Maryland men’s basketball escapes late push, beats Nebraska, 69-66

Written By ApurbaDa January 19, 2025 Add Comment

The Terps have yet to lose a Big Ten game at home.

Each member of Maryland men’s basketball’s starting backcourt — Ja’Kobi Gillespie, Rodney Rice and Selton Miguel — has struggled with consistency at times this year. But it’s a scary sight for opponents when they’re all on point at the same time.

They proved that Sunday against Nebraska. In a game where Derik Queen and Julian Reese combined for just 11 points, all three of the Terps’ starting guards eclipsed 13. They combined to score 72.5% of Maryland’s points en route to a razor-thin 69-66 win at Xfinity Center.

Gillespie was the headliner of the guard group. His physical layup with 40 seconds left helped the Terps overcome a late Nebraska comeback effort and avoid a demoralizing home loss. He was a star on both ends of the court, totaling 22 points — including five 3-pointers — and five assists to go with four steals on defense.

Reese didn’t have his best offensive day, but made up for it with 10 rebounds and a season-high four blocks, including two in the final seven minutes. His high-effort steal with 29 seconds left up by two points put the game on ice.

After a slow-paced start to the game for both teams, Rice and Miguel got the action started with 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions. But those were the only field goals the Terps made nearly seven minutes into the game.

Five Cornhusker turnovers in the opening seven minutes put them in an early seven-point hole. Then, senior forward Andrew Morgan came in the game off the bench. Morgan, who averages just 7.9 points per game off the bench, made his first five shot attempts and added a pair of free throws to give him 12 points less than 13 minutes into the game.

Maryland was far from cold from the field — it had a 6-of-7 shooting stretch midway through the half — but Nebraska kept pace. Two turnovers from Derik Queen and one from Rice across that shooting stretch helped the Cornhuskers tighten their deficit to just two points.

Then, the Terps went silent. They either missed a shot or turned the ball over on seven consecutive possessions, allowing Nebraska to sprint to a five-point lead with 3:20 left in the half.

Three 3-pointers in the closing minutes of the half put Maryland back in the game — barely. It led by just two points at halftime.

Thirteen of Gillespie’s 22 points came in the first half. But he faltered to start the second, missing his first two shots and going 1-of-2 on a trip to the free-throw line. Miguel and Rice picked up his slack, though, combining to make four straight buckets.

Both teams were off their game for a stretch in the middle of the second half. At one point, the Terps missed seven consecutive shots, which allowed the Cornhuskers to sneak back into the lead with nine minutes remaining.

Maryland built a nine-point lead with less than five minutes left, yet things fell apart when it mattered most. The Terps failed to make a basket for more than four minutes; meanwhile, the Cornhuskers scored on four consecutive possessions to erase the lead and tie the game, 66-66. But Gillespie and Reese’s late heroics cleaned up the mess.

Three things to know

1. The Terps remain dominant at home. Maryland is now 12-1 at Xfinity Center, with its only loss coming to No. 7 Marquette by four points. A loss Sunday — especially from a late blown lead — would have spelled disaster for the Terps. But in the end, it didn’t, and a win is a win.

2. Another lackluster showing from Queen. Queen finished the game 0-of-4 from the field, the first time he’s gone without a field goal this season. His three points — a season low — all came from free throws. He also recorded a team-high three turnovers.

Queen’s seven rebounds and two assists are some consolation. But for a player that many lamented one of the best freshmen in the country, it’s simply not good enough. He’s now failed to reach double-digit points and led his team in turnovers in back-to-back games.

3. Jordan Geronimo excelled in limited minutes. Geronimo played a combined four minutes in Maryland’s past three games. He saw 11 minutes against Nebraska, though, and showed out. Geronimo recorded two highlight-reel blocks and grabbed seven rebounds — including three offensive. He only scored two points, but they came on a second-chance opportunity through intense contact.

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