The Terps’ performance in their 72-59 win against Florida Atlantic this afternoon was pretty much par for the course. The Terps were in control throughout, though their lead hovered around 12 points much of the game.
The halfcourt offense was sharp at times, sloppy and forced at others. The transition game was stellar, and the Terps used 17 Florida Atlantic turnovers to keep momentum.
Defensively, the results were there. Florida Atlantic shot just 31 percent for the game, and 29 percent in the first half.
But once again, rebounding was an issue. You’ll probably be hearing a lot about it in the days leading up to Wednesday’s suddenly important matchup with William & Mary (The Tribe received three votes in this week’s AP Top 25 poll).
Florida Atlantic outrebounded the Terps 49-45. Owl forward Brett Royster had 14 boards on his own. Needless to say, that’s a mediocre effort.
“It’s pretty obvious that that is a problem right now,” coach Gary Williams said.
As for Sean Mosley, the sophomore guard sat out with a slight left ankle sprain. Williams said Mosley suffered the injury during practice, and that he was somewhere from 70-75 percent. Mosley would have played today if the Terps needed him.
Williams expects him to be back for Wednesday, and said he’ll be put right back into the starting lineup if he’s ready.
Other storylines: Greivis Vasquez’s continued resurgence (Vasquez had 26 points for his third straight game of at least 20 points), Cliff Tucker’s solid play and Jordan Williams’ return to the starting lineup in place of Dino Gregory. Gary Williams indicated that decision was made based on performance.
Aaron Kraut is The Diamondback’s sports editor. He can be reached at akrautdbk@gmail.com.