The Terps improve to 6-1.
After a thrilling of a win over Villanova Sunday in the Saatva Empire Classic, Maryland men’s basketball took a break from the dramatics Wednesday.
Taking on Bucknell at home, the Terps capitalized early and often as they have in many of their early-season matchups. Forcing the Bisons into a deep deficit by halftime, Maryland coasted to a 91-67 win on Thanksgiving eve.
Maryland opened up an 11-2 lead in the first three and a half minutes, courtesy of a splurge of shooting from deep. Selton Miguel, who did not score against the Wildcats, canned two 3-pointers in this stretch without hesitation.
This hot shooting start only continued, as Miguel sunk a baseline jump shot and Ja’Kobi Gillespie aired it out from downtown to extend Maryland’s early lead to 13.
Meanwhile, Bucknell struggled, turning the ball over seven times in the first eight minutes. Gillespie was the main benefactor, swiping two steals in his first stint on the court.
The dominant interior duo of Julian Reese and Derik Queen saw a plethora of early minutes together on the court. The formula worked well for head coach Kevin Willard, who utilized both on either edge of the paint to facilitate one-on-one post matchups on smaller defenders. Even when doubles came, Reese fought through the contact to earn a trip to the line.
Through the first 13 minutes, Maryland opened up a 16-point lead. Miguel had 13 points, as a result of 3-of-4 shooting from 3-point range. In fact, it was arguably the Terps’ best half from behind the arc all season, as they went 9-of-17 from deep in the opening 20 minutes.
With one half left to play, the Terps were completely in control, up 51-28.
The Bison were not ready to give up completely, though. They scored a quick nine points to begin the second period.
But Maryland had no issue matching this sudden offensive output. Queen was especially active out of the break, getting busy on the offensive glass to manufacture second-chance opportunities. He also went 2-of-2 from the field in the first three minutes.
The Terps’ perimeter shooting noticeably cooled off in the second half, as they missed all three of their shots from deep in the first four minutes. Bucknell was just the opposite, going 2-of-4 from beyond the arc in the same span.
But Maryland never seemed to relinquish much of the lead it had built in the first half. A big factor was Queen’s passing and poise, which has flashed time and time again. His ball handling and court vision was evident, and while he finished with just two assists, his on-ball impact was clear.
Queen finished the evening with 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting to go with a team-high eight rebounds and three steals.
During the middle portion of the second frame, Bucknell ceded all hope of a potential comeback, embarking on a dismal 2-of-13 shooting stretch.
Up more than 25 points with four minutes remaining, Willard emptied his bench, paving the way for Chance Stephens and Braden Pierce minutes.
Ultimately, the Terps faced little resistance Wednesday, cruising to a 24-point victory.
Three things to know
1. Gapare proved to be a viable bench piece. Forward Tafara Gapare gave Maryland some sensational minutes Wednesday. In the first half, he posted seven points on 2-of-3 shooting, also grabbing three boards and notching a highlight-reel block.
His production continued in the latter half, with consecutive momentum-shifting buckets and a poster dunk. In 22 minutes, he finished with a team-high 19 points to go along with six rebounds.
2. Reese was confident and in control. Expanding on his impressive 18-point, 10-rebound performance against Villanova, Reese looked extremely comfortable in the post Wednesday. He also attempted a mid-range jump shot, which he banked in, as well as a rare 3-point try. He finished with 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting and 4-of-5 from the line.
3. Looking ahead. With the win, Maryland moves to 6-1 on the 2024-25 campaign. It has just one more game — against Alcorn State — before it starts conference play against Ohio State. The Terps have a serious chance to be 7-1 and ranked going into Big Ten play, especially after receiving some votes in the the national rankings this past week.