Maryland's offense sputters again in loss to relentless Rutgers

PISCATAWAY, N.J. - With Rutgers defenders swarming and disrupting shots, Maryland's offense looked lost. The relentless defensive effort forced the struggling Terrapins into a first-half scoring drought and turned the game into an arduous comeback mission. But after Maryland answered and nearly leveled the score, another extended slump doomed the Terps to a 64-50 defeat Thursday night.

The Scarlet Knights (11-4, 3-1 Big Ten) and their formidable defense accentuated some of Maryland's recurring issues. The Terps slipped into those dreary stretches, missed their first 10 attempts from three-point range and finished with a season-high 20 turnovers. Rutgers's pressure created problems for the Terps and ignited the fans inside Jersey Mike's Arena, an 8,000-seat venue that amplifies the crowd's roar.

The Terrapins (10-5, 1-3) have been spiraling since their marquee win last month over then-No. 16 Illinois, which also has struggled through the past month. The Terps have lost their five games against major-conference opponents since that promising start, with their only two wins coming against St. Peter's and Maryland Baltimore County. Still, Coach Kevin Willard said his team "responded great" after playing "as bad as you can play" at Michigan on Sunday. In that game, the Terps were outclassed from the start and suffered a 81-46 defeat.

Maryland avoided another meltdown, but the Terps' 17-point output in the first half and the offensive issues did little to inspire optimism. The Scarlet Knights' defensive prowess - they entered with the fourth-best scoring defense in the nation - contributed to the trouble, and Willard hopes the solution is as simple as returning to Xfinity Center.

"Sometimes schedule dictates how you play," Willard said. "We've played well at home. We just haven't been home that much. I have the utmost confidence in these guys. We'll get it going offensively again. I'm not so worried."

The Terps were fortunate to face just a 24-17 deficit at halftime after an abysmal offensive performance. Their scoring drought lasted nearly nine minutes, and they struggled from three while repeatedly losing turnovers. The Terps finally broke through with three baskets from the perimeter in the final three minutes of the half. That late burst, along with solid defense amid the offensive woes, helped Maryland keep the game in reach.

"We were able to have a next-play mentality and really were able to own our matchups and really just trying to battle and compete," point guard Jahmir Young said of the team's defense.

The Scarlet Knights' lead had grown to 11 during the first half, but Maryland had the margin down to four after Young drew a foul on a layup and made the free throw with 14:27 to go in the game. The Terps then slumped again, this time going more than four minutes without scoring. Rutgers capitalized with a 12-0 run. During that stretch, Julian Reese was called for a flagrant foul while attempting to block Paul Mulcahy's shot in transition. Mulcahy, the game's leading scorer with 15 points, made both free throws, and the Scarlet Knights scored off an offensive rebound on the following possession.

By then, Rutgers's lead had grown to 12 points, and they controlled the game to the end.

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Willard has tinkered with his starting lineup lately as the Terps have struggled, and against Rutgers, freshman wing Noah Batchelor logged his first start. Batchelor, a Frederick native, took the spot of guard Don Carey, the transfer from Georgetown who has been struggling from three-point range (27.5 percent) this season. Willard said he hoped Carey playing off the bench would allow him to "come in and be a little freer, instead of being such a focus and having one of the best defenders on him."

Carey entered the game after the first media timeout and got going late in the first half with a pair of three-pointers, then started the second half in place of Bachelor. Carey finished with 12 points and made 4 of 8 attempts from beyond the arc. Young (13 points) was the only Terp to score more than Carey.

"It's an advantage coming off the bench sometimes," Carey said. "You get to gauge and see the atmosphere and see where the energy needs to go on the court and what I need to provide for my team."

Bachelor played only 10 minutes and had zero points after not attempting a shot.

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Reese has dealt with a shoulder injury that kept him out of the St. Peter's game and limited him in other outings. After Reese played 36 minutes against Rutgers, Willard said: "I thought that's the best Julian's looked in a long time. It looks like he's back from those 12 days that he missed. His legs look like they're there."

Reese scored eight points on 4-of-5 shooting and grabbed six rebounds. It wasn't a resounding performance, but Maryland needs Reese to match up against the Big Ten's best centers. After Michigan's Hunter Dickinson punished Maryland with 32 points and 12 rebounds, the Terps faced Clifford Omoruyi, a 6-foot-11 junior center for Rutgers. Most of the Scarlet Knights' production came from their guards, while Omoruyi was limited to four points.

"I thought he battled all night with Cliff," Willard said of Reese. "He just had that look in his eye that he had before he got hurt."

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