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  • Maryland's Defense Stifles Rutgers In A 63-46 Road Win For The Terps

Maryland's Defense Stifles Rutgers In A 63-46 Road Win For The Terps

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Basketball

Maryland used a shutdown defense and a big game from the front court to defeat Rutgers, 63-46, on Sunday at Jersey Mike's Arena.

The Terps claimed their fourth road win of the season and now have the second-most in the Big Ten this season.

The Terps held Rutgers scoreless for 8:15 bridging the first and second halves to build a lead of 35-18 with a 15-0 run. In holding Rutgers to just 18 points in the first 20 minutes, it was the fewest Maryland allowed in a conference game since Jan. 14, 2019 vs. Wisconsin (15) and the fewest in a Big Ten road game since holding Michigan State to 14 on Dec. 30, 2014 – Maryland's first game in the Big Ten.  

Julian Reese recorded 20 points, going 8-of-11 from the floor to lead a Terps starting frontcourt that totaled 42 points and 24 rebounds. Reese had his fourth 20-point game of this season and sixth of his career. 

Jordan Geronimo had his best game as a Terp with his first double-double with Maryland, posting 11 points and 11 rebounds.

Donta Scott added 11 points, seven rebounds and knocked down 3-of-6 three-pointers. He moved into the top five for three-pointers made in a Maryland career with his make early in the second half.   

Rutgers (14-13, 6-10 B1G) was led by Aundre Hyatt's 13 points. 

Maryland avenged its Feb. 6 loss to Rutgers in the team's first meeting at XFINITY Center.

From Coach Willard:
"The first five minutes of the game, the way we were defending and the way we were defending, I knew we could dominate this game. I thought our tone defensively surprised them a little bit. I thought Jordan's rebounding really changed the game for us and his energy was huge."

Breaking Down the Action

  • Maryland led 7-3 at the first media timeout. Donta Scott got the Terps on the board with a three-pointer, Julian Reese slammed down a dunk and Jahmir Young made two free throws.
  • At the second media timeout at 11:26, the Terps were ahead 13-12 and led by DeShawn Harris-Smith's five points. The game was a defensive showdown between some of the best defensive teams in the nation. 
  • The Terrapins pulled ahead in the final five minutes with three-pointers from Jordan Geronimo, Young and Scott. They keyed a 10-0 run heading into halftime to lead 30-18 - its largest halftime lead since taking a 17-point advantage into the break against Nebraska. Maryland held Rutgers scoreless for the remaining 6:09 of the half.  
  • Maryland claimed a 20-point lead after Reese knocked down a free throw. Reese led all Terps with 12 points at the midway media break. The Terrapins were ahead 47-31.  
  • The Terps keyed another run, highlighted by Reese's and-one. The Terps led 58-42 with under five minutes remaining.  
  • Maryland led by double digits through the entire second half and came away with its fourth road win of the season.  

Double-Figure Factors

  • Julian Reese (20 points) had the 52nd double-figure game of his career, with the junior doing so for the 23rd time this season.
  • Donta Scott (12 points) tallied double-figures for the 82nd time over his five-year career and his 17th time this season.
  • Jahmir Young (12 points) dropped double-figures for the 132nd time in his career and the 26th time in 27 games he's played this season. It's also the 23rd game in a row that he's played and scored double-digits. 
  • Jordan Geronimo (11 points) scored in double-figures for the 14th time in his career and for the fifth time so far this season - his first season with Maryland.

Defense!

  • Maryland has held an opponent under 70 points in 22 games, including 15 of the last 19 this season with six under 60. In holding Rutgers to 46 points, Maryland surpassed its season low of 51 allowed against Nebraska. 
  • The Terps are the top defensive unit in the Big Ten this season allowing just 65.0 points per game which ranks 25th nationally. The Terps haven't led their conference in the category since doing so in the ACC in 1973-74.
  • In terms of scoring defense, Maryland is looking to post back-to-back years allowing 64-or-fewer points per game for the first time since 1953-54 (55.7) and 1954-55 (61.9).
  • Maryland ranks 6th-best nationally for defensive efficiency according to KenPom.com. The Terps also rank 12th in effective field goal percentage on defense. 
  • Maryland ranks second in the Big Ten for blocked shots (4.8 per game) which is 34th nationally and ranks sixth in the Big Ten for steals per game (6.6). The Terps also rank fifth for turnovers forced per game (12.7).

Fear The Jahmir  

  • With 12 points in the game, Jahmir Young added to his career scoring total and now has 2,535 points. He is the second-leading active scorer in the nation behind Texas' Max Abmas (3,007). 
  • Young entered Sunday's game as the third-leading scorer in the Big Ten and the No. 14 scorer nationally at 21.1 points per game.
  • Young is one of five active players with 1800 points, 600 rebounds and 450 assists. He holds career totals of 2,535 points, 752 rebounds and 459 assists.
  • Against Rutgers on Feb. 6, Young became the sixth NCAA player since 2006 to post 1,000 points at two different institutions after scoring 1,421 at Charlotte from 2019-22. He now has 1,114 points in his two seasons at Maryland. He was the third-fastest player to reach that milestone and the fifth player in program history to do so in just two seasons.
  • Young posted the 51st 500-point season in program history on Feb. 14. He now has 562 points this season, surpassing his total from a year ago, and ranks 24th all-time for a single season. Young eclipsed the 500-point mark in back-to-back seasons after tallying 553 last season.  
  • Young is looking to become the first Terp since Greivis Vasquez in 2009-10 to average over 20 points, four rebounds, and four assists per game. Entering the matchup, Young averages 21.2 points, five rebounds and four assists.

Scott Climbing Up Charts 

  • Donta Scott scored 12 points, increasing his career total to 1,644. He's 15 points away from passing Melo Trimble (2014-17) and claiming No. 14 on the all-time list.
  • Scott knocked down three three-pointers to bring his total to 204, moving him into the top five in program history, passing Mike Jones (2003-07). Next on the list is Anthony Cowan Jr. (2016-20) with 206. 
  • Scott grabbed seven rebounds to increase his career total to 843, which is ninth all-time. Next on the list is Tom McMillen (1971-74) with 859 rebounds.
  • Scott broke the program record for starts by passing Steve Blake (1999-2003) earlier this year. He added to that number with his 142nd career start over his five-year career. It was also his 156th game as a Terp to add to his other all-time record. 
  • Scott is one of five players in program history to have 1,500 points and 800 rebounds in a career. He joined Lonny Baxter (1,858 & 998), Tom McMillen (1,807 & 859), Keith Booth (1,776 & 916) and Terence Morris (1,733 & 925) earlier this year.  

Juju Beast

  • Julian Reese had his fourth game with 20-plus points with 20 points. 
  • Entering the matchup, Reese ranked No. 15 nationally and second in the Big Ten, averaging 10 rebounds per game. 
  • Reese is the only D-I player averaging 10 points, 10 rebounds, two blocks and one steal this season. In the last 25 years, the only other Big Ten player to put up these numbers was Michigan State's Xavier Tillman in 2019-20.
  • Reese is one of two players in the Big Ten to have over 350 points, 250 rebounds, 50 blocks and 25 steals this season.
  • Reese is 16th nationally in total rebounds (276) and is on pace to crack the top-25 for a single season at Maryland. Bob McDonald (1960-61) ranks 25th for a single season with 279.
  • Reese is looking to become just the fifth Terp since 1992-93 to average a double-double for a season. Jalen Smith (2019-20), Bruno Fernando (2018-19), Jordan Williams (2010-11) and Joe Smith (1993-94 & 1994-95) are the only other Terps to do it.

Numbers To Know

  • 1: Entering the matchup, the Terps allowed 65 points per game which ranks first in the Big Ten and 22th nationally.
  • 6: The Terps are sixth-best nationally in defensive efficiency according to KenPom.com.
  • 18: In holding Rutgers to 18 points in the first half, Maryland equaled its fewest allowed in a first half all season, tying the Coppin State game. 
  • 33: Jahmir Young's streak of 33 consecutive free throws came to an end. He's the first player in the Big Ten since the 2018-19 season to have multiple streaks of 30-plus made free throws in the same season.
  • 42: Maryland's starting frontcourt had 42 points. 
  • 204: Donta Scott moved into the top five for career-made three-pointers after hitting three today. 
  • 2,535: Young's career points - 2nd most nationally for an active player. 

Up Next

  • Maryland returns to XFINITY Center for a game against Northwestern on Feb. 28. The game will tip-off at 7 pm and will be streamed on Big Ten Network. Fans can listen on Maryland Sports Radio Network.