Maryland men’s basketball battled in their first true road game of the season, but it wasn’t enough as eighth-ranked Purdue got back in the win column in an 83-78 finish.
Maryland now falls to 1-7 all-time at Purdue.
Derik Queen led the way with 26 points and 12 rebounds, securing his second consecutive and fourth career double-double along with his fifth game with at least 20 points. Queen’s 26 points also mark the third-most by a Maryland freshman in a true road game since 1996-97, while he tied Diamond Stone for the third-most double-doubles by a freshman. Queen was one of four to finish in double figures alongside Ja’Kobi Gillespie (18), Rodney Rice (13) and Selton Miguel (13).
In a game that featured 15 lead changes and 13 ties, Maryland appeared to catch a break after Purdue forward Trey Kaufman-Renn picked up his second personal foul just four minutes into the game, sidelining him for the next six minutes. Braden Smith would step up to fill the scoring void, though, as he sparked a 7-0 Purdue run that marked the first bit of separation for either team. That wouldn’t last long as Ja’Kobi Gillespie quieted the crowd inside Mackey Arena, only for Rodney Rice to trim the deficit to one after drilling his first three of the game. The two combined for 22 of Maryland’s 36 first-half points while Derik Queen, who nearly posted a double-double by halftime, showed off his offensive arsenal scoring inside and out of the paint. The freshman big also made his presence felt on the defensive end, disrupting Kaufman-Renn in the paint while also posting a pair of blocks in the loss. Queen would team up with Gillespie and Rice to lead Maryland’s efforts on the road, taking a 36-31 lead into halftime, but that would only last so long.
Purdue opened the second-half on a 15-6 run spearheaded by four combined threes from Fletcher Loyer and Braden Smith, prompting head coach Kevin Willard to call a timeout ahead of the first media timeout. It proved to be a timely timeout after Derik Queen slowed Purdue’s run, first with a nifty layup at the rim then hitting a midrange jumper to tie the game at 46.
Queen’s first career three as a Terp tied the game at 57 with 9:31 left in regulation, but after hauling in his tenth rebound on the next play to secure his fourth career double-double, the freshman knocked down his second triple to spark an 8-0 run and pushing the Terps ahead, 62-57, to prompt a Purdue timeout. But like the rest of the game showed, Purdue would respond right back after Matt Painter called a timeout.
Julian Reese delivered a blow to the Terps’ upset efforts after picking up his fifth foul with 6:25 left, but it came in the midst of a 10-0 run by Purdue that proved to be a hill too steep to climb for Maryland. Purdue stretched its lead to as many as ten with two minutes left before six points from Selton Miguel in the final minute cut into the deficit.
Maryland falls to 8-2 (1-1) and will return to action next Tuesday, Dec. 17 to host St. Francis. Tipoff is set for 7:30 PM on BTN.
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