Terps Off to 2-0 Start after Come-From-Behind Win Over Penn State and Rout at Northwestern; Five Teams are Tied for Conference Lead with 2-0 Records

BALTIMORE, Maryland January 3, 2015 - No. 4 (for one more day) Maryland is off to another great start in Big Ten play, winning their first two games, including a surprisingly easy win Saturday night at then 13-1 Northwestern.  

The Terps opened Big Ten play last Wednesday with a tough win over Penn State in College Park.  The tenacious Lions, (0-2, 9-6) were ahead by an astounding 13 points with just 6 and a half minutes left to play.  Melo Trimble, Maryland's All-American point guard and leading scorer, was cold from the outside and having trouble scoring inside.  But at Maryland's most desperate hour, he warmed up.  Freshman Center Diamond Stone didn't need to heat up, however; he came out of the locker room to start the game smoking hot.  He poured in a remarkable 39 points to carry Maryland to victory, with Trimble helping plenty down the stretch.  For the night, Stone was 10-15 from the field and 19-25 from the foul line in 32 incredible minutes.  Only two of Stone's teammates even cracked double figures: Trimble, who had 10 and dependable Robert Carter, who finished with 11.  Shep Garner led the NItany LIons with 17 points, followed by Brandon Taylor with 15 and Peyton Banks with 12.

If Wednesday was hair-raising, Saturday Night in Evanston was a walk in the park for Maryland, which is one of five Big Ten teams off to 2-0 starts.  With Rasheed Sulaimon showing the way, the Terps opened up a 40-20 halftime advantage and never looked back.   Trimble led Maryland with 25 points, followed by Sulaimon with 16 and Stone with 10.  After taking 25 shots from the field on his way to a 39 point explosion against Penn State, Stone took only 4 shots against the Wildcats, but he made all of them.  He also made both of his free throws.

Maryland returns to the Xfinity Center floor Wednesday night against Rutgers, before embarking for Madison, Wisconsin and a game with national runner-up Wisconsin next weekend.  The other Big Ten teams tied with the Terps at 2-0 are Michigan, Indiana, Iowa and Ohio State.  No. 1 Michigan State is 1-1 in the Big Ten after Iowa defeated the previously unbeaten Spartans last week.