Three days after knocking off No. 10 Illinois, Maryland basketball traveled to Northwestern in search of a second consecutive Quad 1 road victory in an attempt to inch its way into the postseason conversation as we reach the thick of conference play.
Despite a sensational 36-point performance from Jahmir Young, the Terps lacked just enough firepower to hold off the Wildcats on Wednesday, falling 72-69 in the final moments.
Battered and bruised from taking multiple hard falls throughout the game, a determined Young knocked down an absurd, off-balance three-pointer to give Maryland a 67-66 lead with 30 seconds remaining.
A defensive lapse by the Terps on Northwestern’s next possession gave guard Boo Buie an easy lane to the basket, which gave the Wildcats a one-point lead with 20.2 on the clock.
Poor defensive breakdown after Jahmir Young’s three pushed Maryland ahead https://t.co/Rco7XjyHSv pic.twitter.com/CfeMWRyopK
— Inside the Black & Gold (@Insideblackgold) January 18, 2024
Young came down the floor as time trickled down looking for the knockout blow, but his pull-up jumper rattled out and Northwestern sealed the victory at the free-throw line.
“Buie and Jahmir, they just went head-to-head,” Maryland head coach Kevin Willard said. “Jahmir was phenomenal, … we had our chances in the second half, … some of our execution down the stretch was just not good, and [Northwestern’s] was good.”
The fifth-year senior fell one point short of his career-high of 37, which he reached in Maryland’s win over UCLA on Dec. 22. Young has now scored 20-plus points in six of his last seven games.
Only four Terps scored on Wednesday, as the starting lineup of Young, Julian Reese, Donta Scott and Jordan Geronimo combined for all 69 points.
Maryland’s highly-touted freshmen struggled yet again, as DeShawn Harris-Smith and Jamie Kaiser Jr. combined for zero points on only three shot attempts.
“I don’t think it has ever been effort,” Willard said of his team’s consistency. “It’s young kids. We’re playing freshmen. I think these guys have given great effort all year, … We just didn’t guard the ball down the stretch and that really hurt us.”
In one of its better shooting performances of the season (52% from the field, 35% from three), turnovers proved to be costly, as Maryland committed 10 of its 13 giveaways in the first half.
Unlike many of its first-half performances, Maryland started Wednesday’s tilt with the same energy it showcased vs. Illinois. The Terps jumped out to a 7-4 lead thanks to five early points from Geronimo.
The Indiana transfer continued his recent solid play by knocking down a three, which was only his fourth of the season, and a quick layup as Maryland started 3-5 from the field.
Maryland then became slightly careless with the ball, turning it over four times in a three-minute span to allow Northwestern to climb ahead. The Wildcats scored nine points off of 10 first-half Maryland turnovers.
Five of the first-half turnovers came by way of Reese, who was constantly double-teamed on virtually every post touch. Northwestern emphasized preventing Reese from beating them after the junior poured in 20 points and 11 rebounds in Sunday’s win at Illinois. The Illini rarely sent more than one defender at Reese, who feasted in the paint.
Wednesday’s performance was a bit of a different story, as the attention he gained forced the ball out of his hands. He scored six of his 10 points in the first half while only attempting five field goals.
Maryland started 3-of-6 from three-point range in the first nine minutes. Scott continued his recent shooting surge in the early stages, knocking down his first two threes, but the fifth-year senior picked up his second foul with 10:40 remaining in the first half which forced him to sit.
The teams traded baskets as the half continued, with neither team leading by more than four points.
Buie (20 points) was one of four Wildcats to finish in double figures. His floater as time expired gave Northwestern a 32-28 halftime lead.
Out of the break, the fouls began to pile up on both sides. Northwestern committed six fouls in the first four minutes of the second half as Maryland neared the bonus with ample time remaining. The Terps did not attempt a free-throw in the first half.
A nice stretch by Geronimo provided some life to Maryland’s defense, as he followed a put-back layup with a steal and assist to Young. Geronimo finished with 12 points, seven rebounds and three blocks.
Both squads went on 6-0 runs midway through the half, as two tough layups by Young were followed by a baseline slam from Scott, which knotted the game at 45.
The teams began the second half a combined 0-10 from three-point range before Buie knocked one down with just under seven minutes to go. A corner three from Geronimo was quickly matched by Ty Berry’s triple on the next possession to push the Wildcats’ lead back to five.
From that moment on, it was all about the guard play of Young and Buie. The All-Big Ten probables traded basket after basket, attempting to will their respective teams to a conference victory. The two scored 17 of the final 21 points of the game.
Trailing 64-60, Young connected on two straight runners to tie the game with just over a minute remaining. Buie responded with a floater of his own before Young swished home the aforementioned go-ahead three.
After Young’s final shot missed and was secured by Berry, his four-consecutive free throws iced the game and the 13th victory for Northwestern. The Wildcats improved to 4-2 in Big Ten play with the win.
“1-1 on the road, I thought we had a good shot at it,” Willard said. “We executed offensively down the stretch pretty good but so did they.”
“The way we’re playing on the road with consistent effort against a team that obviously beat Purdue here, [a] very tough place to play, [the] place got loud. We gave ourselves a chance and that’s what you have to do,” he added.
Maryland, who now sits at 11-7 on the season and 3-4 in conference play, let a major opportunity slip through its fingers. This would have been the second-straight Quad 1 road victory for Willard’s squad, who will return home to battle Michigan State on Sunday at noon.
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