Maryland men’s basketball dropped game one of its West Coast swing after falling to Washington, 75-69, in the first-ever matchup between the two teams.
Maryland took a 33-30 lead into halftime and led by as many as eight in the second half, but Washington answered back and retook a lead with 4:57 left that they never gave back.
Foul trouble plagues Maryland
Whistles were the theme of the night and on Thursday, Maryland’s depth was tested with its star power limited. Both Derik Queen and Ja’Kobi Gillespie picked up a pair of fouls within the first eight minutes of the game, sending them to the bench with a combined two points during the stretch.
Queen returned with roughly five minutes left in the half as head coach Kevin Willard worked to sub him in and out based on offensive or defensive possessions as the star freshman wasn't able to find his groove. Gillespie, meanwhile, didn't play the final 7:45 of the first half one rebound, one assist and one turnover in a struggling performance.
Queen helped give Maryland early momentum with a strong layup to open the second half scoring but after picking up his third foul less than three minutes into the second half, Willard pulled Queen back out of the game less than a minute later. Queen picked up his fourth and final foul of the night just under ten minutes left, sending him back to the bench, while Gillespie fouled out with 5:15 left to end a quiet night.
In a season filled with star performances, Queen finished with just four points in 18 minutes while Thursday marked the first game of the season Gillespie was held without a field goal, totaling one point in the loss.
Julian Reese picks up first-half slack
In a season where the new additions have captured all the headlines, it was Maryland’s veteran who anchored the Terps’ efforts as Julian Reese led the way with 14 of Maryland's 23 points at the break. He finished with 22 points and eight rebounds, his fourth game with 20 or more points this season.
While it was Jordan Geronimo who stepped out to round out the rotation with his first double figure game of the season with ten points, Reese kept the Terps alive around the rim to stabilize the Terps’ efforts on the road.
Selton Miguel flashed with a pair of tough layups around the rim as he and Rodney Rice combined for 20 points on 9-of-23 shooting. Rice's pull-up jumper with 14:51 to play pushed Maryland ahead 43-35 as the Terps looked poised to take control of the game, but Washington answered right back. After Ja'Kobi Gillespie's free-throw pushed the lead back to six less than a minute later, Washington took control after a deep three erupted the crowd before Washington took a 45-44 lead. The two teams traded leads until just under six minutes left when a Zoom Diallo driving layup sparked a 7-0 run, handing the Terps a deficit they wouldn't come back from. Great Osobor scored six of his game-high 20 points in the final 64 seconds as he added 14 rebounds, proving to be a clear mismatch down the stretch.
Road struggles continue for Maryland basketball under Kevin Willard
Head coach Kevin Willard took note of the tough slate for Maryland basketball ahead of the new year, but the concerning trends from year one and two continued on Thursday night. Thursday’s loss did anything but address the team’s stark difference in play under Willard at home compared to outside of College Park. Despite a 36-8 record at home over the last three seasons, Maryland now falls to 6-19 in true road games and 13-30 in games outside of College Park under Willard.
Maryland now falls to 1-1 in Quad Two games with a pair of Quad One opportunities up next.
Next: Maryland will face ninth-ranked Oregon on Sunday at 4 PM on Peacock.
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