Wells scores career high, has Terrapins in position to compete atop ACC

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Through just four minutes of play, it was easy to see that Maryland’s Dezmine Wells was going to have a major impact. The Xavier-transfer scored the Terrapins first eight points of the game, and 36 minutes later, walked off the court with a career-high 25 points as Maryland defeated George Mason 69-62 in the BB&T Classic at The Verizon Center.

“He’s just feeling more comfortable”, said Terrapins’ head coach Mark Turgeon following the win on Sunday afternoon.

“A week ago, Saturday against Georgia Southern, he was about as bad as he could be, and he just flipped the switch and got real aggressive. He got some open looks early, got eight points right out of the chute. He had a great week.”

Wells scored just seven points on 3-for-7 shooting against Georgia Southern last Saturday, but bounced back on Tuesday against Northwestern, scoring 23 points, and finished up the week strong, helping his team earn their sixth consecutive victory since dropping the season opener against Kentucky.

“I’m going to cool off at some point”, said the sophomore guard.

“But whatever my team needs from me, that’s what I’m going to provide, whether that’s grabbing 25 rebounds or from the bench. I don’t want to make this about myself because I couldn’t have done this without my team. They welcomed me with open arms when I first got here and I couldn’t have done any of this without those guys. My coaches have also done a great job developing my game and helping me and stringing me along with everything that’s happened to me.”

But Wells 25 points did not come easy. In fact, all ten of Wells second half points came either on lay-ups in traffic or at the foul line. Wells used his elite athleticism and versatility to persevere.

“He’s got a wide body, and knows how to use it to get to the basket and does it very well”, said George Mason redshirt Junior Sherrod Wright, who finished with a team-high 17 points.

“He attacks the lane very hard and uses his body to be effective.”

The way things are in the ACC now, the Terrapins are in prime position to sit below Duke at the top of the conference.

There is no debating that the Blue Devils are the conference’s top team right now. But as of December 2nd, everything else in the ACC is unknown. North Carolina looks to be searching for an identity. North Carolina State is learning to deal with hype and pressure. Florida State has taken a giant step back, as evidence by their 61-56 loss to Mercer on Sunday. If there was ever a time for Maryland to make a move, it’s now.

The Terrapins are a surprisingly deep team this season. Eight players logged at least 14 minutes of action on Sunday, and each player brings a unique skill-set to the table.

Ukrainian big-man Alex Len has emerged as one of the country’s elite centers. Point guard Pe’Shon Howard has bounced back from an ACL injury, and is averaging just under seven assists per game. Sophomore wing Nick Faust had one of his better games of the season on Sunday, scoring 14 points, despite shooting 3-for-10 from the field.

Mark Turgeon has a capable bench made up of shooters, big men and glue guys, along with his five talented starters. There are not too many unranked teams in the country with the bevy of options that the Terrapins have.

But based on Sunday’s outcome, the Terrapins shouldn’t be unranked for too much longer.