The Terps jumped out to an early lead and never looked back, setting up a second-round matchup with Wisconsin.
MINNEAPOLIS — A grim reality set in for Maryland men’s basketball late in the season. With hopes for an at-large NCAA Tournament bid all but gone, the only way for it to make something positive out of a generally disappointing campaign was to make some sort of inspirational run in the Big Ten Tournament.
The 12th-seeded Terps took a tiny step in doing so Wednesday, downing No. 13-seed Rutgers in their first-round matchup, 65-51.
“Before every game, I’ve been telling the guys to give everything you got, empty the tank because it’s win or go home,” Maryland freshman guard DeShawn Harris-Smith said. “Especially knowing how hard [graduate guard Jahmir Young plays], how much time and effort [fifth-year forward Donta Scott] has put in at Maryland, we got to give everything because it could be their last game ever.”
When Young doesn’t have to carry the offensive load, success is much easier to come by for the Terps. On Wednesday, Young’s 11 points, eight rebounds and seven assists were more than enough, as seven other Terps scored — four in double digits.
Scott led all Terps with 16 points. Julian Reese, returning to the lineup after missing the team’s final regular-season game, added 12 points and six rebounds.
“He’s a smart basketball player,” Maryland head coach Kevin Willard said of Reese. “So it makes life on everybody else a little bit easier [when he’s in].”
An affair between the two worst offensive teams in the Big Ten was destined to be an ugly one, and while it was at times, Maryland had an early spurt which gave it enough energy to avoid a first-round defeat.
On the Terps’ second possession of the evening, Scott broke out on the perimeter and drained a 3-point attempt. On the next possession, Jamie Kaiser Jr. — starting in place of Jordan Geronimo — found nylon with a long triple. Maryland’s next shot was a made three by Harris-Smith. After Reese found his way inside for an easy slam, Kaiser hit the Terps’ fourth consecutive three to begin the game.
Under five minutes in, Maryland led 17-3.
“We opened up hitting shots early,” Young said. “Just trying not to give them life.”
But Maryland’s victory was guaranteed by its defense, which held Rutgers to 19-of-61 shooting from the field. The Scarlet Knights made just two field goals in the game’s opening 10 minutes, and their starters combined for just 12 points in the first half. Maryland twice held Rutgers to lengthy scoring droughts, which allowed the Terps to sustain a substantial lead when they endured similar struggles.
“I challenged them the last couple of days to come back defensively,” said Willard. “I thought they answered the bell.”
Rutgers cut its deficit to eight with 7:03 left in the first half, but that’s as close as it would get. Maryland responded with an 8-0 run and was able to extend its lead to 14 at halftime, 36-22.
While the Terps only hit two more field goals than the Scarlet Knights in the initial 20 minutes, the shots were timely. Rutgers finished the game 5-for-21 from three.
“I think in the first half we had eight layups — eight missed layups,” Rutgers head coach Steve Pikiell said. “Obviously 0-for-3 from the foul line. So not able to get off to a good start when you’re not capitalizing on those opportunities.”
Maryland quickly got out to a 25-point advantage in the second half, never putting its lead in doubt.
“We just continued to share the ball, find the open man,” Young said. “It started on defense. being able to limit them to one shot and getting out in transition.”
However, with 50.5 seconds left, guard Jahari Long suffered a knee injury and was unable to put any weight on his leg, needing to be carried off the court. The team did not have an immediate update on the senior guard’s status.
The Terps will play No. 5-seed Wisconsin on Thursday, with a trip to the quarterfinals on the line. Tipoff is scheduled for approximately 25 mins after the day’s first game — which begins at 12 p.m. ET — ends.
Three things to know
1. A hot start kickstarted the victory. Maryland entered Wednesday’s game as the 11th-worst 3-point shooting team in the country, but you wouldn’t have have known it from the way it shot the ball against Rutgers.
The Terps made their first four 3-pointers, which helped give them a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
2. A stellar defensive showing. From the opening whistle, the Scarlet Knights couldn’t get anything going offensively. They finished the game having shot a 31.1% clip from the field, scoring less than 30 points in each half.
3. Kaiser played well. The freshman forward looked confident on both ends of the floor Wednesday. He scored 11 points on 4-of-9 shooting to go along with three rebounds and four steals.