College Park, MD—Freshman Charles "CJ" Williams poured in a game- and a career-high 21 points and Solomon "Solo" Mangham added 16 but a combination of size, depth and some hot second half shooting proved to be the difference as the University of Maryland pulled away to a 79-56 victory over Howard University in a non-conference men's game at the Xfinity Center before 15,584. 

It was Mangham, who supplied the scoring punch in the first 20 minutes when he scored 13 of his team's points on 3 of 6 from the three-point line. The Bison (1-6) went on 13-7 run midway through the first half, giving his team a six-point lead. 

But the Terrapins (9-1) closed with a run that erased the deficit to take a 38-31 halftime lead. The rally was by Michal Cekovsky, Maryland's 7-1 center who scored 10 of his 16 points, most coming close in shots at the basket where he proved to be almost unstoppable. The Bison, who were playing without starting 6-11 red-shirt senior center Marcel Boyd, who missed his second straight game with a foot injury. Howard was reduced to playing with 6-7 senior Tyler Stone and 6-8 first year player Michael Obindo and they were no match. 

"We took a step back today," said Howard head coach Kevin Nickelberry. "We had played strong over the last three halves of basketball. But the same deflections that we had in the Georgetown and American games, we did not get." 

With the Bison focusing its attention on stopping Cekovsky and the inside game, the Terrapins went to their three-point shooting. Maryland shot 53 percent in the second half, 47 percent from beyond the arc. 

"In the first half, they were able to get the ball down low and use their size to their advantage," said Howard head coach Kevin Nickelberry. "When we were able to get help, they started hitting three's. " 

The Bison's problems were compounded when red-shirt junior guard James "JT" Miller injured his wrist and played only 12 minutes. Miller came into the game as the Bison's leading scorer with 19 per game. Miller, who averaged almost 30 points in the past three games, was held scoreless before leaving the game. He is projected to be out for four weeks. 

"It happened early in the game," explained Nickelberry. "He came to the sideline and felt that he could continue. "he tried again but could not . 

That opened the door for Williams, a 6-3 freshman from Richmond, VA. The sharpshooter hit on 8 of 17, including 3 of 5 from the three-point line. His previous high was 15 against IUPUI. 

Howard played the game under some challenging conditions. Senior reserve guard Kofi Andoh lost his mother to cancer on Tuesday. He started the game and finished with points, six rebounds and four assists. 

NEXT UP: The Bison will try o get back on the winning track when they travel across town to take on the Colonial of George Washington on Saturday at 4 pm.