Maryland starts fast, never trails in routing Old Dominion
Isaiah Watts scored all 17 of his points in the first half in his first start for Maryland as the Terrapins cruised to a 73-58 wire-to-wire victory over Old Dominion on Sunday in College Park, Md.
Darius Adams added 18 points and Andre Mills contributed 11 points and five assists for Maryland (7-6), which had lost five of its previous six games.
Texas A&M transfer Solomon Washington contributed 13 points and 13 rebounds for the third double-double of his four-year collegiate career.
Watts, the son of former NBA player Slick Watts and a transfer this season from Washington State, made four of his first five attempts from 3-point range as Maryland built a 29-point lead.
Maryland overcame the absence of top scorer and rebounder Pharrel Payne, who missed his second straight game with a knee injury.
KC Shaw scored 19 points and Zacch Wiggins added 14 points to pace Old Dominion (4-10), which was gunning for its first win over a power conference school since upsetting then-No. 25 Syracuse in 2018.
It was the second straight loss for the Monarchs since toppling the Sun Belt Conference preseason favorite James Madison in their league opener on Dec. 17.
As Old Dominion missed its first seven shots and committed three turnovers, Maryland reeled off the game's first 17 points, getting 3-pointers from Mills and Adams.
Watts contributed to the surge with a three-point play off a fast-break slam. Then he finished the run with a blocked shot and a sprint down the floor for a breakaway layup that made it 17-0 less than six minutes after the opening tip.
The Monarchs' best stretch of the first half was a seven-point burst highlighted by a 3-pointer from reserve Scottie Hubbard.
The run reduced the deficit to 20-9, but Maryland later answered with an 11-0 spree, which Mills opened and closed with 3-pointers to swell the lead to 34-12.
Watts closed the first half with a flurry. Running off screens on plays designed to free him up behind the arc, Watts buried a trio of 3-pointers in a span of 64 seconds as the Terrapins took a 45-18 lead at the half.
In the final four minutes, Old Dominion scored 11 straight points to slice the deficit to 12 points.