Maryland Opens Exhibition Play With an 85–70 Win Over Georgia Tech

Pharrel Payne finishes a dunk during Maryland’s exhibition victory over Georgia Tech at UMBC.

Maryland’s first exhibition provided an encouraging look at its scoring depth. The Terrapins defeated Georgia Tech 85–70 at UMBC’s Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena on Sunday, October 11th, with 11 players getting on the scoreboard. Pharrel Payne led the way with 16 points and nine rebounds.

An early lead that kept growing

Maryland’s official recap describes an 8–0 start and a series of first-half runs that produced a 45–24 halftime advantage. The Terps never trailed and eventually led by 27. Kaden House scored 14 points, Andre Mills added 11 and Adama Tambedou contributed 10.

The outside shooting offered another useful sign. Maryland made eight of 21 three-point attempts, with Mike McNair Jr. going three-for-three and Mills connecting on three. The Terps also won the rebounding count 44–33, giving the exhibition a strong foundation beyond the final margin.

Georgia Tech finds a second-half response

The Yellow Jackets’ recap shows where the visitors made progress. Nasir Whitlock scored 17 points, Kayden Allen had 15 and Tylis Jordan finished with 13, all after halftime. Jackson Fields collected 10 rebounds and scored nine points, narrowly missing a double-double.

Georgia Tech cut the deficit to 13 with a minute remaining. The Jackets produced 17 points from 12 offensive rebounds, a reminder that Maryland’s overall advantage on the glass did not eliminate second-chance opportunities. Allen also made all seven of his free throws.

Maryland finished at 48.3 percent from the field, compared with Georgia Tech’s 37.9 percent. Those numbers and the early separation explain the comfortable final margin, while the visitors’ second-half improvement gives the Terps something concrete to examine before their next outing.

One more exhibition before the regular season

This was a preseason test, so the result does not count as a regular-season win. Its value is in the early evidence: several scoring options, a productive return for Payne and a first chance to see how the pieces function against another opponent.

Maryland closes its exhibition schedule against West Virginia in College Park on Sunday, October 18th. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. on B1G+. The next step is to carry Sunday’s strong opening stretch into a more complete performance as the regular season approaches.