The Terps outscored the Seahawks by 19 points in the second half.
Pharrel Payne is an unstoppable force against low-major teams. The center averaged 21.5 points and 6.5 rebounds in 29 minutes per game against Coppin State and Alcorn State, the two he'd played against entering Tuesday.
But the senior saved his best for Wagner, the final low-major opponent of his career. On a night where Maryland men's basketball was a shell of itself early on, Payne's efforts kept the Terps ahead until they found their form in the second half.
Payne notched the first 30-point game of his career, and did it adding 10 rebounds. Multiple suffocating Maryland runs after halftime catapulted it to a 89-63 victory over Wagner Tuesday at Xfinity Center.
Payne's explosion came alongside the return of his partner in the frontcourt. Junior forward Solomon Washington made his Maryland debut after missing the first eight games with an ankle injury.
The Texas A&M transfer finished with 10 points and six rebounds in his first game at Xfinity Center.
Washington's return meant head coach Buzz Williams deployed his first three-forward starting lineup of the season, with Elijah Saunders joining Washington and Payne.
The Terps needed a lot from that trio Tuesday -- the guard group had their worst showing of the season. Maryland's first basket by a guard didn't come until there was 1:12 left in the first half, on a Darius Adams 3-pointer.
It wasn't always flashy, but those three-forward lineups -- which also cycled in Aleks Alston and Collin Metcalf -- kept Maryland afloat in a brutal first half. The Seahawks were within two possessions for nearly the entire frame and led for a combined 3:39 of game time before halftime.
The Terps deployed a three-guard lineup for 12:09 of that first half, and their plus/minus in that frame was -9. Three-forward lineups garnered +10, and a four-guard lineup just before half led to a 6-0 run.
Payne made Maryland's first shot attempt of the game. Then a script becoming all-too-common for the Terps kicked off; they missed eight attempts in a row, but Collin Metcalf broke the streak 4:38 into the game. That eight-miss streak included a stretch of three missed layups by Andre Mills in eight seconds.
The only reason Wagner didn't jump out to a substantial lead was because Maryland's rebounding issues hadn't kicked in yet. The Seahawks were outrebounded 10-5 in the opening five minutes and only got six shots up in that stretch, going without a free throw attempt. Their first trip to the line didn't come until there were under four minutes left in the first half.
Meanwhile, free throws kept the Terps in the game -- as they have all season. They shot 17 in the first half, making 10. Wagner shot 18 free throws all game.
Those tries were needed -- badly. Before a 4-of-4 shooting run to end the half, Maryland was an abysmal 6-of-29 from the field and led by just one point.
The Terps won the second half by 19 points. That began with Darius Adams doing what he does best: drawing fouls. He shot four free throws in two minutes before Payne threw down a dunk to extend Maryland's lead to double-digits.
Then Adams essentially sealed things up by doing what he's improved most at: shooting from deep. He drilled a 3-pointer to make it a 13-point game -- Wagner didn't get within that again.
It was a slow climb to the 26-point victory the Terps ended with, both literally and figuratively. The second half was drawn out by an astonishing 28 Maryland free throw attempts, bringing its game total to 45.
1. Myles Rice improved. Rice was inserted into the starting lineup for the second time this year, replacing Diggy Coit. He proved Williams' decision right, especially down the stretch. 14 of his 16 points came in the second half, finishing 6-of-9 from the field alongside four rebounds.
But the most impressive part of his showing was on the defensive end. His five steals were more than double anyone else on either team and accounted for half of Maryland's 10.
2. Elijah Saunders' new role. Saunders played a less flexible role than he'd like when Washington was hurt. With him back, Saunders operated as a stretch three in three-forward lineups. It resulted in a season-high seven 3-point attempts, of which he made three.
The senior's newfound experience playing as a true big man does provide Williams some lineup flexibility going forward, which he used at times Tuesday. Saunders played center in some looks.
3. No more low-major layups. The Terps begin their Big Ten slate Saturday on the road at Iowa. They've got just two nonconference games left, against Virginia and Old Dominion.
Outside of Las Vegas, Maryland has benefitted from a large margin for error. That ended against Wagner.