Hayes, Milbourne lead 25th-ranked Maryland to 71-42 win over Fairfield

No. 25 Maryland breezes past Fairfield 71-42

COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Eric Hayes scored 14 points, and No. 25 Maryland celebrated its return to the AP poll with a 71-42 victory over Fairfield on Tuesday night.

Landon Milbourne had 10 points and eight rebounds, and Sean Mosley scored 13 for the Terrapins (2-0). After opening the season with an 89-51 rout of Charleston Southern, Maryland resurfaced in the Top 25 this week for the first time since the end of the 2006-07 season.

The Terrapins took control against Fairfield (2-1) with a 15-0 run in the first half, then pulled away with a 14-4 spurt immediately after halftime.

Greivis Vasquez scored seven points on 3-for-11 shooting and led the Terrapins with six assists. The senior guard was 1 for 9 before hitting a 3-pointer from the left side to put Maryland ahead 41-26 with 14:12 left. As soon as the ball dropped through the net, he turned his head toward the crowd and flashed a “check-that-out” look.

Freshman Derek Needham scored 15 for Fairfield (2-1). The Stags trailed by only eight points at halftime, but fell hopelessly behind after making only one basket in the opening 7½ minutes of the second half.

Milbourne made two straight field goals immediately after intermission, then added a tip-in following a Fairfield basket. Minutes later, Maryland freshman James Padgett followed his own miss to launch an 8-0 spree that put the Terps up by 18.

Hayes scored 10 points, and the Terrapins held Fairfield scoreless for a stretch of nearly eight minutes in going up 30-22 at halftime.

Maryland missed 11 of its first 14 shots while falling behind 12-7. Fairfield then wilted under the Terrapins’ pressure defense, and Hayes peeled off seven straight points to cap a 15-point run that put Maryland in front for good.

After scoring seven points in the opening seven minutes, Needham did not score the rest of the half. He also had four of the Stags’ 13 turnovers.