Terps stay hot, coast to 87-60 win over Syracuse in Brooklyn

Photo courtesy of University of Maryland Athletics

Sheer and utter domination was the story for Maryland men’s basketball (10-2, 1-1 Big Ten) against Syracuse (5-6, 0-1 ACC) Saturday afternoon at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The Terps never trailed in the game, closing out a convincing 87-60 Gotham Classic win.

A struggling Syracuse team did just that out of the gate, unable to get open looks or any kind of consistency on either end of the floor. Twelve of their 21 turnovers came in the first half, leading Maryland to score more (18) off Syracuse giveaways than the Orange scored at all (17) in the first frame.

Syracuse picked up their game in the second half, ending with a 43.1% conversion rate from the field and 50.0% from range.

The Terps registered 15 steals and three blocks and turned the ball over just 13 times. Their 26 assists match a Gotham Classic high (Memphis, 2017).

“We wanted to come out and make a statement right away defensively,” head coach Kevin Willard said. “Our intensity right from the start just set the tone, and kind of got them on their heels.”

Junior wing Selton Miguel led the way again, pouring in 24 behind 6-for-9 from deep after his 24-point breakout in Tuesday’s win over St. Francis. He was given Most Outstanding Player honors after the game.

Junior guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie logged another well-rounded game, adding 11 assists and five rebounds to his 17 points for his first career double-double.

“Last two weeks, Selton’s been on fire. So I just knew I needed to find him,” Gillespie said. “If I touch the paint, I know I can kick it out to Selt, Rodney [Rice], or dump it off to Ju [Reese].”

The Terps anchor bigs struggled offensively at first, but found their rhythm in the second half. Freshman Derik Queen had 11 on 5-for-12 shooting, with eight boards and three turnovers. Senior Julian Reese was good for 11 on 5-for-13 and had double-digit grabs for the seventh time this season.

After losing the opening tip, Maryland had two steals and Miguel had five points before Syracuse attempted a field goal. The Terrapins endured an 0-for-6 stretch started by Miguel’s missed heat check three-pointer on the third offensive possession but bore down defensively and kept the lead.

The rest of the half was a steady climb for Maryland, building the lead into the 20s and making the Orange work to find the scarce availability of open looks on offense.

The second period was much more closely contested, with Syracuse freshman forward Donnie Freeman finding his touch around the rim. He ended with 15 points and 7 rebounds, with all scoring coming after the break.

The Orange rode an 8-for-8 run and a few ugly Maryland turnovers to cut the lead as low as 25 before Willard pulled his starters with 1:54 left. Still, Orange head coach Adrian Autry was displeased with his team’s showing.

“We got our butts kicked, handed to us. It was embarrassing,” Autry said. “The one thing we’ve done all year, even though we’ve come up short, is competed. Today, that wasn’t the case.”

With the win, the Terrapins improve to 4-3 at Barclays Center all-time. Their most recent game before Saturday was a 56-53 loss to then-No. 7 Tennessee in the Basketball Hall of Fame Invitational in December 2022.

The Terps are back in action in one week, set to take on Maryland-Eastern Shore at XFINITY Center Dec. 28 at noon.