The Terps picked up their first ranked win of the season.
Searching for its first ranked win of the 2024-25 campaign, Maryland men’s basketball had the opportunity to erase its demons from a dismal 87-60 loss against UCLA at home in 2022.
The Terps did just that, cranking up the intensity in the second half against the No. 22 Bruins to prevail at Xfinity Center, 79-61.
Here are three takeaways from the game.
Ja’Kobi Gillespie’s first-half effort was spectacular
The reason Maryland led UCLA at the half — let alone was in the game — was because Ja’Kobi Gillespie took it upon himself to propel the Terps’ offense.
Gillespie had an overall pedestrian West Coast road trip, scoring a season-low one point against Washington before notching 16 against No. 9 Oregon. But the ever-aggressive guard matched his scoring output against the Ducks at home versus UCLA — in just 20 minutes of play.
Gillespie was once again Maryland’s primary ball handler, and assumed much of the shot-making duties in the opening half. He had 10 attempts from the field, double that of the next closest player, Derik Queen. While the Terps were keen on trying to find their bigs for buckets inside early — they had 20 paint points in the first half compared to the Bruins’ 14 — eventually, the visitors put an emphasis on their interior defense.
Gillespie was the main benefactor, becoming increasingly ball-dominant and continuously running pick-and-rolls at the top of the 3-point line. When UCLA rolled out its drop coverage in an attempt to stifle Maryland’s inside attack, Gillespie let it fly from deep. He went 4-of-8 from downtown on the evening.
His defensive impact was also evident. Gillespie accumulated four steals on the night, including two in the second half to help Maryland pull away with quick fast-break points.
The 6-foot-1 junior had an overall quieter second half, but grabbed a huge offensive rebound and drilled a 3-pointer in succession with four minutes remaining, effectively throwing the knockout punch. He finished with a game-high 27 points to go with two rebounds and four assists.
Maryland’s defense turned it up in the second half
Maryland’s offense was by no means on fire in the second half. It picked up its scoring effort in the latter minutes, but it scored just 20 points in the first 15 minutes of the frame. It was the Terps’ defense that helped shut down any hope of a UCLA victory.
In the middle portion of the frame, the Bruins went more than four minutes without scoring a field goal, missing seven consecutive field goals. That wasn’t a product of poor offense, but rather the Terps’ airtight coverage.
For a team averaging just around 11 turnovers per game, Friday was a complete nightmare for the Bruins, who committed 21 — 10 of which came in the second half. The Terps turned those 10 turnovers into 12 points of their own.
Maryland also had six second-half steals and four blocks, while UCLA had no second-half rejections. One of the Terps’ blocks was an emphatic Julian Reese swat on Bruins star Tyler Bilodeau, sending the crowd into a frenzy and injecting the team with life.
One of the reasons for Maryland’s increased defensive presence was head coach Kevin Willard’s insertion of interior size. Tafara Gapare played an impressive 14 minutes, blocking two shots of his own and helping force UCLA into perimeter shots. The Bruins went 7-of-19 from downtown on the night.
A much-needed ranked victory
Heading into the match, Maryland was No. 24 in the KenPom net rankings. It has been teetering on the precipice of being ranked for the past few weeks. But it has also been missing something important in its resume: a signature ranked win.
It came close against then-No. 15 Marquette, then-No. 8 Purdue and then-No. 9 Oregon, but late miscues and missed chances plagued the Terps in each contest.
It didn’t take a close finish to decide Maryland’s fate Friday. The home Terps had the game in hand during most of the latter portion of the second half.
It wasn’t just Maryland’s defense that propelled it to a sizable lead. It was partially due to UCLA head coach Mick Cronin being ejected from the game, granting the Terps four free throws and igniting the crowd.
Reese also helped Maryland pull away, scoring 10 second half points on 5-of-6 shooting. As of recent, he has put on far more prolific performances than he had been early in the season.
Friday night was Maryland’s first ranked win since Jan. 14, 2024, when it beat No. 14 Illinois. The Terps will have another opportunity to defeat a ranked Fighting Illini team — currently No. 13 — on Jan. 23.