COLLEGE PARK, MD – Led by Ja'Kobi Gillespie's career-high 27 points, Maryland men's basketball downed No. 22 UCLA, 79-61, at XFINITY Center on Friday. Maryland (12-4, 2-3 in Big Ten), ranked No. 24 in the NCAA NET, advanced to 10-1 at home, and head coach
Kevin Willard earned his seventh win over a ranked team as the head man for the Terps. The win by 18 points is Maryland's largest over a ranked team since beating No. 5 Michigan State, 80-62, on Nov. 27, 2008.
The Terps led most of the game despite not having a lead of more than 10 points until Gillespie drilled four consecutive free throws to put them ahead 64-51 with 5:14 remaining after UCLA head coach Mick Cronin was assessed a double technical foul. Maryland led the entire second half and outscored the Bruins 39-25 in the period.
Gillespie shot 7-of-13 from the floor. He scored 16 of his 27 points in the first half and finished with four makes from three-point land. The junior added four assists and four steals to his stat line.
Julian Reese commanded the paint, scoring 16 points, pulling down 10 rebounds and recording two steals and two blocks. He earned the 29th double-double of his career, ranking as the eighth most in program history.
Selton Miguel was the third Terp to score in double figures. He scored 11 points, added three assists, and two steals. Tafara Gapare came off the bench and scored eight points. He also made a tremendous impact defensively, recording two blocks and a steal.
Maryland's defense, ranked 23rd nationally in efficiency per KenPom, was a major key to the victory. It forced 21 turnovers, including 11 in the first half alone. This total was a season-high for UCLA.
UCLA (11-5, 2-3 Big Ten) was led by Tyler Bilodeau's 18 points. This was the Bruins' fourth loss in five games after starting the season 10-1 and being ranked as high as No. 15 in the AP Poll.
Willard and Cronin worked together on Rick Pitino's Louisville staff from 2001-03. This was their sixth meeting as head coaches, dating back to their tenures at Seton Hall and Cincinnati.
Willard's Take
"I thought we played well in spurts out there," Willard said. "It was good to come home and just have a couple days and obviously have a great home crowd."
From The Guys
"I feel like us being locked in defensively really helped us get flowing offensively," Gillespie said. "I was making shots, so I just kept shooting. … I just wanted to defend better. I wasn't really dependent on the road trip like I should be."
Breaking Down The Action
- The Terps made their first three shots from the floor, including a 3-pointer by Ja'Kobi Gillespie. However, at the first media timeout, they trailed the Bruins 13-11.
- Maryland sparked an 11-0, making four consecutive shots from the field. The run was highlighted by a converted and-one by Derik Queen. Tafara Gapare then drilled a step-back three, and the Terps led 23-18 with 9:53 to go in the first.
- UCLA responded with a 7-0 run to bring the game within one point, but Maryland maintained a 40-36 heading into the locker room. Gillespie paced all Terps with 16 points, and Gapare came off the bench to add eight.
- Maryland started the second half 4-of-4 from the floor and stretched its lead to 49-41 at the 15:58 media timeout. Julian Reese became the second Terp to reach double-digit points with 10.
- The Terps earned their second double-digit lead at 53-43 with 13:23 remaining. But back-to-back buckets by the Bruins put them within two possessions at 53-37 at the media timeout.
- UCLA called a timeout after Selton Miguel stole a pass and took it the other way for a layup. The crowd erupted as Maryland led 56-47 with under nine minutes to play. Maryland's defense had also limited UCLA to 2-of it's last-11 from the floor.
- Bruins head coach Mich Cronin was assessed a double-tech, and Gillespie made four straight free throws. With 5:14 left in the game, the Terps led 64-51.
Double-Figure Factors
- Ja'Kobi Gillespie scored a career-high 27 points and earned his 52nd career game in double figures. It was his 12th game scoring double digits.
- Julian Reese recorded 16 points for his 67th career game in double digits. He has scored double figures for the 11th time this season.
- Selton Miguel scored 11 points and earned his 73rd career game in double figures. It was his 12th as a Terp this season. He leads the Terps with 1,378 career points in his five-year career.
Juju Beast
- Julian Reese scored 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, recording his 29th career double-double.
- Since 1996-97, Reese has the third most double-doubles of any Terp in program history. Lonny Baxter (1998-02) and Jordan Williams (2001-11) are tied for the most with 33.
- Overall, he even ranks eighth in program history in double-doubles. Larry Gibson (1976-79) is seventh with 32.
- Reese is 10th on Maryland's all-time rebounds list. He now has 830 boards and is chasing the No. 8 spot shared by Donta Scott (2019-24) and Tom McMillen (1971-74), who each grabbed 859 rebounds.
- The big man blocked two shots, ranking eighth on Maryland's all-time blocked shots list with 144 in his career. Joe Smith ranks seventh with 190 blocks from 1993-95.
- Reese is one of nine players in program history to record over 1,100 career points and 800 career rebounds.
Home Cooking
- Maryland is 321-76 all-time at the XFINITY Center, including 36-8 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 2012-13 and 2014-15, the Terps won 18 games at home, going 18-3 and 18-1, respectively.
Series History
- With the addition of UCLA in the Big Ten, Maryland and UCLA will continue to build on its series history dating back to 1973. This will mark the third straight year the teams have met during the regular season after UCLA won in College Park in 2022-23 and the Terps won in Westwood in 2023-24.
- Maryland and UCLA have a long history dating back to 1969 when Hall of Fame Maryland head coach Lefty Driesell famously declared that when he was introduced as Maryland's head coach, the Terrapins had the 'potential to be the UCLA of the East Coast.'
- The Terps won their last matchup with the Bruins, 69-60, on Dec. 22, 2023, at Pauley Pavilion. Maryland won its first game in the series, upsetting the then-No. 3 Bruins, 80-79, on Dec. 23, 1982, at Cole Field House in double overtime.
Ties That Bind
- Kevin Willard and UCLA head coach Mick Cronin have a relationship that dates back to their time together as assistants on Rick Pitino's Louisville staff from 2001-03.
- As head coaches, Willard and Cronin have faced each other six times. During their tenures at Seton Hall (Willard) and Cincinnati (Cronin), the pair met on the court three times in consecutive seasons from 2010-13.
- Since Willard took over at Maryland and Cronin took over at UCLA, the coaches have again played each other in consecutive seasons from 2022-25.
Numbers And Nuggets
- 5: All five of Maryland's starters are averaging double-digit points.
- 6: This was the sixth time this season that Maryland forced 20+ turnovers.
- 7: This was Willard's seventh win over a ranked team as the Terps' head coach.
- 7: Terps have forced 10+ turnovers in the first half of seven games this season.
- 11: In scoring 40 first-half points, Maryland scored 40+ points in the first half for the 11th time this season.
- 11: Ja'Kobi Gillespie has 11 20-point games in his career, including three this season.
- 18: The win by 18 points is Maryland's largest over a ranked team since beating No. 5 Michigan State, 80-62, on Nov. 27, 2008.
- 22: The Terps have 22 10-0 or better runs this year, which leads the nation.
- 24: The Terps are ranked No. 24 in the NET Rankings.
- 27: Gillespie had a career-high 27 points.
- 30: Julian Reese posted his 30th career double-double, which is the third-most for a Maryland player since 1996-97.
- 54: Maryland shot 54% from the floor, which was it's best FG% in a Big Ten game since Feb 22, 2023 (68.1% vs Minnesota).
- 1,378: Miguel leads the Terps with 1,378 career points in his five-year career.
Up Next
- Maryland will play Minnesota at XFINITY Center on Monday, Jan. 13. The game will tip off at 6:30 p.m. and be streamed on Big Ten Network and Maryland Sports Radio Network.
