BALTIMORE, Md. -- Anthony Cowan Jr. scored 17 points and No. 23 Maryland used its smothering defense to beat Loyola of Chicago 55-41 on Saturday.

Cowan became the 55th player in Maryland history to score 1,000 career points, hitting the milestone with a free throw in the first half. He has 1,010 for his career. Aaron Wiggins added 10 points for the Terrapins (8-2).

Cameron Krutwig scored 12 points for the short-handed Ramblers (5-5), who have lost four of five.

Sophomore Bruno Fernando and freshman Jalen Smith each picked up two fouls in the first half, and the pair combined for two points and two rebounds in 10 minutes as the Terps carried a 24-20 lead into halftime. The 6-foot-10, 240-pound Fernando finished with eight points and five rebounds.

Cowan and Fernando scored on Maryland's first two possessions of the second half, and Cowan added a 3-pointer to make it 31-22 with 17:03 to go. Loyola never got closer than six points the rest of the way.

Maryland finished with a season-high 12 blocks in the victory, led by four blocks from Fernando – his third four-block game of the season.  

The game was the second half of a doubleheader in the Charm City Classic. Morgan State defeated Towson 74-69 in the opener.

Maryland hosts Loyola (Md.) on Tuesday in the teams' first meeting since 2003.

-Terps-