LINCOLN, NE – All five starters scored in double figures as No. 25 Maryland men's basketball defeated Nebraska, 83-75, at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Thursday. Maryland, No. 18 in the NCAA NET, improved to 19-6 overall and 9-5 in Big Ten play. The Terps have now won six of their last seven games. The win was the Terps' sixth Quad 1 victory this season.
It was the fourth time all five Maryland starters scored in double-figures this season. The Terps went into halftime with a 42-35 advantage and never trailed in the second half. The Huskers cut the deficit to two points (77-75) with 1:03 left to play, but Selton Miguel connected on a runner on the baseline to put the Terps ahead 79-75. They then closed out the game from the free-throw line.
Maryland shot an impressive 58.5 percent from the floor, the Terps' best field goal percentage in a conference game since shooting 68.1 at Minnesota on Feb. 22, 2023. That mark included 7-of-15 (46.7 percent) from beyond the three-point line.
Derik Queen led the team, posting his eighth career double-double with 24 points and 10 rebounds. It was also his ninth game this season with 20 or more points and fifth with 20+ points and 10+ rebounds (most by any freshman in the nation). Queen shot a dazzling 9-of-11 from the floor. He moved to fifth on the program's all-time freshman scoring list. Queen has 395 this season and is nearing fifth-place Johnny Rhodes, who scored 425 points his freshman year in 1993.
Julian Reese added 13 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks as Maryland's frontcourt duo combined for 37 points and 21 rebounds. It was Reese's 11th double-double of the season and 33rd of his career. He ranks tied for fifth in program history in double-doubles. This was also the third time this season that Queen and Reese both recorded a double-double.
Ja'Kobi Gillespie and Miguel were the major contributors to Maryland's hot shooting. Miguel scored 17 on 3-of-5 three-point shooting to go along with three assists. Gillespie totaled 15 points on 3-of-5 three-point shooting with seven assists and three rebounds.
Rodney Rice (14 points) was the final Terp starter to net double-digit points.
With four games in which all five starters have scored double figures, only Kentucky (5) among major college conference programs has more than Maryland this season. Arkansas also has four.
This was the second time this season the Terps defeated the Huskers (16-9, 6-8 Big Ten), as Maryland won 69-66 on Jan. 19 in College Park. Maryland boasts a 14-4 all-time head-to-head record in matchups against Nebraska.
Nebraska was led by Juwan Gary, who scored a Husker-high 22 points. Brice Willaims added 20 points. The loss to the Terps snapped the Huskers' four-game win streak.
Willard's Take
"I've told everyone for the longest time, since I got into this conference, that this is one of the toughest places to play," head coach Kevin Willard said. "It's a great fan base. They're loud, they're into the game and I was really impressed with our guys, that every time they made a run, we had a big time answer. It shows you that we've grown up a little bit as a team, we've grown up we didn't get too razzled at all. We just kind of stayed into it made some big plays and give them some credit too because they made some big shots too."
From The Guys
"I feel like we earned that win today," Reese said. "Just a reflection of our hard work and just staying together as a team. We were mentally strong today, and that was the key to us getting a dub."
Breaking Down The Action
- Queen and Miguel combined for 12 of Maryland's first 16 points in the game. Seven of those, back-to-back jumpers by Queen and a triple by Miguel, came during a 9-0 run that put the Terps up 16-8 at the 14:26 mark of the first half.
- Nebraska took a 19-18 lead at 10:09 in the first after a five-point possession with a 3-pointer and two made free throws because of a foul underneath the basket.
- The Terps regained the lead and were ahead 32-28 at the 5:57 first-half media timeout. They made five straight shots from the floor, including 3-pointers by Gillespie and Miguel.
- Maryland went into the break with a 42-35 lead. All five of its starters totaled six or more points. Maryland was also dominating the boards with a 20-11 advantage.
- The Terps went on a 6-0 burst to lead 54-43 at the 15:25 mark. The Huskers responded with one of its own to bring the game within five.
- An acrobatic layup by Rice at the 7:25 mark in the second half kept Maryland ahead, 67-59. Rice was the fifth Terps to score in double figures, as all five starters accomplished the feat.
- The Huskers cut the deficit to two points (77-75) with 1:03 left to play, but Miguel connected on a runner on the baseline to put the Terps ahead 79-75. They then closed out the game from the free-throw line.
Double-Figure Factors
- Derik Queen scored 24 points, scoring double-digit points for the 19th time in his freshman season.
- Selton Miguel tallied 17 points and earned his 79th career game in double figures. It was his 18th as a Terp this season. He leads the Terps in double-digit scoring games and scoring overall with 1,483 career points in his five-year career.
- Ja'Kobi Gillespie scored 15 points and earned his 60th career game in double figures. It was his 20th game scoring double digits this season. He has the most double-figure scoring games amongst all Terps this season.
- Rodney Rice netted 14 points and scored in double digits for his 21st career game. It was his 18th game in double figures as a Terp this season.
- Julian Reese recorded 13 points for his 73rd career game in double digits. He has scored double figures for the 17th time this season.
Queen Of The Court
- Derik Queen scored 24 points while grabbing 11 rebounds, earning his eighth career double-double. Since 1993-94, he's one of just 13 Terps to post a double-double in their rookie seasons. He's tied for the third most double-doubles in that span with Jordan Williams (2009-10). Joe Smith has the most with 20 from 1993-94.
- Queen's points per game mark (15.9) is in the top five among Maryland freshmen dating back to 1947-48. Joe Smith has the best per-game mark (19.4). Furthermore, 18 of the top 26 freshmen scorers in program history were NBA Draft picks.
- Since 2008-09, there have been 38 20-point games by Maryland freshmen. In 25 games, Queen has nine. It's the second most in that span behind Melo Trimble (10).
- The freshman is sixth on the program's freshman scoring list. With 397 points this season, he vaulted Johnny Rhodes (392 in 1993), Jalen Smith (386 in 2019) and Albert King (381 in 1978). John Lucas is fifth with 425 points in 1973.
Juju Beast
- Julian Reese scored 13 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, recording his 33rd career double-double. It was his 11th double-double of the season.
- Since 1996-97, Reese is tied for the most double-doubles of any Terp in program history. Lonny Baxter (1998-02) and Jordan Williams (2001-11) also have 33.
- Overall, he ranks tied for fifth in program history in double-doubles with Lonny Baxter and Jordan Williams. He broke a tie with Larry Gibson (1976-79).
- Reese is 29th all-time in program history for scoring with 1,352 points. Next on the list is Tony Massenburg (1985-90), who is 28th with 1,354 points.
- He has 917 rebounds in his career, which is sixth on Maryland's all-time rebounds list. He passed Keith Booth (916 from 1993-97).
- The big man blocked two shots, ranking eighth on Maryland's all-time blocked shots list with 164 in his career. Joe Smith ranks seventh with 190 blocks from 1993-95.
- Reese has over 1,300 points and 900 rebounds in his career. He's one of five players in program history who reached those career thresholds.
Dominating The Series
- This was Maryland's 18th meeting with Nebraska. The Terps have a 14-4 record against the Huskers. The mark includes a 9-1 record at home.
- Kevin Willard is 4-2 in his career against Nebraska, winning his last three meetings.
- This was the second time the Terps defeated the Huskers this season. They won 69-66 on Jan. 19, 2024.
Numbers And Nuggets
- 3: This was the third time this season that Queen and Reese posted a double-double.
- 4: This was the fourth time this season all five starters scored in double-figures. The second-most in the nation to Kentucky (5).
- 5: All five of Maryland's starters average double-digit points and scored in double figures tonight
- 5: Queen moved to fifth on the program's freshman scoring list.
- 5: Reese is one of five players in program history to record over 1,300 career points and 900 career rebounds.
- 6: The Terps have six Quad 1 wins this season.
- 6: Maryland has won six of its last seven games.
- 8: Queen notched his eighth career double-double.
- 9: Queen has nine 20-point games this season.
- 9: Miguel knocked down three three-pointers, including three in the first half, his ninth game this season with three or more three-pointers.
- 11: Maryland is 11-0 this season when scoring 80 or more points.
- 14: The Terps own a 14-4 head-to-head record against the Huskers.
- 14: In scoring 42 first-half points, Maryland scored 40+ points in the first half for the 14th time this season.
- 18: The Terps are ranked No. 18 in the NET Rankings.
- 25: Maryland is ranked No. 25 in this week's AP Poll.
- 33: Reese recorded the 33rd double-double of his career, which is tied for the fifth most in program history.
- 458: The Terps have now made a 3-pointer in 458 consecutive games.
- 1,483: Miguel leads the Terps with 1,483 career points in his five-year career.
Up Next
- Maryland returns to XFINITY Center for a three-game homestand. It starts with a game against Iowa on Feb. 16. It will tip off at 5 p.m. and be televised on FS1 and broadcast on Maryland Sports Radio Network.
