COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- Though it appeared to be nothing more than another early-season blowout for Maryland, there was reason to believe the Terrapins may ultimately benefit from the fashion in which the victory was secured.Michal Cekovsky scored 16 points in his third career start, Jaylen Brantley added 14 in a reserve role and Maryland eased past Howard 79-56 Wednesday night.Cekovsky went 8 for 9 from the flr in tying his career high for points, set earlier this season against Kansas State. The 7-ft-1 junior also blocked three shots.Cekovsky started at center for senior Damonte Dodd, who has a sprained left MCL and will be sidelined for at least two more games before being re-evaluated. Dodd leads the team with 17 blocked shots.I talk to Ceko more than anybody and coach him harder than anybody on the team, coach Mark Turgeon said. Theres a lot of potential there. He can really score. Hes one of our better defenders, but his timing is not there yet.Thats because the Slovakian is still working his way back from a ft injury that sidelined him for the first four games.Brantley, meanwhile, drilled four 3-pointers on a night the Terrapins received just 10 points from standout guard Melo Trimble.Weve got gd players, weve got gd scorers, Turgeon said. Of all three years since hes been here, I think he trusts these guys the most.Maryland (9-1) led by seven at halftime, upped the margin to 17 with 15:57 remaining and cruised to the finish.Hopefully, tonight gives a lot of guys confidence and we become a deeper basketball team, Turgeon saidWe were much better in the second half, Turgeon conceded.Charles Williams scored 21 for Howard (1-6) and Solomon Mangham had 16.Howard was without high-scoring guard James Daniel, who has yet to play this season because of sprained left ankle. He led the NCAA in scoring last season, averaging 27 points per game, and was the player of the year in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.To make matters worse, leading scorer James Miller was injured early in the game and finished with no points on 0-for-5 shting.Obviously, when Miller went out, it was deflating to our group of guys, coach Kevin Nickelberry said. He thought he could go but he just couldnt.Maryland led 18-13 before Mangham scored nine straight points to put the Bison up 22-19. Minutes later, a layup by Cekovsky and a 2-pointer by Trimble sparked an 11-0 run that helped the Terrapins take a 38-31 lead at the break.Early in the second half, Cekovsky made a layup and a dunk in a 7-0 spurt that enabled Maryland to move in front 47-33.In the second half we really shot the ball, turned the ball over less, the defense was better and our rebounding was gd, Turgeon said.INSIDE OUTThe plan for Maryland was to work the ball inside and sht the 3 after the defense sagged. So what happened? Fourteen of the Terps first 19 shots were from long range.We watched a lot of film and one of our keys was to play inside out, Turgeon said. Our guys werent doing it. That was the disappointing part. I had to go in at halftime and yell.Maryland scored 18 points in the paint over the final 20 minutes and shot 53 percent from the flr.THE BIG PICTUREHoward: The Bison are simply trying to hang in there until Daniel returns. The 5-ft-10 senior is expected to be out for another 2/3 weeks.Maryland: Turgeon went deep through his bench to get playing time for 10 players in the first half alone. If nothing else, the Terrapins learned how to play well together and effectively without help from Trimble, their go-to guy in virtually every tight situation.UP NEXTHoward: The Bison face their fourth straight Washington-area opponent, George Washington, on Saturday night.Maryland: The Terrapins are at home Saturday afternn against St. Josephs, which lost to Houston Baptist 62-47 Wednesday. Custom Magic Jerseys . "No difference at all," chirped U.S. rmmate and linemate James van Riemsdyk. "Its still the same cranky Phil. Custom Penny Hardaway Jersey .com) - The Chicago Blackhawks aim for their third three-game winning streak of the season when they host the struggling Edmonton Oilers in Sundays battle at the United Center. http://www.custommagicjersey.com/custom-penny-hardaway-jersey-large-71v.html . -- Aaron Murray threw for 408 yards and three touchdowns, ran for another score, and led No. Authentic Custom Magic Jersey .Y. -- The Buffalo Sabres have placed centre Cody Hodgson on injured reserve and recalled two players from their AHL affiliate in Rochester. Custom Magic T-shirts . - Blake Griffin had 30 points and 12 rebounds, J. COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Make rm for more than one Ohio State?player in the Heisman Trophy conversation.After offering an endorsement for quarterback J.T. Barrett as a candidate over the weekend, Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer added a second to the mix by throwing H-back Curtis Samuel into the discussion after his explosive, multipurpose start to the season.Meyer backed both Barrett and Samuel as legitimate candidates after No. 2 Ohio State steamrolled Rutgers in its Big Ten opener Saturday, comparing the talented tandem to former Heisman winner Tim Tebow and versatile sidekick Percy Harvin during his tenure at Florida.I think its a little harder at that position to get it, the H-back, Meyer said. But he certainly is having that kind of year that he should be in the conversation.... I remember in 2008 we had Tim Tebow and Percy Harvin. I think Tim won it in 2007 and finished [third] in 08, but Percy was right there as well and should have been. I cant remember where he finished or if he even got votes and all that, but I remember that cnversation came up as well.ddddddddddddHarvin didnt wind up finishing among the top 10 in that race, but Samuels success in the famed H-back position made famous by the former Florida star might give him a chance to attract some votes.The Buckeyes have steadily expanded Samuels role on offense, lining him up as a receiver, utilizing him as a running back and even snapping him the ftball directly as a Wildcat quarterback.The junior leads the Big Ten in all-purpose yardage without the benefit of returning kickoffs or punts, averaging 168.3 yards per game that is nearly split exactly between rushing and receiving while adding five touchdowns.Samuels versatility has combined with Barretts command of the offense to help Ohio State rank third in the nation with 57 points per game, and its also earned both of them the highest praise Meyer can offer in the race for college ftballs top individual honor. 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