WASHINGTON (Interstat) — Georgetown used a decisive first-half burst and timely second-half shooting to defeat Maryland 86-74 on Saturday in a men’s NCAA Division I basketball game at Capital One Arena. The announced attendance was 14,739. The Hoyas improved to 2-0, while the Terrapins fell to 1-1. Georgetown led 44-28 at halftime and kept Maryland at arm’s length after the break, answering several Terrapin runs with 3-pointers and points in transition. Maryland opened the season with a home win over Bucknell, and Georgetown opened with a home win over Loyola Maryland. The Hoyas’ second win came in front of a crowd that saw Georgetown shoot with unusual efficiency from the perimeter and Maryland struggle to match that outside production.

The Hoyas finished with a 126.7 offensive rating, scoring 86 points from 68 possessions, while Maryland scored 74 points from 68 possessions for a 108.2 rating. Georgetown shot 27 of 52 from the floor, including 15 of 30 from 3-point range, and made 17 of 25 free throws. Maryland shot 26 of 63 overall, 3 of 20 from beyond the arc, and 19 of 24 at the line. The 3-point disparity proved central: Georgetown made more than five times as many 3-pointers as Maryland and used those makes to offset Maryland’s 42-22 advantage in points in the paint. Georgetown also held a 23-9 edge in fastbreak points. Maryland’s edge in the paint came largely through Payne and second-chance opportunities, but the Terrapins could not convert enough of their 19 offensive rebounds into perimeter scoring or free throws.

Maryland controlled the offensive glass with 19 offensive rebounds to Georgetown’s nine, but the Terrapins managed only six assists and could not turn that extra possession count into enough perimeter scoring. Both teams committed 13 turnovers. Maryland scored 20 points off those turnovers to Georgetown’s 15. Maryland committed 23 fouls and Georgetown 21. The Hoyas blocked seven shots, including five by Chol Machot, and their half-court defense made Maryland work for looks while Georgetown’s offense found cleaner 3-point attempts. Georgetown’s seven assists came from a balanced attack, but Lowe’s eight assists were the engine behind the Hoyas’ best offensive stretches.

Pharrel Payne paced Maryland with 28 points and eight rebounds in 30 minutes. The 6-foot-9, 250-pound forward from Cottage Grove, Minn., was Maryland’s most reliable interior option and repeatedly scored around the rim. Jaland Lowe was Georgetown’s top star, finishing with 22 points, five rebounds and eight assists in 36 minutes. The 6-foot-2 guard from Fort Bend Marshall followed his 23-point opener against Loyola Maryland with another strong all-around performance. Elmarko Jackson added 17 points, two rebounds and two assists in 32 minutes, and Kayvaun Mulready had 15 points, three rebounds, two assists and a block in 34 minutes. Machot’s five blocks gave Georgetown a strong rim-protecting presence when Maryland tried to answer at the basket.

D.J. Wagner finished with 11 points, four rebounds and three assists in 28 minutes for Maryland, while Kaden House added 13 points, two rebounds and two assists in 21 minutes. Tomislav Buljan grabbed 10 rebounds to go with four points and one assist in 20 minutes. Chol Machot contributed six points, five rebounds and five blocks in 17 minutes for Georgetown, and Vincent Iwuchukwu had 12 points, four rebounds and one assist in 22 minutes. Caleb Williams added six points, five rebounds, one assist and one block in 26 minutes for the Hoyas. Maryland’s Robert Jennings, Andre Mills, Bishop Boswell, Baba Oladotun and Adama Tambedou also contributed during the comeback attempt, with Mills hitting early shots and House and Tambedou helping trim the margin late.

Georgetown’s most important stretch came in the first half after Maryland briefly moved ahead 9-7 on Andre Mills’ pullup jumper with 15:53 remaining. The Hoyas answered with a Lowe driving layup, a Machot layup and a Lowe 3-pointer to seize control. Jackson’s 3-pointer with 7:17 left in the first half pushed Georgetown’s lead to 29-17, and Lowe and Jackson combined for more 3-pointers before the break as the Hoyas built a 44-28 halftime cushion. In the second half, Lowe made two free throws and a stepback 3-pointer, Williams made four free throws and Mulready hit consecutive 3-pointers to stretch the lead to 70-45 with 9:14 remaining. Iwuchukwu’s dunks and free throws kept the margin comfortable before Maryland’s late surge. Georgetown pushed the lead to 77-51 on Mulready’s 3-pointer with 6:43 left, and the Hoyas maintained a comfortable cushion until the final minutes.

Maryland made a final push behind House, who made a 3-pointer with 3:48 left and completed a three-point play with 3:08 remaining, and Tambedou, who made a layup and a free throw in the final minute. House also made a 3-pointer with 1:53 remaining, Wagner made two free throws with 1:20 left, and House added two free throws with 1:02 left. Tambedou’s layup with 51.8 seconds left and free throw with 15.7 seconds left capped the scoring. The Terrapins cut the deficit to 86-74, but the rally came too late. Georgetown’s perimeter shooting and Lowe’s playmaking were the difference in a game that saw the Hoyas score efficiently despite attempting fewer field goals than Maryland. Maryland next faces Virginia, while Georgetown next plays Delaware State.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected Georgetown 70, Maryland 66, and its ELO system gave Georgetown a 60.2 percent probability to win. Maryland had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -3.5. The game’s total of 160 finished above the over/under line of 146.5.