Maryland’s opening night gave fans two very different looks at the Terrapins, but the common thread was easy to spot: the women and men both had major individual performances to build around.
In Paris, Addi Mack was the headline. The sophomore from Minnesota poured in 35 points against No.
1 South Carolina, leading all scorers in a game Maryland dropped 61-33 in the first half before storming back 60-40 after the break. Mack also shot 60 percent from 3-point range and finished with six assists, giving the Terps a burst of production that had Brenda Frese praising her afterward.
“Addi put the team on her back,” Frese said.
Maryland’s women were underdogs from the start, but they did not fold. The Terps pushed the Gamecocks with a fast tempo, moved the ball well on the perimeter, and used defensive pressure to stay in the fight for long stretches.
Even with the size disadvantage inside, Maryland’s energy and discipline kept the game from getting away completely. The bench also played a role in keeping the pace up, and the performance suggested there is more here than just one big scoring night from Mack.
Back home at Xfinity Center, the men handled Bucknell with far less drama. Maryland rolled to a 29-point win behind a defense that never let the Bison settle in.
Buzz Williams’ team pressed full court, forced turnovers, and turned those stops into quick points. The result was a one-sided opener that leaned hard into physicality, speed, and rebounding.
Andre Mills led the way for the men with 22 points and 11 rebounds, while Kaden House added 14 points off the bench. Pharrel Payne also made his presence felt in his return from a past knee injury, finishing with 13 points, six rebounds, two blocks, and two steals.
The night also belonged to Baba Oladotun, who made his debut in front of the home crowd and came off the bench to score seven points with four rebounds. The freshman drew a loud reaction when he got on the floor and showed the kind of upside that had people buzzing right away.
“Any 17-year-old that’s supposed to be in high school - no matter who the opponent is - who’s playing in his hometown state in game number one, he is going to be sped up,” Williams said about Oladotun.
The women had their own strong supporting cast in Paris. Nunu Agara scored 12 points and grabbed five rebounds while knocking down a pair of crucial 3-pointers.
Oluchi Okananwa nearly posted a double-double with 11 points and a team-high nine rebounds. Bri McDaniel added 11 points, six assists, and three steals in her return from injury.
For Maryland, it was the kind of opening night that showed both ends of the program’s range: one team taking a shot at the nation’s best and another steamrolling its opponent at home. The season is young, but the Terps already have a few clear building blocks in place.
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