Ayala, Russell lead No. 21 Terrapins past Vermont 68-57

Updated Nov. 13, 2021 4:12 p.m. ET

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COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — Eric Ayala and Fatts Russell each scored 22 points, and No. 21 Maryland rallied Saturday to defeat Vermont 68-57.

Ben Shungu scored a career-high 27 points and Isaiah Powell added 14 points and 11 rebounds for the Catamounts (1-1), who have not defeated a Big Ten team since 1977.

Maryland is off to a 3-0 start for the eighth consecutive season.

The Terrapins trailed by nine in the first half and 39-32 early in the second before Ian Martinez's 3-pointer finished a 12-2 run that gave them the lead for good with 12:48 left.

Maryland struggled to fully put away Vermont until late. Ayala and Russell combined for nine points during a 10-0 run in the final minutes to push the lead to 13.

Shungu scored 20 points in the first half, including a pair of 3-pointers in the final minute to give the Catamounts a 36-32 lead at the break.

Vermont forward Ryan Davis had eight points on 3-of-12 shooting. Davis was last season's America East player of the year but missed the Catamounts’ opening victory Thursday at Northern Iowa.

BIG PICTURE

Vermont: The Catamounts are a perennial contender in the America East, and Saturday’s result suggests that will be the case again this season.

Maryland: Much like in Thursday’s 71-64 win over George Washington, the Terps were not at their best but managed to earn a victory. Perimeter shooting is an obvious concern; Maryland is 9 of 47 from 3-point range over the last two games.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

With few upsets in the bottom half of the Top 25 this week, Maryland shouldn’t move much when Monday’s poll is released.

UP NEXT

Vermont will try to extend its winning streak in home openers to eight Tuesday against Division III Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

Maryland continues its opening five-game homestand Wednesday against George Mason. The Terps are 9-0 all-time against the Patriots.

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More AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

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Ryan Davis

Eric Ayala

Ben Shungu

Isaiah Powell

Vermont Catamounts

Maryland Terrapins