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Basketball

Maryland Basketball Loses 7th Straight at No. 8 Purdue's Mackey Arena

2024-12-08

Maryland men's basketball has faced continuous struggles at Mackey Arena. The Terps dropped their seventh consecutive game there against No. 8 Purdue, with a 26 - 16 outburst in the second half helping Purdue emerge victorious with an 83 - 78 score on Sunday afternoon in West Lafayette, Indiana. Since January 10, 2015, Maryland has not tasted victory at this arena. This recent loss marked the first time since a 78 - 74 setback to then - No. 15 Marquette on November 15 that the team had lost. Freshman center Derik Queen played exceptionally well, scoring a career - high 26 points and grabbing 12 rebounds for his fourth double - double of the year while blocking two shots. Junior point guard Ja'Kobi Gillespie contributed 18 points and four assists, and graduate student small forward Selton Miguel and sophomore shooting guard Rodney Rice each scored 13 points. Maryland held a 62 - 57 lead with 8:25 remaining in the second half but Purdue responded with a 10 - 0 run and then a 10 - 5 spurt to take a 10 - point lead and pull away. Despite the defeat, Big Ten Network analyst and former Purdue forward Robbie Hummel had positive thoughts about Maryland. He said, "I don't care about the result today. Just from the eye test of the talent and seeing them up close in the last two games against Ohio State and here today, this is as tough a building in college basketball to win as anywhere. The schedule lightens up before they get back into Big Ten play, but I think very highly of the Maryland Terrapins. I think Kevin Willard is going to have an opportunity for this team to really compete this year." Meanwhile, Purdue had four double - figure scorers, led by junior point guard Braden Smith with a personal - best 24 points and junior power forward Trey Kaufman - Renn with 21 points. They bounced back from a Thursday night 81 - 70 upset loss at Penn State and avoided their first 0 - 2 start in the Big Ten since 2013 - 14. Here are three observations from the game.

Derik Queen's Fearless Play

In his first true road game in a hostile environment like Mackey Arena, it would have been understandable for freshman Derik Queen to feel some pressure. However, he has continued to prove that he is no ordinary freshman. In the second half alone, he scored 18 points, including back - to - back 3 - pointers after missing his first 11 attempts from beyond the arc. In the first half, he scored eight points, trailing Gillespie and Rice's 10 points. But he didn't cave in to the 14,876 fans in West Lafayette. After drawing a foul with 72 seconds left before halftime, he engaged with the student section, inviting boos. Despite the reception, he calmly sank both free throws. In the first two Big Ten games of his career, Queen has totaled 43 points, 23 rebounds, three steals and two blocks. He doesn't show many signs of being intimidated at the Division I level.

Purdue's Stars Unleashed

In Wednesday's 83 - 59 rout of Ohio State, the Terps managed to limit the standout junior point guard Bruce Thorton to nine points, four rebounds and two assists. But against Purdue, they couldn't repeat that performance. Junior point guard Braden Smith and junior power forward Trey Kaufman - Renn each scored 15 points in the second half. Smith, the Big Ten's preseason Player of the Year, added a game - high 10 assists, four rebounds and two steals. The 6 - foot - 9, 230 - pound Kaufman - Renn, who had seven turnovers against Penn State but still scored 15 points, found success in the lane against Maryland's big men. He scored against both 6 - 10, 245 - pound Derik Queen and 6 - 9, 230 - pound senior power forward Julian Reese, who fouled out with 12:32 left in the second half. Kaufman - Renn and 6 - 7, 205 - pound sophomore small forward Camden Heide (15 points and three rebounds) helped Purdue outscore Maryland, 42 - 32, in the paint, which was the first time an opponent had done so against the Terps. Adding to Purdue's offensive firepower, junior shooting guard Fletcher Loyer scored 12 points and grabbed seven rebounds. The Terps failed to find ways to limit the damage done by Purdue's top players.

Dependence on Starters and Need for Reserves

One of the team's top storylines has been coach Kevin Willard's growing comfort in using the bench to give starters rest and continue the team's offensive and defensive strategies. But against Purdue, the Terps showed how reliant they are on their starters. The first five players - Queen, Gillespie, Rice, Miguel and Reese - accounted for 75 of the team's points (96.2%), 26 of its 36 rebounds (72.2%), 11 of its 15 assists (73.3%), and all four of its steals. With the exception of Reese due to foul trouble, the other four starters played at least 32 minutes each. Sophomore shooting guard DeShawn Harris - Smith had only two points, two rebounds and two assists, while junior power forward Tafara Gapare finished with more turnovers (two) than points (one). In his previous three games, the Georgia Tech transfer had averaged 13.3 points and 5.7 rebounds. Considering Purdue's offensive prowess, it's not surprising that Willard had to shorten his bench on Sunday. But Maryland would welcome more contributions from its reserves to ease the pressure on the starters and turn these negative results around.