Maryland men’s basketball falters in disappointing fashion to Washington, 75-69

Maryland men’s basketball opened its West Coast road trip Thursday to get the ball rolling in conference play against Washington, which had lost its first two Big Ten games by an average of 17.5 points.

But the Terps’ two leading scorers, Derik Queen and Ja’Kobi Gillespie, didn’t answer the bell. They combined for just five points in front of a raucous crowd at Alaska Airlines Arena in Seattle.

Despite a stellar performance by Julian Reese, Maryland suffered a disheartening 75-69 loss at the hands of the Huskies, who entered the contest with the second-lowest KenPom rating in the conference and picked up their first Big Ten win.

Both teams shot 47.3% from the field, but Maryland was an abysmal 2-of-11 (18.2%) from 3-point range and 15-of-22 (68.2%) from the free throw line. Its defense looked disjointed, allowing a 20-point double-double from forward Great Osobor, a career-high 18 points from freshman guard Zoom Diallo and 17 points from guard DJ Davis.

“I give Washington a lot of credit,” head coach Kevin Willard said. “They were physical, they were more physical than us and they deserved the win.”

Reese was a commanding offensive force, primarily in the post, from the opening tip. He made plenty of plays down low against a smaller Washington frontcourt, but also served as a ball mover, elevating for a thunderous dunk that drove to the rim through contact.

Maryland was aggressive on defense early, throwing frequent traps for the ball carrier all over the field. It led to a handful of turnovers, but it also led to easy looks for the Huskies on several occasions.

Two early Queen errors meant Jordan Geronimo saw the floor for an extended period. However, he had some of his best minutes of the season with back-to-back baskets around the 13-minute mark and a block.

But no starter besides Reese stepped up to pick up the offensive slack Queen was out for most of the first half. That, paired with uncharacteristic defensive struggles, left the Huskies hanging around.

Osobor hit a 3-pointer to tie the game at 19-19. Then, two possessions later, he found Diallo for a layup to take the lead.

But that would be the last time Washington led for nearly 10 minutes. Reese took over and scored Maryland’s next eight points before back-to-back Deshawn Harris-Smith buckets put it up eight with 2:18 left in the half.

Reese led the way with 14 points in the first 20 minutes – no other Terp had more than six. A late burst by the Huskies cut their deficit to 33-30 at halftime.

Outside of Queen, fouls weren’t a big factor in the first half. That changed dramatically in the second – both teams were in the bonus at the 10-minute mark.

It looked like the Terps would pull away — consecutive Reese and Selton Miguel baskets put them up by a game-high nine points with 16:22 left — but that was far from the case. The Huskies’ comeback didn’t come from a singular run, as they slowly but surely crawled back into a lead less than four minutes later.

Osobor, who has been Washington’s most productive player this season, took a back seat down the stretch to his supporting cast. Diallo and Davis each came alive in the second half, both finishing with double-digit points despite weak first halves.

The Huskies never led by more than seven points, but the game was clearly in their hands late. The Terps’ late baskets didn’t turn into runs as they didn’t do much to stop Washington late.

Harris-Smith replaced the struggling Gillespie on the floor in the final minutes. Gillespie finished with his absolute worst stat line of the season: one point, rebound and assist.

“(Ja’Kobi) had a bad game,” Willard said. “Boys have bad games once in a while.”

Three things to know

1. Road fights continue. The Terps were a combined 6-of-17 in front of opposing crowds in 2022-23 and 2023-24. They have now lost their first two games on the road this season, to Washington and No. 20 Purdue. Playing anywhere in the Big Ten is tough, but getting over that hurdle will be paramount if Maryland wants to compete for a conference championship.

2. Three-point sliding differential. Washington was far from prolific from beyond the arc Thursday — shooting just 21.7% on the night — but that came on 23 attempts. Maryland took just 11 and had an even worse 3-point percentage. The Huskies spaced the floor well and the Terps didn’t – without Queen on the floor it made all the difference.

3. Geronimo’s best game of the season. Geronimo missed three weeks across November and December and appeared to ease into things across his first three extended appearances. Thursday was the most comfortable he has looked all year; he was his usual dominant self on the defensive end, but also added 10 points, all of which seemed to come when Maryland needed a bucket the most.