Maryland men’s basketball ends losing skid with 79-61 win over No. 22 UCLA

Photo courtesy of Maryland Athletics

After a rough trip to the West Coast, Maryland men’s basketball (12-4, 2-3 Big Ten) desperately needed a win to stop their skid at the beginning of conference play.

The Terps got what they needed and more – a 79-61 thrashing of the No. 22 UCLA Bruins (11-5, 2-3 Big Ten), the Terps’ first-ranked win of the season in their first game back home in the new year. 

Despite a close game in the first half, the Terps were firmly in control after the first 20 minutes. They were shooting 50% from the field and 44.4% from long range while simultaneously forcing 11 UCLA turnovers. Their only flaw was rebounding on the defensive end: UCLA had eight offensive rebounds and nine second-chance points.

  Despite it still being an issue in the second half, the Terps offense caught fire. Although their three-point shooting fell slightly, the Terps made 57.1% of their shots in the second half. Kevin Willard put emphasis this season on not wasting possessions, and tonight, his team didn’t waste any. 

On the other bench, things weren’t nearly as smooth. UCLA head coach Mick Cronin, who went viral in the media earlier this week for calling his team soft after their 19-point loss to Michigan at home on Tuesday, was ejected from the game after arguing with a referee. That ejection landed the Terps four free throws.  

The man of the night was Ja’Kobi Gillespie. The point guard posted a career-high 27 points along with two rebounds, four assists, four steals, and a block. He shot 50% from beyond the arc and made all nine of his free throws. 

Julian Reese also had a productive outing, finishing with 16 points and 10 rebounds, his seventh double-double of the season. The only other player to reach double-digit figures was Selton Miguel with 11 points in what was a bit of an off-game for him from the floor (4-for-9).

The Terps tonight looked nothing like last week, and their improvement could not have come at a more dire time. They’ll look to build on that on Monday when they host the Minnesota Golden Gophers.