The Terps made just two 3-pointers Thursday night.
Maryland men’s basketball opened its West Coast road trip Thursday looking to get the ball rolling in conference play against Washington, which had lost its first two Big Ten games by an average of 17.5 points.
But the Terps’ two leading scorers, Derik Queen and Ja’Kobi Gillespie, did not answer the bell. They combined for just five points in front of a rowdy crowd at Alaska Airlines Arena in Seattle.
Despite a stellar performance by Julian Reese, Maryland suffered a disheartening 75-69 loss at the hands of the Huskies, who entered the contest with the second-lowest KenPom rating in the conference and picked up their first Big Ten win.
Both teams shot 47.3% from the field, but Maryland was an abysmal 2-of-11 (18.2%) from 3-point range and 15-of-22 (68.2%) from the free-throw line. Its defense looked disjointed, allowing a 20-point double-double from forward Great Osobor, a career-high 18 points from freshman guard Zoom Diallo and 17 points from guard DJ Davis.
“I give Washington a lot of credit,” head coach Kevin Willard said. “They were physical, they were more physical than us and they deserved the win.”
Reese was a commanding offensive force, primarily in the post, from the opening tip-off. He made plenty of plays down low against a smaller Washington frontcourt, but also operated as a ball mover and elevated for a thunderous dunk driving to the rim through contact.
Maryland was aggressive on defense early, throwing frequent traps at the ball handler all over the court. That led to a handful of turnovers, but it also led to easy looks for the Huskies on multiple occasions.
Two early Queen fouls meant Jordan Geronimo saw the floor for an extended period. He had some of his best minutes of the season, though, with back-to-back baskets around the 13-minute mark and a block.
But no starter besides Reese stepped up to pick up the offensive slack left by Queen being out for much of the first half. That, paired with uncharacteristic defensive struggles, let the Huskies hang around.
Osobor hit a 3-pointer to tie the game at 19-19. Then, two possessions later, he found Diallo for a layup to take a lead.
But that would be the last time Washington led for nearly 10 minutes of game time. Reese took over, scoring Maryland’s next eight points before back-to-back Deshawn Harris-Smith buckets put it up by eight with 2:18 remaining in the half.
Reese led the way with 14 points in the opening 20 minutes — no other Terp had more than six. A late burst by the Huskies cut their deficit to 33-30 at halftime.
Outside of Queen, fouls were not a large factor in the first half. That changed dramatically in the second — both teams were in the bonus by the 10-minute mark.
It looked like the Terps would pull away — consecutive Reese and Selton Miguel baskets put them up by a game-high nine points with 16:22 left — but that was far from the case. The Huskies’ comeback didn’t come from a singular run, as they slowly, but surely, crawled their way back into a lead less than four minutes later.
Osobor, who’s been Washington’s most productive player this season, took a back seat down the stretch to his supporting cast. Diallo and Davis each came alive in the second half, both finishing with double-digit points despite weak first halves.
The Huskies never led by more than seven points, but the game was clearly in their hands late. The Terps’ late baskets did not turn into runs, as they did little to stop Washington late.
Harris-Smith replaced the struggling Gillespie on the floor in the final minutes. Gillespie finished with by far his worst statline of the season: one point, rebound and assist.
“[Ja’Kobi] had a bad game,” Willard said. “Guys have bad games every once in a while.”
Three things to know
1. Road struggles continue. The Terps won just six of 23 games in front of opposing crowds in 2022-23 and 2023-24. They’ve now lost their first two games on the road this season, to Washington and No. 20 Purdue. It’s hard to play anywhere in the Big Ten, but getting over that hurdle will be paramount if Maryland wants to compete for a conference championship.
2. Three-point shooting differential. Washington was far from prolific from beyond the arc Thursday — shooting just 21.7% on the night — but it came on 23 attempts. Maryland took just 11, and had an even worse 3-point percentage. The Huskies spaced the floor well and the Terps didn’t — without Queen on the floor, that made all the difference.
3. Geronimo’s best game of the season. Geronimo missed three weeks across November and December and looked to be easing into things across his first three extended appearances. Thursday was the most comfortable he’s looked all year; he was his usual dominant self on the defensive end, but also added 10 points that all seemed to come when Maryland needed a bucket most.