NCAA Tournament: After Early Struggles, Maryland Puts Away Houston, 89-77

Read more at our Maryland blog, Testudo Times.

Spokane, WA (Sports Network) - Freshman Jordan Williams was red-hot from the field and provided a huge boost on the glass, recording career-highs with 21 points and 17 rebounds, and the fourth-seeded Maryland Terrapins defeated the 13th-seeded Houston Cougars, 89-77, in a Midwest Region matchup.

Williams, who came in averaging 9.2 points and 8.3 rebounds, recorded his first 20-point game of the season for the Terps (24-8), who will take on last year's NCAA runner-up Michigan State in the second round on Sunday. Landon Milbourne added 19 points and seven rebounds in the win.

ACC Player of the Year Greivis Vasquez chipped in a balanced effort with 16 points, seven rebounds and six assists for Maryland, which has won 10 consecutive first-round matchups in the NCAA Tournament, dating back to 1997.

Aubrey Coleman, the nation's leading scorer coming into the game, tallied 26 with nine rebounds for Houston (19-16), which improbably captured the Conference USA Tournament title with four consecutive wins. Kelvin Lewis contributed with 24 points in defeat.