STATE COLLEGE, PA – No. 16 Maryland men's basketball defeated Penn State, 68-64, at Bryce Jordan Center on Saturday. Maryland, No. 15 in the NCAA NET, improved to 22-7 overall and 12-6 in Big Ten play. This was Maryland's sixth Quad 1 win this season.
The Terps took their first and only lead in the second half with a layup by Derik Queen at the 14:36 mark. The Nittany Lions rallied to bring the game within one at 65-64 with 1:51 to play, but the Terps held on the rest of the way. They closed the game as Rodney Rice made a key pull-up jumper at with 17 seconds left. The bucket was his second of the game, as he was 1-of-12 from the floor prior to the shot.
The Crab Five accounted for all of Maryland's 68 points, led by Queen's 23 points. Queen moved to third on the freshman scoring list. With 461 points this season, he passed Adrian Branch (442 in 1981-82). The freshman also totaled six rebounds, four steals and two blocks. His four steals were a career-high.
While guarded most of the contest by Ace Baldwin Jr., one of the best defenders in the conference, Ja'Kobi Gillespie scored 19 points and dished out seven assists. The junior guard didn't hit a single 3-pointer on six attempts in his last outing but made his first two attempts from beyond the line in the game. He finished shooting 3-of-5 from the 3-point line.
Selton Miguel added 17 points. He scored 10 of his points in the second half. The fifth-year knocked down three of Maryland's seven 3-pointers in the game, adding three rebounds and two assists.
Julian Reese also moved up the program ranks. He moved to third on Maryland's rebounding list, passing Derrick Lewis (948 from 1984-88) with 961 in his career. The senior big man only scored four points but grabbed 15 rebounds, forced six steals and blocked three shots. His six steals were a career-high.
Penn State (15-15, 5-14 Big Ten) was led by Ace Baldwin Jr.'s 18 points. This was the first time Maryland won at Bryce Jordan Center since Feb. 14, 2015.
Breaking Down The Action
- After not hitting a 3-pointer on six attempts in his last outing, Ja'Kobi Gillespie made his first three shots from the floor, including two 3-pointers. He had all eight points as the Terps led by one at the first media timeout.
- Selton Miguel scored the next seven points, and Rodney Rice drilled a 3-pointer. The Terps led 18-14 at the 11:54 timeout. As a team, they were shooting 4-of-6 from three.
- Penn State grabbed its first lead after hitting a 3-pointer at 7:31. Julian Reese and Derik Queen also entered the scoring column.
- The Nittany Lions led 36-30 at halftime. They were led by Ace Baldwin Jr.'s nine points.
- Miguel tied the game at 42 with a driving layup at 16:06. Penn State scored on the other end, but Gillespie scored another layup, and the game was tied at 44 at the 14:43 second-half media timeout.
- Maryland took its first lead in the second half with a layup by Queen at the 14:36 mark.
- Gillespie, Miguel and Queen were getting hot, and the Terps led 53-49 with 7:40 to play. Penn State was in the middle of a scoring drought lasting more than two minutes.
Double-Figure Factors
- Derik Queen scored 23 points, scoring double-digit points for the 23rd time in his freshman season. It was his eighth straight game scoring in double figures.
- Ja'Kobi Gillespie scored 19 points and earned his 64th career game in double figures. It was his 24th game scoring double digits this season. He has the most double-figure scoring games amongst all Terps this season.
- Selton Miguel tallied 17 points and earned his 82nd career game in double figures. It was his 21st as a Terp this season. He leads the Terps in double-digit scoring games and scoring overall, with 1,534 career points in his five-year career.
Queen Of The Court
- Derik Queen scored 23 points while grabbing six rebounds.
- Since 2008-09, there have been 40 twenty-point games by Maryland freshmen. In 28 games, Queen has 10. It's tied for most in that span with Melo Trimble (10).
- Queen's points per game mark (15.9) is third among Maryland freshmen from 1947-48. Joe Smith (19.4) and Melo Trimble (16.2) are the only ones who averaged more points. Furthermore, 18 of the top 26 freshmen scorers in program history were NBA Draft picks.
- The freshman moved to third on the program's freshman scoring list with 461 points this season. He passed Adrian Branch (442 in 1981-82). Next on the list is Melo Trimble, who scored 568 points in 2015.
- Queen is also fourth on the freshman rebounding list with 262 boards. Jordan Williams (284 in 2010) is third.
Juju Beast
- Julian Reese scored four points and grabbed 15 rebounds.
- Reese is 25th all-time in program history for scoring with 1,395 points. Next on the list is Dez Wells 2012-15, who scored 1,398 points.
- He has 961 rebounds in his career, moving to third on Maryland's all-time rebounds list. He passed Derrick Lewis (948 from 1984-88). Next on the list is Lonny Baxter (998 from 1998-2002).
- The big man blocked three shots, ranking eighth on Maryland's all-time blocked shots list with 170 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.
Numbers And Nuggets
- 4: Maryland is one of four major conference programs with all five starters scoring double figures while starting at least 50 percent of the team's games.
- 4: Queen recorded a career-high four steals.
- 5: Reese is one of five players in program history to record over 1,300 points and 900 career rebounds.
- 6: Reese recorded a career-high six steals.
- 6: The Terps have six Quad 1 wins this season.
- 10: Queen has 10 20-point games this season.
- 15: The Terps are ranked No. 15 in the NET Rankings.
- 16: Maryland is ranked No. 16 in this week's AP Poll.
- 462: The Terps have now made a 3-pointer in 462 consecutive games.
- 1,534: Miguel leads the Terps with 1,534 career points in his five-year career.
Up Next
- Maryland will play No. 15 Michigan on the road on March 5. The game will tip off at 6:30 and be televised on the Big Ten Network. It will also be broadcast on the Maryland Sports Radio Network.
