COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — Ron Harper Jr. scored 19 of his 27 points in the second half, and Maryland fell in its Big Ten opener to No. 19 Rutgers 74-60 Monday night.

The Scarlet Knights (5-0, 1-0) broke open a tight game with a 10-0 run that made it 50-38 with 11:49 left. Myles Johnson started and ended the spree with dunks, and Harper contributed a 3-pointer.

After Donta Scott stemmed the surge with a long-range jumper, Harper connected from behind the arc and Jacob Young scored in the lane to give the Scarlet Knights a 14-point cushion.

Scott scored 20 and Eric Ayala added 12 for Maryland (4-2, 0-1), which finished in a tie atop the conference last season.

The Scarlet Knights have 11 letter winners back from that 2019-20 squad, most notably Harper, a 6-foot-6 junior guard who came in averaging 22.3 points per game.

In this one, he went 10 for 17 from the floor, connected on 5 of 8 shots from beyond the arc and chipped in with five rebounds and four assists.

After Maryland closed to 60-51, Harper drilled a 3-pointer to restore the double-digit lead.

In the first half, the Scarlet Knights scored 10 straight points to take a 23-13 lead before Maryland closed with a 15-4 run to go up 28-27 at the break.

The Terrapins went 9 for 26 from the floor, misfired on all seven 3-point attempts and had five turnovers before halftime.

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Maryland gets a week off before facing La Salle at home on Dec. 22.

-Terps-