Maryland men’s basketball defeats UCLA, 69-60, behind huge night from Jahmir Young

Jahmir Young didn’t make a single shot from the field in Maryland men’s basketball’s blowout home loss at the hands of UCLA last season. He scored just three points and turned the ball over five times.

Young wasn’t letting that happen again on Friday. With the Terps’ once-20-point lead shrunk to two, it was Young who broke their near-eleven minute run without a field goal with buckets on back-to-back possessions.

Behind Young’s career best 37 points, Maryland (8-4) held off a second-half rally from UCLA (5-6) and defeated the Bruins, 69-60, at the Pauley Pavilion.

Young scored 23 points in the first half alone and outscored UCLA by himself deep into the first half. He finished the game 13-19 from the field and 4-6 from three-point range.

“Just remembering that feeling from last year,” Young said. “We haven’t gotten a road [win] yet this year … just making it a personal thing and going out and playing as hard as I can.”

The Terps dominated the first 20 minutes, taking a 43-28 lead into the locker room and stretching their advantage to 20 points early in the second half. But an offense that was firing on all cylinders went ice cold through the middle of the second half.

Foul trouble hampered Maryland all game, and it bit the Terps hard in the second half when they were forced to use a smaller lineup. UCLA shot just 1-for-14 from three-point range, but dominated Maryland inside in the second half. The Bruins grabbed 17 offensive rebounds and outscored the Terps 30-16 in the paint.

Julian Reese, Jordan Geronimo and Caelum Swanton-Rodger — who account for nearly all of Maryland’s frontcourt minutes — all fouled out in the second half. The trio combined for just six points.

Reese struggled badly on the offensive end for the second game in a row, failing to make a basket while shooting just 1-for-6 at the free-throw line. Reese’s one point was his fewest since his freshman season.

With his star counterpart struggling, Young needed to put his team on his shoulders. He did that and then some.

Maryland’s lead was cut to two with over five minutes remaining. Young, who was relatively quiet for most of the second half, erupted late. He scored nine of the Terps’ final 12 points to salt away UCLA’s hopes of a comeback and avoid what would have been a disastrous collapse for Maryland.

“[Young] saw that first one go in … you saw his eyes — he really wanted the basketball,” coach Kevin Willard said. “At the end of the game, we needed a bucket, and with [Reese fouled out], we put the ball in his hands and he made some big plays.”

Maryland’s three-point shooting struggles seemed to be a thing of the past in the first half on Friday — the Terps shot 7-for-12 from distance over the first 20 minutes. But the ceiling on the rim returned in the second half as Maryland shot just 1-for-10.

The Terps’ lone make from deep in the second half came from Donta Scott, who followed his best game in a month against Nicholls on Tuesday with another solid showing. Scott was the only other Terp in double figures, posting 17 points and six rebounds.

The win was Maryland’s first away from the Xfinity Center this season, a needed road victory ahead of a conference-only slate. Finding success on the road has been a tall task for the Terps under Willard — they entered Friday just 2-11 on the road in the last two seasons.

While UCLA isn’t the powerhouse it’s been in recent years, a road victory over a future Big Ten opponent will provide a bit of a boost to a Maryland resume that is deserted of quality wins.

The Terps will return to College Park on Thursday, hosting Coppin State to end the calendar year.