WEST LAFAYETTE, IN – Maryland battled all game, making a strong comeback in the second half thanks to stifling defense but suffered a 58-55 defeat at the hands of No. 3 Purdue on Sunday afternoon at Mackey Arena.
Julian Reese led the Terps with 19 points as he went toe-to-toe with National Player of the Year candidate Zach Edey (24 points and 16 rebounds). Reese connected on 8-of-11 from the floor as he had his career-high in scoring in a Big Ten game.
Hakim Hart scored 11 points with five rebounds. Jahmir Young, scored 10 and dished out a season-high tying seven assists and grabbed seven rebounds.
Down by as many as 16 points midway through the first half, Maryland rallied back to within three on several occasions in the second half with Reese and Hart keying the comeback.
Maryland held Purdue to its fewest points of the season. The previous low was 61 against Minnesota. It's the fewest points Purdue has scored since scoring 58 against Michigan last season on Feb. 10, 2022. Purdue didn't make a field goal for the game's final 5:42 as the Boilers missed their last eight shots.
Young's potential game-tying three pointer at the buzzer didn't fall.
The Terps fell to 12-7 overall and 3-5 in the Big Ten before returning home for a three-game homestand starting Wednesday night against Wisconsin at 7 p.m.
Purdue is now 19-1 overall and 8-1 in the conference with their lone loss coming to Rutgers on Jan. 2.
Maryland was seeking its first road win over a Top-5 opponent since
beating No. 1 North Carolina on Jan. 19, 2008, an 82-80 win at the Dean Dome in Chapel Hill.
Willard's Take
"We had some good opportunities…conference road games you are going to have to grind and execute and I thought we got a couple of good shots late. We battled, and we got them to take a lot of bad shots, probably shots that they were able to offensive rebound because they're not used to taking bad shots, it's not a win obviously but I'm proud of these guys."
Breaking Down The Action
- Purdue jumped out to a 25-9 lead in the first nine minutes of the game as the Boilers connected on 10 of their first 14 shots.
- Maryland's defense found its footing and held Purdue without a field goal for a stretch of nearly seven minutes late in the first half.
- The Boilermakers led 35-21 at halftime as Edey had 11 points in the first half, punctuated by a dunk as the half expired. Reese led the Terps with nine first-half points.
- The Terps came out strong to start the second half scoring the game's first seven points to cut the margin to single-digits at 35-28 on a Donta Scott three-pointer less than two minutes into the half. A three-point play by Hakim Hart and a dunk by Reese brought Maryland to within five at 42-37 with 12 minutes left.
- Reese's swooping layup with seven minutes left cut the deficit to three at 50-47. That was as close as the game was since Purdue led 4-2 in the opening moments of the game.
- The Terps continued to match the Boilers to keep the game within two possessions for the final seven minutes with defense. Purdue missed its last eight shots spanning 5:42.
Double-Figures Update
- Reese (19 points) reached double-figures for the eighth time this season and the 15th time in his career. It also marked the third time in the last four games for Reese to score 10-or-more. It was his best offensive performance since scoring 24 points against Coppin State and most points ever in a Big Ten game.
- Hart scored in double figures for the 11th time this season and the 35th time in his career with 11 points.
- Young (10 points) hit the double-figure mark for the 16th time this season in 19 games and the 91st time in his career.
Donta In The Record Books
- Scott is still No. 42 in the all-time scoring records for Maryland with 1,150 career points. Next up are Buck Williams (1,153 from 1978-81) and Maurice Howard (1,161 from 1972-76).
- Scott moved up in the rebounding ranks with four boards today. He now has 608 which make his No. 28 all-time. He is now chasing No. 27 Gary Ward who grabbed 615 boards in 65 games from 1963-66.
Notes and Nuggets
- Hakim Hart played in his 100th career game on Sunday making his 69th career start. He is the fifth player to suit up in 100-plus career games on the Terps roster: Don Carey (135), Patrick Emilien (120), Donta Scott (113), Jahmir Young (104).
- Patrick Emilien returned to action for the first time since Jan. 8 after missing the last two games due to injury.
- Jahmir Young's seven assists were his most this season since record seven against No. 7 Tennessee.
Up Next
- The Terps return home to face Wisconsin on Wednesday, Jan. 25 at 7 p.m., as that game kicks off a three-game homestand. The game will air on Big Ten Network and the Maryland Sports Radio Network.
