Jan. 6, 2004

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By DAVID GINSBURG
AP Sports Writer

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Freshman Mike Jones scored 23 of his career-high 25 points in the second half to help Maryland pull away for an 87-38 victory over Maryland-Eastern Shore on Tuesday night.

Jones, who does not start, went 6-for-11 from the field and 11-for-12 at the line in the most prolific scoring performance by a Maryland freshman since Drew Nicholas scored 27 in November 1999.

Nik Caner-Medley scored 15 points, and Jamar Smith and John Gilchrist both had 13 for the Terrapins (9-3), who led by 11 at halftime before turning the game into a rout.

Maryland never trailed in improving to 99-1 in non-league home games since Dec. 30, 1989.

The Terrapins played without freshman guard D.J. Strawberry, who rested a sprained left big toe. His teammates did just fine without him, placing four players in double figures in their final non-conference tuneup.

The remainder of Maryland's regular-season schedule is comprised exclusively of Atlantic Coast Conference opponents, beginning Jan. 14 against North Carolina.

Carl Price led the Hawks (0-8) with 10 points. UMES is 0-15 against Maryland in the series that began in 1979.

The Terrapins scored the first 10 points of the second half to go up 40-19. After Tee Trotter scored for the Hawks, Maryland got seven points from Jones in an 11-0 run that made it 51-22 with 12 minutes left.

UMES made only one basket and had six turnovers in the opening nine minutes of the second half.

Maryland led 30-19 at halftime despite missing 18 of 31 shots from the field and going 1-for-4 at the line.

The Terrapins got five points from Gilchrist in racing to a 9-0 lead in the opening three minutes. UMES was 0-for-3 from the field with three turnovers before Trotter hit a 12-footer - one of only two baskets by the Hawks' leading scorer.

Caner-Medley and Smith followed with successive 3-pointers, and Caner-Medley added a follow-shot to make it 17-2. Not long after that, Maryland coach Gary Williams began to substitute liberally.

The Terrapins scored only eight points in the final seven minutes of the half.