COLLEGE PARK, MD – Maryland men's basketball surged past Bucknell, 91-67, recording a wire-to-wire victory on Thanksgiving Eve, Wednesday, at XFINITY Center. The Terps improved to 6-1 on the season.
The Terps have now won 20 consecutive home games against unranked non-conference foes. The last time Maryland lost to an unranked non-conference opponent was Dec. 1, 2021, against Virginia Tech in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
Maryland got off to an exceptional start, going on a 20-5 run in the first 7:21 and never looking back. It did its damage in the game with a barrage of 3-pointers. The Terps drilled 12 as a team from beyond the arch on 39% shooting — both season-highs.
Several contributors bolstered the Terps' offense, as four scored in double figures.
Tafara Gapare led the charge for the Terps, scoring a career-high 19 points in a Maryland uniform and adding six rebounds. His performance was also his first career game as a Terp scoring double-digit points.
Derik Queen added another terrific performance to his dominant freshman season. He scored 15 points, grabbed eight rebounds and collected three steals.
Selton Miguel (13 points) and
Julian Reese (14 points) were other standouts.
Defensively, Maryland continued its strong start to the season. It forced 20 turnovers.
Jay Young made an exceptional impact on the defensive end, tallying three blocks. It was the most blocks for a guard since Kevin Huerter had four in a game in 2017.
Bucknell fell to 4-4 on the season. Ruot Bijiek led the Bison with 20 points.
Willard's Take
"One of the things we are doing a better job this year is forcing a lot of turnovers and capitalizing on those turnovers. It allows us to continue to press on multiple possessions. Last year, we pressed one out of every five possessions. We're pressing four possessions in a row and that is going to wear opposing teams down."
Breaking Down The Action
- Maryland led 11-2 at the first media timeout. Selton Miguel drilled two 3-pointers, and Rodney Rice added a 3-pointer. Miguel's two 3-pointers and a dunk by Derik Queen contributed to an 8-0 run.
- The Terps stretched their lead to 22-7 at the second first-half media timeout (11:25). Julian Reese finished a layup through contact leading into the break.
- At halftime, Maryland led 51-28 with timely production from its bench. Tafara Gapare scored seven, and Jay Young added six on two 3-pointers. Miguel and Reese both reach double figures.
- Bucknell cut the Maryland lead to 19, but a jump shot by Queen on the other end put Maryland back up by 20 at 58-37 with 16:50 on the clock in the second.
- Gapare sparked a quick 7-0 run by himself as the Terps led 65-43.
- Chance Stephens saw his first in-game action and subsequently drilled a 3-pointer. The Terps led 84-58 at the final media timeout.
Double-Figure Factors
- Tafara Gapare scored 19 points in double figures for his eight career games. It was his first as a Terp since transferring from Georgia Tech.
- Freshman Derik Queen scored 15 points for double-digit points for the sixth time in his career. He also accomplished the feat in five straight games this season.
- Julian Reese recorded 14 points for his 60th career game in double digits. He has scored double figures for the fourth time this season and in three straight games.
- Selton Miguel scored 13 points and earned his 65th career game in double figures. It was his fourth as a Terp this season. He leads the Terps with 1,251 career points in his five-year career.
Home Cooking
- Maryland is 317-76 all-time at the XFINITY Center, including 32-8 under Kevin Willard. Under Willard, the Terps have six home Top-25 victories, highlighted by the 2022-23 win over No. 3 Purdue.
- Maryland won a program-record 14 consecutive Big Ten conference games at XFINITY, including all 10 games in 2022-23 and the final three of 2021-22.
- Maryland's 16-1 home record in 2022-23 was the best since 2019-20 and the eighth time overall that the Terps had won 16 or more games at home. In both 2012-13 and 2014-15, the Terps won 18 games at home, going 18-3 and 18-1, respectively.
- The Terps have won 20 consecutive games against unranked non-conference foes. The last time Maryland lost to an unranked non-conference opponent was Dec. 1, 2021, against Virginia Tech in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
Numbers And Nuggets
- 1: Tafara Gapare recorded his first game as a Terp with 10 or more points.
- 3: Jay Young recorded a career-high three blocks.
- 5: This marked the fourth game this season where five-or-more players hit a 3-pointer.
- 9: Maryland is 9-0 all-time against Bucknell.
- 12: Maryland drilled a season-high 12 3-pointers.
- 19: Gapare's 19 points were a Maryland career-high.
- 20: The Terps have won 20 consecutive home games against unranked non-conference foes.
- 50: Maryland led 51-28 at halftime. That marked the third game this year to score 50-or-more in the first half (Mount St. Mary's, Canisius).
- 125: Selton Miguel played in his 125th career collegiate game between his time at Kansas State (2020-22), South Florida (2022-24), and Maryland.
- 1,251: Miguel leads the Terps with 1,251 career points in his five-year career.
Up Next
- Maryland will play Alcorn State at XFINITY Center on Sunday, Dec. 1. The game will tip at noon and be broadcast on Big Ten Network and Maryland Sports Radio Network.
