COLLEGE PARK -- More than anything, last night's Maryland-Morgan State basketball game was about opportunity.
An opportunity for the crowd of 13,145 to see one of the best -- and one of the worst -- college basketball teams in the country.
An opportunity for the 11th-ranked Terrapins to stretch, and
flex, their muscles after a 10-day break.
An opportunity for the woebegone Bears to play yet another road game and take yet another lopsided defeat.
None of those opportunities passed at Cole Field House, as Maryland steamrollered Morgan State from the start and came away with a record-setting 138-72 victory.
It marked the most points scored by a Maryland team, eclipsing the 130 the Terps rolled up against East Carolina in the 1977-78 season. It also tied the largest margin of victory in school
history, equaling the 66-point win over Maryland-Eastern Shore in 1986-87.
Asked if he could have predicted this type of outcome, Maryland coach Gary Williams said: "I thought it could [get out of hand], just because of our size. It's one of those things."
Williams was more impressed with the fact that Maryland recorded its 1,000th victory overall than in other statistics, which included a school and ACC-record number of free throws attempted (67) and a school record for foul shots made (41).
"I don't get into that," said Williams, whose team also set a school and ACC record for most points in a half by scoring 85 in the second. "I'd rather have the defensive mark. Scoring marks unfortunately are set in circumstances like this. The defensive mark, that's what I'll hang my hat on."
The Terps tied another school record by placing eight players in double figures. Sophomore All-American Joe Smith led Maryland with 25 points and Johnny Rhodes added 19. Paul Grant led Morgan State (0-7) with 14.
The game was one-sided in all aspects, especially from the free-throw line. At one point, the Bears had yet to go to the line while the Terps had taken 40 foul shots. Morgan State took its first free throw with a little more than 12 minutes left.
"What can I say?" said interim Bears coach Lynn Ramage, who, along with one of his assistants, picked up first-half technicals. "I'm paid to coach. I'm not paid to officiate. But the officiating didn't affect the way we played."
Said Grant, a sophomore guard who played at Carver High: "It's frustrating. We never can get any calls on the road. That's what happens when you play the kind of teams we play, but Maryland is a great team. They're very well-coached and they play under control."
The game was pretty much decided in the first 15 minutes, as the Terps scored the first 12 points and led by 29 in the opening half, including at halftime. A 24-4 run to start the second half turned Maryland's lead from comfortable to ridiculous.
As the points piled up, the only question late was whether the Terps would set the school record. They tied it on a three-pointer by reserve forward Kurtis Shultz with 1:57 to go, and broke it on two free throws by reserve guard Sarunas Jasikevicius 19 seconds later.
"We knew at halftime that the record was 130, and as I was going up for the shot, Donnie Judd was yelling, 'For the record!' " said Shultz. "I was just happy that it went in."
Jasikevicius couldn't understand what the commotion was about when he made two free throws, giving Maryland a 132-68 lead at the time and helping him to a career-high 18 points.
"I thought they were cheering because I made a couple of free throws," said the freshman from Lithuania. "I said, 'What the heck is going on?' It feels good to break the record."
Smith was just happy to get out of the game without any injuries. As he was leaving the locker room for a few days at home to celebrate Christmas, Williams looked at the stat sheet and
saw that Smith had played only 17 minutes, five fewer than Mario Lucas.
"He could have my minutes in a game like this," said Smith.
RECORD NIGHT
Maryland school records set during last night's 138-72 victory over Morgan State:
Most points in a game: 138
Most points in a half: 85
Most free throws attempted: 67 (also ACC record)
Most free throws made: 41
Most steals: 18
Other: third-most assists (34); school victory No. 1,000; tied for most players in double figures (8); tied for largest margin of victory.