When College of Charleston appeared on Maryland's schedule, nobody expected to be an easy game. And indeed, it wasn't. College of Charleston led for much of the second half, and looked like they would steal the win.
But that was before Pe'Shon Howard struck. The freshman guard hit a fadeaway jumper with three seconds left, and Maryland escaped with a 75-74 win tonight at Comcast Center. Howard, who scored 14 points in the game, nailed his shot with just enough time for College of Charleston to set up a final shot, but Andrew Goudelock couldn't hit a shot at the buzzer.
It didn't look like Maryland was going to win this game. The Terps shot just 5-18 from the free-throw line, and the final play didn't look all that complex. But Howard made a play, and the Terps held on.
Jordan Williams was Maryland's leader in the game, with 26 points and 15 rebounds. Cliff Tucker added 15 points, and Adrian Bowie had nine. Goudelock had 27 to lead College of Charleston, though he didn't do nearly as much in the final eight minutes.
The Maryland Terrapins' season opener against Seattle was, pardon the pun, a lay up. (Nyuck nyuck nyuck). The Terps struggled with turnovers, but still managed to blow out Seattle. Tonight's game against College of Charleston will likely be a little bit trickier.
The Terps will take on the Cougars tonight at Comcast Center at 7 p.m. before heading to Madison Square Garden for the Coaches Vs. Cancer Classic. This marks former Georgia Tech coach Bobby Cremins' return to the ACC, but as Testudo Times writes, this game is far more than that. The Terps actually need to worry, because College of Charleston is a very good mid-major team.
Whichever way you slice it, don't overlook the actual team at play here. CoC - they're the Cougars, if'n you're wondering - is expected to be one of the better mid-major teams in the country and has the potential to be a pretty formidable foe if Maryland plays as sloppily as they did against Seattle. They return three (or four, depending on your perspective) starters and they have a legitimate star point ranked among the best players outside of the Big 6 Conferences. And though this year's team has a few unanswered question marks - their debut comes against Maryland, so no prior games this year off which to base anything - the UNC win from last season should remind you that they have no trouble taking down an ACC team.
