Terrapins notch 18th win after Rutgers victory

Maryland Men's Basketball vs. Rutgers in the Xfinity Center in College Park, MD on Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025. University of Maryland Athletics. (Courtesy of Maryland Athletics)

COLLEGE PARK, Md. – The No. 18 Maryland Terrapins (18-6, 8-5) showed out in a 90-81 victory against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights (12-12, 5-8) Sunday afternoon at the Xfinity Center.

After winning four of their last five contests, Maryland was looking to get back on track after a demoralizing road defeat at the hands of Ohio State Thursday night. Rutgers is looking for their second upset in a row after their victory against No. 23 Illinois earlier this week.

In a game where he notched his seventh double-double of the season, Derik Queen dominated the Scarlet Knights. Queen’s outing consisted of a career-high 29 points, 15 rebounds, six offensive, five assists, a block and a steal to go along with it. Queen’s 29 points were the most points for a Maryland freshman since Justin Jackson’s 28 point performance against Minnesota in 2017.

“I felt like things were going my way, and my teammates just kept giving me the ball and trusting me to make plays,” said Queen, “I had a lot of opportunities to make shots, so I just kept sticking with it,” he added.

“It’s always good to face off against Derik,” Rutgers guard Dylan Harper added “He’s a big force out there, he gets to his spots, plays the game the right way.”

Queen and Harper have gone back and forth since middle school, so this matchup was a little more than just a conference matchup on a Sunday afternoon.

“We’ve been going back through it since sixth, seventh grade, so I mean we know each other pretty well,” Harper said.

“We actually talked two days ago about it,” Queen said, “I told him I couldn’t wait for this game. I told him I wanted this game. I wanted to win this game.”

A missed layup from Gillespie led to a putback slam from Queen to give the Terps a 69-62 advantage going into the Rutgers timeout. Reese, who struggled to a four point, two blocks and two rebound performance, finally got back in the scoring column after another layup and foul that pushed the lead to 79-66. A layup from Harper cut the lead to nine but with just four minutes to play, the Terps looked to close the game out with little drama.

“It was not his night, and his leadership was unbelievable at all times,” said Head Coach Kevin Willard on Reese’s performance. “He’s been the best player in the BIG 10 for the last month, hands down.”

As the game got going in the first half, Ja’Kobi Gillespie knocked down a three that was answered by a full court pass from Queen to Julian Reese for a layup and a foul on the ensuing possession to send Rutgers to their first timeout of the game. Harper got going after layups on back-to-back possessions to push the lead to 14-7 with a Rutgers advantage.

After back-to-back threes by Selton Miguel and Gillespie, Queen got an offensive rebound and threw down an emphatic dunk while being fouled on the play. He knocked down the free-throw, knotting the game at 16.

Queen has dominated the boards with eight in just the first 11 minutes. Miguel put in a wide open corner three off the assist from Queen. Rutgers’ Ace Bailey was then rejected by Queen on the ensuing possession.

Miguel was feeling confident in the first half as he knocked down his third three of the half to extend the Terps lead to 26-20. Queen has captured all the momentum in this game as he had five rebounds on both sides of the court. Jordan Geronimo threw down a strong two-handed dunk off the assist from Miguel to extend the lead to 10 and get the crowd on their feet.

Maryland’s press helped to make Rutgers uncomfortable on offense, as well as keep Bailey and Harper in check. Bailey came into this game averaging 19 points and close to eight rebounds a night. Tonight he finished with four points and four rebounds.

Bailey had a quiet night, but that was due to an illness that has continued to run through the team. Rutgers head coach Steve Pikell said in the post game press conference that he really tried to go tonight, and he really loves him for the effort.

Harper came into this game averaging 19 points, but he still finished this contest with 20 points. A Geronimo steal led to two free-throws for Queen to push their advantage to 14. Queen already had a double-double with over four minutes to play in the first half.

“The biggest thing for us was knowing they were young. Knowing they’d never seen pressure in this building,” Willard added, “It was our whole focus the first half, making sure that they were not comfortable in the first half.”

Another steal from Geronimo sparked a fastbreak where Rodney Rice knocked down a three on the other end. “Overrated” chants began when Harper was at the line. He hit both free-throws and fed to Rutgers forward Dylan Grant for a dunk on the ensuing offensive possession.

“JG gives us energy, he brings us defensive spark, dunks that get the crowd going,” said Rice after the game.

Miguel knocked down a deep three as the shot clock expired but was answered by Zach Martini immediately right before the end of the half. The Terps lead 49-38 at the half.

Miguel picked up right where he left off in the first, knocking down a step back three to open the second half, his fifth three of the game. Rutgers fought back, closing the gap to four right before a Rice three plus a foul extended the lead right back to eight, 62-54 with 13 minutes to play. Harper responded as he raced down the court for a tough layup but was answered back once again by a Rice three, his third of the game.

Queen extended the Terps’ lead to 81-70 after a ferocious dunk. Maryland called a full timeout with a minute and 45 seconds to play as Rutgers was in desperation mode, fouling and getting quick shots up.

Rice added 19 points and Miguel put in 17 points of his own. Gillespie added 14 more points with five rebounds and three assists and two steals to pair with it. Geronimo’s energy was evident, walking away with five rebounds, two steals and two blocks before leaving the game after a hit to the face. Maryland blocked six shots and had seven steals.

The Terps are back in action Thursday night against Nebraska and back in College Park next Sunday evening against Iowa.