Missed free throws killed the Terps in the end.
Maryland men’s basketball dropped its first game of the season Friday night in a 78-74 loss to No. 15 Marquette.
The game came down the final seconds, but DeShawn Harris-Smith could not make two free throws to tie the game with 14 seconds remaining.
Here are three takeaways from the game.
The Terps survived their first test of the season
While still a loss, the Terps playing this well against one of the country’s best should be a positive sign for Maryland fans.
Maryland finished 16-17 last season and 7-13 in conference play, playing well below expectations. As a result, head coach Kevin Willard made some much-needed additions, adding five-star freshman Derik Queen and highly-touted transfer Ja’Kobi Gillespie, along with transfers Selton Miguel and Rodney Rice.
Although the Terps roster looked improved on paper and played well in its first three games — against far inferior opponents — the legitimacy if this team was still in question. But on Friday night, the Terps displayed they are a significantly better team than last season and can hang with nationally-ranked teams. Maryland led by four points at halftime, and it took 28 points from Marquette guard Kam Jones to overcome the Terps.
The home crowd was also electric, erupting after nearly every point. For now, it seems the Terps are back to their 2022-23 form.
“I wanted to test these guys early [in the season],” Willard said. “I was really proud of these guys’ effort, really loved the way they kept battling.”
Gillespie and Queen carried the load offensively
Maryland’s offense looked stale and directionless at times, especially in the early going. Pick-and-rolls were defended perfectly by Marquette and post ups resulted in turnovers. When plays did not develop, Gillespie and Queen were called upon to generate points with nothing to work with.
Gillespie has been one of the only Terps to consistently hit threes this season, and shot 4-of-9 from deep Friday. His play in and around the paint was impressive as well. He started the game with a floater and short-range jumper, each causing explosions from the home crowd. He finished the game with 24 points, four rebounds and an assist.
Queen took advantage of mismatches in the paint. Playing alongside Julian Reese has provided favorable matchups for Queen, as Marquette’s tallest player was always assigned to Reese. With Reese stationed down low, Queen would often catch the ball at the free-throw line or top of the key, and then use his strength and size to overpower defenders and get to the basket with ease.
Queen was key in Maryland’s first-half lead, stringing together two layups and a free throw to put the Terps up four points before the break. Queen shot 9-of-13 from the field for a career-high 24 points, while also adding seven rebounds, three assists and two blocks.
“Obviously, you’re going to have the ball in Kobi’s hands just because he’s the best playmaker and guy that can make shots,” Willard said. “Derick in the high post against them, he had the size against [David] Joplin and he had the speed advantage against [Ben] Gold.”
As newcomers to high-level college basketball, both impressed and proved they belong.
A look at Maryland’s conference rotation
Maryland played 14 players in each of its first three games of the season. While it was known walk-ons Ben Murphy and Lukas Sotell would not play in competitive games, Friday provided clarity for some of the other players on the edge of cracking the rotation.
The Terps ran a nine-man rotation against Marquette. Gillespie, Miguel, Harris-Smith, Queen and Reese remained in the starting lineup, while Rice was again the top option off the bench, playing 32 minutes, including the final 18.
The rest of the second unit consisted of Jordan Geronimo, Jay Young and Tafara Gapare, but they played minimally. Geronimo and Young combined for 11 minutes played, while Gapare only saw the court for three minutes. Chance Stephens also played the last seven seconds of the game.
“It just got to the point where [Marquette head coach] Shaka [Smart] was keeping his guys in, and at that point in the game where [reserves] have been sitting for eight, nine, 10 minutes, it’s tough to sub at that point,” Willard said. “These guys have to learn how to play through it.”
While Geronimo, Young and Gapare will certainly see more minutes in most other games, it seems Stephens, forward Braden Pierce and guard Malachi Palmer will be on the outside looking in.