No. 17 Maryland defeats Oklahoma State

MARYLAND PASSED another big test as it prepares for its first season in the rugged Big Ten.

Jake Layman had 21 points and 11 rebounds and the No. 17 Terrapins beat Oklahoma State, 73-64, yesterday to improve to 11-1. They handed the Cowboys their fifth loss in 198 nonconference home games dating to 1987.

"It's big for the team to get that first real road win in a tough environment, especially the younger guys because this is what we'll see in conference play," Layman said.

Maryland, 17-15 last season, connected on just five of its first 20 shots, but was 7-for-8 down the stretch in the opening half to take a 32-27 lead. The Terps opened the second half with a 15-3 run to build a 17-point lead.

"The last 5 minutes of the first half and the opening minutes of the second half are about as well as we've played this year," Maryland coach Mark Turgeon said. "Our guys really rose to the occasion. It's always better when you make shots and it was fun to see that stretch. We gained a lot of confidence when we beat Iowa State [in Kansas City] and this is a great win for us. We have two really good road wins."

Layman was 3-for-5 from three-point range and the Terrapins were 10-for-25 overall from long range. Melo Trimble had 16 points, Jared Nickens added 11, and Richaud Pack had 10 rebounds.

Le'Bryan Nash led Oklahoma State (9-2) with 17 points and nine rebounds. Anthony Hickey had 16 points, and Phil Forte III added 13.

In another Top 25 game:

* At Virginia, Mike Tobey scored 15 points in the first half and the No. 6 Cavaliers held Harvard to one field goal before the break en route to a 76-27 win.

Malcolm Brogdon also scored 15 for Virginia (11-0), which equaled its best start since the 1992-93 season with its stingiest defensive performance in a season already full of them.

Harvard (7-2), coming off a 12-day break for exams, looked rusty from the start and unprepared to have such difficulty getting inside or in finding open shots from the perimeter. Its only basket in the first half came on a drive by Zena Edosomwan with 16:31 left, and Harvard missed its final 15 attempts.

* Louisville junior Montrezl Harrell has been suspended for one game by the ACC after being ejected from the fourth-ranked Cardinals' 76-67 win over Western Kentucky on Saturday for throwing an elbow.

The preseason first-team All-America became tangled with several Hilltoppers with 38.7 seconds remaining in the first half. A shoving match ensued, and as referees tried to separate players, an upset Harrell swung an elbow and kept yelling after being restrained.

After the officials reviewed video, Harrell was assessed a flagrant foul 2 and ejected.

Harrell will serve the suspension during Louisville's next game against CSU-Northridge tomorrow.

* Cincinnati basketball coach Mick Cronin, 43, has an unruptured aneurysm and will be sidelined indefinitely while doctors decide how to treat it.

Cronin told ESPN in a text message that he will have more tests today to determine the extent and necessary treatment.