” said Layman, now in his second year with the Portland Trail Blazers. “They’ve just got to stick with it. They’re a young team with a bright future.”
After the Terps went 25-13 in 2012-13 when Layman was a freshman — one of four to play significant minutes that season — and advanced to the semifinals of the NIT, Maryland fell back to 17-15 the following season.
The other three players Layman came in with — Seth Allen, Shaquille Cleare and Charles Mitchell — left after that season with rising senior Nick Faust (City) while Trimble came in, leading the team to three straight NCAA tournament appearances.