In a season filled with limited offensive production and poor three-point shooting, one constant has remained for Maryland basketball: its defense. Maryland showcased its defensive prowess on Sunday, holding Rutgers to just 18 first-half points en route to a dominant 63-46 victory in Piscataway.
Julian Reese poured in 20 points and grabbed six rebounds as his strong second half helped push Maryland to a lead that reached as many as 21 points.
Maryland held Rutgers to just 37% from the field and dominated the glass, out-rebounding the Scarlett Knights 42-29. The Terps grabbed 15 offensive rebounds – half of their misses – and scored 12 second-chance points in the process.
“Just watching the first five minutes, the way we were defending, the way we were passing the basketball, I just knew that we were going to kind of dominate this game. … I thought our tone defensively surprised them a little bit,” Willard said.
Maryland went on a 24-6 run over an 11-minute stretch where Rutgers missed all eight of its field goal attempts. The Scarlett Knights shot just 2-of-11 from three-point range and missed seven free throws in the loss. After a sluggish offensive start from both teams, Maryland began to build a lead thanks to threes late in the shot clock from Donta Scott and Jordan Geronimo.
Geronimo, who finished with an 11-point, 10-rebound double double, was one of four Terps to finish in double-figure scoring on Sunday. He snagged six offensive rebounds and was a spark-plug throughout the game.
“I thought Jordan Geronimo’s offensive rebounds really changed the complexion of the game,” Willard said. “He got some big ones late in the first half, and when [Rutgers] was going through a run he got two monster ones again, so I thought his energy and his offensive rebounding really was the difference in the game.”
“I feel like that’s who Geronimo’s got to be,” Scott said. “I feel like he’s stepping into his identity a little bit more as we get later in the season.”
Scott shot 3-of-6 from three-point range and finished with 11 points. He has dealt with a knee injury that he suffered moments before the tip of the Illinois game on Feb. 17, but it has not limited his effectiveness.
“As long as I can jump a little bit, move a little bit, I’m going out there and giving it my all,” he said.
Maryland ended the first half on a 10-0 run, as Rutgers went scoreless over the final 6:09 of the half and missed its last six field goals. Rutgers had more first-half turnovers (seven) than made field goals (six).
The Scarlett Knights trimmed the deficit to 10 midway through the second half through a 15-4 run where they made seven shots in eight attempts. The teams exchanged pleasantries during the run, which resulted in multiple technical fouls on both sides. All six of Jeremiah Williams’ points came during this stretch, as he and the Scarlett Knights looked toward the crowd for energy.
This momentum came to a quick halt, as Austin Williams picked up a technical foul after a thunderous block of Scott, which gave Maryland free throws and the ball. The Terps then responded with a 7-0 run of their own to push the lead back to a sizable one.
Reese began to take over in the second half, scoring 15 of his 20 points in the final 20 minutes to help silence Jersey Mikes Arena.
“Juju is Juju,” Scott said. “He does the same thing every day, bicker, get hype and yell at the opponents and stuff, but it’s all good.”
Rutgers was unable to find any rhythm from three-point range in the second half, making only one in five attempts. Maryland has now held its opponents to 4-of-34 from three-point range in the second halves of its last four games, an 11% clip.
Maryland’s leading scorer Jahmir Young, who entered play averaging just over 21 points-per-game, finished with 12 points on just 2-of-9 shooting. While his scoring output was lackluster, he recorded nine of Maryland’s 15 assists and was able to create open shots at will. He knocked down two of Maryland’s six made threes.
“At times, he does press,” Willard said of Young. “When teams are aggressive now with his pick-and-roll it kind of helps him a little bit because he’s making point guard decisions, he’s making really good plays.”
With the win, Maryland improves to 15-13 on the season and 7-10 in Big Ten play. The Terps have momentarily leap-frogged Rutgers and Indiana in the standings and now hold the 10 seed, which means a bye in the conference tournament. The Terps have three remaining games on their schedule, including two straight at home. Northwestern will travel to College Park on Wednesday, followed by Indiana on March 3. If Maryland can find a way to string together some late-season victories, it could secure a bye in the Big Ten tournament and a more favorable draw.
“We have two games, we’ve got to get back and start game-planning for a really good Northwestern [team]. And I think being at home again for two games, we’ve got to take advantage of it,” Willard said.
The Northwestern matchup will tip at 7 p.m. on BTN on Wednesday.
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