The Terps beat the Nittany Lions on the road for the first time in a decade.
No. 16 Maryland men’s basketball took down Penn State, 68-64, on the road Saturday afternoon to improve to 22-7 on the season. After trailing at halftime, the Terps led for the majority of the second half.
Here are three takeaways from the victory.
A huge bounce-back win
Following an improbable buzzer-beating loss to No. 8 Michigan State Wednesday, Maryland was in desperate need of a moving win over a struggling Penn State team with conference tournament seeding implications on the line.
Wednesday’s loss knocked Maryland out of the top four in the Big Ten standings, which would award it a second-round bye in the conference tournament. A loss to Penn State would have almost entirely eliminated the Terps from those aspirations with a challenging game at No. 15 Michigan on deck.
But the Nittany Lions were fighting for their postseason lives as well. They stood at 17th in the Big Ten entering the day, two places out of the 15th and final spot in the conference tournament. It was also their senior day, with program cornerstone Ace Baldwin Jr. playing in his last game at Bryce Jordan Center.
While it certainly was not a domination against one of the Big Ten’s worst teams, a win was all Maryland needed to avoid a potential nightmare of an end to the regular season. It was also the Terps’ first road win at Penn State since 2015.
Maryland’s offense started sluggish again
The Terps scored just 30 points in the first half Sunday, shooting 34.3% from the field and 33.3% from three. It was their second-lowest first-half point total in conference play, only more than Wednesday night’s game against Michigan State, in which they scored 23 points.
Wednesday’s result was not entirely unexpected, as the Spartans boast the second-best scoring defense in Big Ten, allowing just 66.8 points per game. But Penn State is a bottom-five defense in the conference, allowing 73.3 points per game.
While Maryland’s defense carried it to a two-point advantage over Michigan State at halftime, the Terps trailed Penn State at the break by six points, their largest halftime deficit in conference play.
Much of Maryland’s offensive issues have stemmed from its inability to score inside. Against Michigan State, Julain Reese and Derik Queen combined for 14 points on 4-of-18 shooting from the field. Neither recorded an offensive rebound either.
Reese’s struggles continued Saturday against Penn State’s defense — which is anchored by Yanic Konan Niederhauser, the Big Ten’s blocks leader. Reese scored just four points on 2-of-10 shooting, although he was dominant on the defensive end, totaling game-highs in rebounds (15), steals (6) and blocks (3).
Maryland’s offense slightly improved in the second half — led by nine more free-throw attempts than the first half — to erase the deficit and secure the win.
Gillespie, Queen and Miguel carried the Terps
Ja’Kobi Gillespie, Queen and Selton Miguel accounted for 86.8% of Maryland’s points Saturday. With Reese and Rodney Rice struggling to score from everywhere and the bench continuing to offer little to no points, the trio was essential in securing the win.
Gillespie entered the game on the path of redemption after hoisting up an ill-advised 3-pointer late the fourth quarter Wednesday, leaving time for Michigan State’s Tre Holloman to hit a beyond-half-court shot. He scored Maryland’s first eight points — including two threes — but did not score for the rest of the first half.
He was perfect in the second half, though, making all three of his field goal attempts and all four of his free-throw attempts. He ended the day with 19 points, a game-high seven assists, two rebounds and two steals.
Queen and Miguel also had relatively poor performances Wednesday. Queen shot 2-of-11 from the field in a 10-point, 10-rebound performance, while Miguel played just 22 minutes — by far the least of any starter — and posted six points on 3-of-6 shooting and four fouls.
Both significantly improved Saturday. Queen recorded a game-high 23 points — including five of Maryland’s last seven points — six rebounds, four steals and two blocks. Miguel got hot early in the second half, finishing with 17 points, three rebounds, two assists and two blocks. Both also shot 50% from the field.