Maryland men’s basketball rode a dominant second half to take down Minnesota, 77-71, to move to 13-4 and .500 in conference play.
Derik Queen scored 18 points in the second half to finish with a career-high 27 points, his fifth 20-point game of the season, while Rodney Rice finished with 17 points and Ja'Kobi Gillespie tallied 15 points for his third consecutive game finishing in double figures.
Minnesota star forward Dawson Garcia would get the scoring going on Monday after drilling a three one minute into the game while Derik Queen’s first jumper rimmed out, but a pair of offensive rebounds – including one from Queen – helped Maryland jump out to its first lead of the day, 4-3. Ja’Kobi Gillespie would then add five points on consecutive possessions before Rodney Rice’s jumper pushed Maryland ahead 14-8 less than five minutes into the game.
Rice’s jumper would put a bow on the hot start early, and after the team knocked down five of their first ten shots, Maryland’s offense went cold after shooting 7-of-20 the rest of the first half. Minnesota wouldn’t slow down, though, after shooting over 50% from both the field and three through the first half.
The Gophers knocked down four of their first six shots, three of the makes being from three, to keep it a one-possession game before taking advantage of the Terps’ scoreless streak out of the first media timeout. An 8-0 run would push Minnesota back ahead, 16-14, as Maryland went just over four minutes without a bucket end before Julian Reese knocked down his third shot attempt midway through, cutting the deficit to 19-16.
The Gophers managed to stretch their lead to as many as seven points but Maryland was also able to keep it close thanks to eight Minnesota turnovers through the first 13 minutes. After Rodney Rice drilled his second three of the night, it’d be Miguel to force the eighth turnover leading to a Julian Reese slam in transition, cutting Maryland’s deficit to 25-23.
Minnesota kept it at least a two-point game the rest of the way until Derik Queen accounted for seven straight points, cutting the lead to 33-32 in the final minute before a Dawson Garcia layup with ten seconds left gave Minnesota a three-point lead heading into halftime.
The Gophers opened the second half scoring with another triple before Maryland answered right back, prompting head coach Kevin Willard to take an early 30-second timeout, But it’d prove to be notable as the Terps’ turned to their full-court defense the rest of the way. But it’d be Rodney Rice to emerge as the second-half spark on offense, scoring seven straight points to tie the game at 44 with 14 minutes remaining. The Gophers would answer with a quick floater to reclaim the brief lead, but then it was Derik Queen's turn after accounting for four of the Terps' next seven points.
Gillespie would add to the lead after finishing through contact to draw an and-one opportunity heading into the under-12 timeout, making him the third Terp to score double figures in the win, as Maryland extended its lead to six midway through the second half.
Maryland never wavered as the instant offense began to ignite the light Xfinity crowd through the win. The Gophers' once-hot shooting touch would disappear, proving to be less of a threat with each passing minute after shooting under 30% from the field the rest of the way while holding Minnesota without a field goal for over six minutes as the Terps began flirting with a double-digit lead while holding onto at least a two-possession lead for the final 9:30 of regulation.
Maryland will travel to face Northwestern on Thursday, Jan. 16 for a 9 PM tip.
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