Maryland men’s basketball fell at Purdue, 83-78, on Dec. 8, in a game that featured 15 lead changes and 13 ties — the opposite of the Terps’ blowout win against Ohio State four days prior.
It was a game of runs, and Purdue managed to score when it mattered most. The Boilermakers went on a 20-5 run to grab the biggest lead of the game — 10 points, at 77-67 — and did not look back.
Maryland fell to 8-2 overall and 1-1 in the Big Ten. Maryland freshman center Derik Queen led the way with a game-high 26 points and 12 rebounds to finish with a double-double in back-to-back games.
“On the road in this conference, this is what it’s like every game,” Terps head coach Kevin Willard said. “It’s one of the best atmospheres. We’ll go back, watch film and learn from this. But I’m proud of the way our guys went out and battled for 40 minutes.”
Maryland did pull within two with 3:42 remaining after a 3-pointer from junior guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie, who scored 18 points and was 4 of 7 from 3-point range. However, Purdue responded with an 8-0 run, effectively putting the game away.
Purdue junior guard Braden Smith finished with a team-high 24 points (5-for-9 from three) and was the catalyst for Purdue, scoring five points in the decisive 8-0 run. Junior forward Trey Renn-Kaufman finished with 21 points and 8 rebounds.
“I just thought Braden Smith’s middle pick-and-roll killed us,” Willard said. “We tried to make some adjustments, but when you have a lot of new guys and you’re trying to make adjustments with six minutes to go in the game … and without [Julian Reese after he fouled out], we weren’t able to adjust.”
In the first half, both teams struggled from the field, even missing layups and dunks. Both teams shot 37.1 percent from the floor, but the difference was Maryland’s ability to knock down shots from beyond the arc. The Terps made 5 of 14 shots from long range, while the Boilermakers made 2 of 10. Maryland went into the locker room ahead, 36-31.
The Boilermakers shot 61.3 percent from the floor in the second half (19 of 31). They also upped their 3-point percentage (43.8 percent) in the second half, shooting 7 of 16 from deep.
Maryland shot 54.8 percent from the floor in the second half but only got to the free throw line three times.
“Our half-court defense in the first half was really good,” Willard said. “Our transition defense in the second half … the crowd got into it, we got a little bit rattled. This is our first road. It reminded me of some of the things we did against Marquette.”
Maryland will look to get back on track at home against Saint Francis (Pa.) on Dec. 17 at 7:30 p.m.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Maryland Athletics