The heavily favored Maryland men’s basketball team looked like it was going to raise the self-esteem of another nonconference opponent Friday night, but the Terps finally put a stubborn Navy team in its place.

Anthony Cowan Jr. led all scorers with 24 points and Bruno Fernando grabbed 10 rebounds on the way to a 78-57 victory over the Midshipmen in the second game of the fifth annual Veterans Classic at Alumni Hall.

The Terps (2-0) looked like they were going to dominate from the opening tip. They jumped out to a quick 14-4 lead, but struggled to sink open shots and had enough sloppy moments around the basket to let the Mids (0-2) hang around until intermission.

That created the opportunity for Navy to come out hot in the second half and erase an eight-point halftime deficit, bringing the Terps face-to-face with the possibility of another scare like the one they survived against Delaware … or worse.

The Mids tied the game three times and were still very much in the game until the final 13 minutes, when the Terps snapped a 39-39 tie with a 17-6 run to put the game away.

Freshman Jalen Smith (Mount Saint Joseph), who scored 19 points and pulled down 13 rebounds in the unexpectedly tense season opener, continued to show why he was such a prized recruit. He didn’t match those big numbers, but controlled the boards early in the game and finished with 11 points and five rebounds in 19 minutes. Sophomore Darryl Morsell (Mount Saint Joseph) added 15 points and six rebounds while fresman Aaron Wiggins chipped in 12 points.

Sophomore guard Cam Davis led the Mids with 12 points and freshman guard John Carter Jr. led Navy with eight rebounds.

For Navy, it was the first of three games the Mids will play this month against Maryland colleges. They host Coppin State on Wednesday night and play at Morgan State on Nov. 20.

peter.schmuck@baltsun.com

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