WEST LAFAYETTE, IND. — Having talked about its depth all season, the Maryland men's basketball team finally got to prove Saturday against Purdue just how far down the bench it can go without a major drop-off.
Needing to find a scorer on the wing after senior guard Dez Wells started sloppily and freshman Jared Nickens opened the game nervously, the Terps went to senior guard Richaud Pack and freshman guard Dion Wiley at Mackey Arena. They combined for 20 points off the bench in a 69-60 victory.
And needing big men to take on the gargantuan tag team of freshman Isaac Haas (7 feet 2, 297 pounds) and junior A.J. Hammons (7-0, 261) after Damonte Dodd picked up two fouls in the opening minute, the Terps went to freshman Michal Cekovsky and senior Jon Graham (Calvert Hall).
Though Wells eventually overcame foul troubles to score 11 of his 13 points in the second half, it was Pack and Wiley who filled the void early on the perimeter, and it was Cekovsky and Graham who kept Haas and Hammonds from dominating inside, eventually getting the two Purdue big men in foul trouble.
"I know I definitely needed to help us out by scoring," said Pack, who came off the bench for the first time in Big Ten Conference play. "I haven't been making shots as much as I usually do. Kind of being an efficient player hasn't been the case [for me] the last couple of games. I just got out and tried to make shots and do what I do."
Pack, who hit just one of seven shots in Wednesday's loss at Illinois and came into Saturday's game having made just three of 13 field goals in the Terps' first three Big Ten games, made four of six against the Boilermakers, including two of four 3-pointers, to finish with 11 points.
Wiley, maybe the lone bright spot in the loss to the Fighting Illini, had his third straight game of solid shooting. The 6-4 guard was 3-for-5 from the field, including a 3-pointer, and showed his offensive versatility by converting a couple of tough drives to the basket. He scored nine points in 16 minutes.
"Dion had some huge shots for us, defended better," coach Mark Turgeon said.
The Terps also got good minutes from Cekovsky, who has had a difficult time this season overcoming his own nerves and adjusting to the physicality and speed of the American game. The 7-1 center from Slovakia hit both of his shots inside, the second to give the Terps a 46-39 lead.