In the first game of a pivotal stretch where Maryland basketball will host three of its next four games, the Terps welcomed Rutgers into College Park with a chance to get back on track.
After a low-scoring, seesaw affair for the majority of the game, Rutgers seemed to have pulled away for good after a jumper by sophomore guard Derek Simpson gave the Scarlett Knights a 52-43 lead with just under three minutes remaining. Simpson picked up a technical foul directly after the basket, which gave Maryland two free throws and the ball. The Terps took advantage of the door being left open and scored eight straight points to trim the deficit to one with 1:05 remaining.
After a well-defended possession for almost its entirety, Jeremiah Williams sliced towards the basket for a layup right before the shot clock expired to push the Rutgers lead back to three. Donta Scott’s desperation game-tying three-pointer was short, and Rutgers escaped with a 56-53 victory.
“Coming off the effort we had at Michigan State, we just really struggled coming out starting the game [tonight],” Maryland head coach Kevin Willard said. “We didn’t really have a whole lot of energy from that starting group that’s been really really good for us.”
“I’m a little perplexed that we would come out at home, … not that [some older guys] weren’t ready to play, because again defensively they gave great effort, it’s just offensively we were so lackadaisical. They’re really playing hard on the defensive end, I think we’re almost a little casual on the offensive end which really hurts us,” he added.
Julian Reese (19 points, 12 rebounds) led the way offensively for Maryland, who shot just 31% from the field and 2-of-18 from three-point range as a team in the loss. Reese was efficient on the interior, shooting 8-of-10 from the field and crashed the glass for his 11th double-double of the season.
He got his scoring started early with an easy dive to the basket, but the ensuing several minutes saw very few plays as graceful as that. Maryland started 3-of-14 from the field, as Rutgers used a 9-0 run to take an early 15-8 lead. The Terps were scoreless for nearly six minutes during the stretch.
“We don’t have the same sense of urgency on offense that we did on defense,” Willard said. “I think it was 6-4 or 6-6 at the under 12. I mean, if you’re at home you’ve got to score the basketball.”
Maryland gave up ground on the glass in the first half, getting out-rebounded 23-18 overall and 8-4 on the offensive end. Rutgers grabbed the first five offensive rebounds of the game en route to some early second-chance points.
The Terps began to claw back, forcing 12 first-half turnovers to grab a slim 24-22 halftime lead. The teams combined to shoot 2-of-18 from three-point range in the opening 20 minutes.
Jahmir Young scored his 1,000th career point at Maryland with an early second-half floater. Young became the third fastest Maryland player to hit 1,000 points and the fifth player in program history to do so in two seasons. Despite the accomplishment, he was unable to find a groove on Tuesday night, finishing with 17 points, but shot only 3-of-17 from the field with five turnovers.
“[Rutgers is] one of the best defensive teams in the conference, so hats off to them,” Young said. “They were just heavy in the gaps, nowhere to really drive. They just have really talented defenders and they did a good job on me tonight.”
Part of Rutgers’ defensive attack was Mawot Mag, who picked up the slack with Clifford Omoruyi dealing with foul trouble throughout the night. Omoruyi still added three blocks and five rebounds to go with his eight points, but the lack of his presence on both sides was made up for by Mawot Mag, who scored a team-high 15 points for the Scarlett Knights.
“He’s probably the best college defender I’ve seen in a long, long time,” Willard said of Mag. “That dude is special.”
Mag, alongside Williams (14 points), did the bulk of the scoring in the second half as Rutgers stretched its lead. A 15-6 run gave the Scarlett Knights a 52-43 lead, as the outcome looked bleak for the Terps. Maryland failed to make a free throw for over five minutes during the run.
Rutgers made five of its final seven field goal attempts, and Maryland made only three field goals in the final 10 minutes of play. The aforementioned late push by the Terps fell short, and Maryland’s NCAA Tournament hopes have all but vanished.
Maryland will travel to Ohio State for another Quad 1 opportunity on Saturday at 4 p.m., before returning home for two straight home games against Iowa and Illinois. With their bubble chances looking slimmer by the day, the Terps will need a strong finish to conference play and a good showing in the Big Ten tournament if they want to compete in March.
“It’s frustrating because you know, you’ve got the sixth-best defense in the country and I think, after tonight, who knows where we rank offensively, but, it’s frustrating, to be honest.”
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