Pharrell Payne scores 20 to lead Maryland over UNLV 74-67 in Players Era Festival nightcap

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Pharrell Payne scored 16 of his 20 points in the second half to lead Maryland to a 74-67 victory over UNLV on Monday in the nightcap of the Players Era Festival.

Payne made 7 of 8 shots from the floor and 6 of 10 free throws for Maryland (5-1), adding eight rebounds. Darius Adams had 15 points and David Coit scored 11. Myles Rice had eight points and six assists.

Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn led UNLV (3-3) with 17 points. Kimani Hamilton scored 11 before fouling out.

Gibbs-Lawhorn, Hamilton and Howie Fleming Jr. all scored seven to help UNLV take a 30-27 lead at halftime. Aleks Alston hit all three of his shots, scoring six to lead Maryland.

It was a one-possession game until Alston scored the first four points in a 6-0 spurt to put the Terrapins up 16-12 with 10:54 remaining. Gibbs-Lawhorn hit a 3-pointer to ignite a 9-0 run and the Rebels led 28-20 at 3:23. Rice hit a 3-pointer with 20 seconds left to get it back to a one-possession game.

Gibbs-Lawhorn buried a 3-pointer to put UNLV up 38-31 two minutes into the second half and the Rebels played with a lead until Rice and Andre Mills hit back-to-back 3-pointers for a 51-49 lead with 10 minutes to go.

UNLV tied it on its next trip down the floor, but Rice had a layup and Payne hit two free throws to give Maryland a lead it maintained over the final 9:28.

Up next

Maryland: The Terrapins play No. 12 Gonzaga on Tuesday.

UNLV: The Rebels play No. 8 Alabama on Tuesday.

___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball