Maryland Defeats UMBC 82-81 In Preseason Exhibition

Monday, October 27

College Park, MD

7 PM

Maryland

0-0,0-0Big Ten

UMBC (Exh.)

0-0,0-0America East

Team	1	2	F
UMBC	34	47	81
Maryland	36	46	82

10/27/2025 7:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Photo Gallery

Pharrel Payne’s 26 points led the Terps in their only preseason test of the year.

COLLEGE PARK, MD — The Terps' first chance to log minutes together resulted in a 82-81 win over the UMBC Retrievers on Monday night at the Xfinity Center. Eight different Terps got playing time as Maryland began to navigate its new-look 2025-26 roster. George Turkson Jr. hit a crucial three-pointer in the final minute to put the Terps ahead and the Maryland defense closed it out for the scrimmage win.

GEORGE TURKSON JR. FOR THE LEAD‼️

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— Maryland Men's Basketball (@TerrapinHoops) October 28, 2025

Pharrel Payne led Maryland with 26 points and eight rebounds while Darius Adams tallied 19 points and seven boards in his first unofficial minutes as a Terp.

With a number of players precautionally limited on Monday, the Terps relied on their many new faces in the exhibition. Only three Terps to record minutes on Monday had previously played in a collegiate contest, giving the Terps' new-look roster a chance to gel and familiarize itself before the regular season begins on Nov. 3.

The Terps physicality was evident on Monday as they scored 25 second-chance points, 34 points in the paint and out-rebounded UMBC 45-29.

Elijah Saunders came alive in the second half, logging 11 second-half points as the Terps and Retrievers traded blows until the final whistle. Turkson Jr.'s heroic shot clinched a double-double (11 points, 10 rebounds) in the win.

THREEEEE BALL 🏀

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— Maryland Men's Basketball (@TerrapinHoops) October 27, 2025

Maryland shot 76% (29/38) from the line and 47.1% (24/51) from the field in its preseason test. The Terps gained experience, chemistry and rhythm as they prep for the highly-anticipated upcoming season.

How it Happened:
1st Half:

A layup from Payne got the scoring started.
The Terps scored the game's first eight points and held UMBC off the board for over three minutes to start the contest.
UMBC hit a pair of threes to cut the Terps lead to 11-6.
The Retrievers picked up their seventh foul of the first nine minutes as the Terps took a 17-15 lead into the second media timeout.
Payne finished off a fast break with his fourth field goal of the night as Maryland extended its 21-15 lead.
Maryland snagged 16 of the night's first 20 rebounds.
Payne's 12th point of the first half kept Maryland ahead, 26-23.
Adams hit the Terps' first three of the night to give the Terps a 36-32 lead.
Maryland took a 36-34 lead into the break.

2nd Half:

A Guillermo Del Pino bucket got the second-half scoring started.
Payne put the Terps up by six with his seventh field goal of the night.
A UMBC three cut the Maryland lead to 53-51 and a layup evened the game with 12 minutes to play.
A Retrievers layup gave them their first lead of the night.
A Saunders bucket put UMD back ahead 61-59.
A three-pointer from the Retrievers put them back ahead 66-63.
Adams' second three-pointer brought UMD back within three with under six minutes to play.
Del Pino tied the game with Maryland's third three of the night.
A pair of UMBC free throws put the Retrievers ahead by three with two minutes left.
A three from Turkson Jr. gave Maryland a 79-78 lead with seconds to play.
Maryland held on for the 82-81 win.

Buzz's Breakdown:

Three focus points: competitive stamina, competing at a high level, being more physical.
"It's 15 new players. Every day is a brand new day."
"We want to shoot more balls than the opponent. We want to shoot more free throws than the opponent."
"I thought Payne's physicality was excellent."
"We want to accrue as much information in real time as possible."
For the freshman: "It's a steep learning curve, but I like the direction they're going in."
"When you're predictable offensively, it gives you a chance to get your defense set and then you're not giving up as many points in transition."

Darius's Dominance:

"I'm just doing whatever the team needs."
"We're all prepared to play 40 minutes."
"Our defense and physicality needs to get better."
"I just felt like it was a game and I needed to step up."
"I'm ready for the season, ready to play with these guys and ready to win with these guys."
"Payne is one of the best big men in the country."

Saunders' Sweet Scrimmage:

"Settled in" in the second half.
"I'm proud of the way that some of the younger guys competed."
The exhibition was a "Great way to get to know your teammates fast and learn how they compete."

Numbers to Know:

4: The Terps had four players hit double-digits in the win.
5: Maryland was 5/15 from three-point range on Monday.
15: Payne led all scorers in the opening 20 minutes with 15 first-half points.
16: Although Monday's meeting didn't count, the Terps remain unbeaten against UMBC and hold a 16-0 all-time record over the Retrievers.
28: The Terps led for 28:38 in the exhibition.
40: Adams logged a game-high 40 minutes.
45: Maryland grabbed 45 boards on Monday.