COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- Jalen Smith had 19 points and 11 rebounds, Anthony Cowan Jr. scored all 14 of his points in the second half and No. 7 Maryland overcame a slow start beating Rhode Island 73-55 on Saturday night.

"It was a great crowd," said head coach Mark Turgeon. "Terrific crowd for a late-night game this early in the season. There was a lot of energy in the building…In the second half, Darryl [Morsell] and Donta [Scott] did a great job at fronting the post and making it hard on them, making them skip, making them throw over. Our double team was good. Our rebounding was better. I thought Anthony [Cowan] did a great job. All of our guys did a great job of keeping the ball in front of them."

Eric Ayala added 13 points and Aaron Wiggins (13 points, 13 rebounds) posted his first career double-double for the Terrapins, who trailed 24-12 with eight minutes left in the first half, but ultimately breezed to a 2-0 start with a dominant second half.

Jeff Dowtin led the Rams (1-1) with 14 points.

Maryland committed 14 of its 17 turnovers in the first half, allowing Rhode Island to lead for more than 18 minutes. But, Wiggins' 3-pointer less than a minute before the break secured the Terps a 35-32 lead.

While the Rams briefly tied it early in the second half, Maryland controlled the final 20 minutes. Cowan scored nine points in a row for the Terps during one stretch, and his layup with 10:52 to go gave Maryland its first double-digit lead at 53-42. Rhode Island never got any closer.

Maryland improved to 4-1 all-time against the Rams, claiming the teams' first meeting since 2015.

The Terps' season-opening five-game homestand continues Nov. 16 against Oakland.

-Terps-