The ‘must-win game’ label is overused in sports. Unless it’s a season-ender, the sun rises and the next game arrives. But there are situations, like Maryland’s game against No. 22 UCLA on Friday, in which it feels like a loss could be crippling. Coming off a winless weeklong trip out West, Maryland needed to win to regain its confidence and avoid falling into a cavernous hole near the bottom of the Big Ten. And they got it, a 79-61 win sparked by Ja’Kobi Gillespie, Julian Reese and the team’s relentless defensive energy. Gillespie scored a career-high 27 points and Reese (16 points, 10 rebounds, two blocks and two steals), held down the paint and missed one shot. Maryland forced 20 turnovers, frustrating UCLA coach Mick Cronin into an ejection that set up Maryland’s knockout blow after the Bruins hung around like pests for the first 35 minutes. “I thought we played well at spurts out there. And you know, it was good to come home and just have a couple days and obviously have a great home crowd,” Willard said. “It’s our first conference game at home since December 2. So when you have three in a row on the oad. You play well on the road, but you don’t win, it’s good to come home.” More below on Gillespie and Reese’s big night, Mick Cronin’s outburst and ejections, Derik Queen’s mini-slump and more:
There was nervous energy in the building, everyone aware that a loss would drop the Terps to 1-4 in Big Ten play at the one-quarter mark of the conference season. That’s not a season-ender, but would’ve left no margin for error during the next month. Instead, they led almost from start to finish and earned the first win over a ranked team this season, boosting the postseason resume. Yes, UCLA (11-5 overall, 2-3 Big Ten) is reeling, having lost four of its past five games. But it’s a valuable win regardless, boosting the Terps (12-4 overall, 2-3 Big Ten) to No. 20 on KenPom. After a string of close losses against some of the top teams on their schedule, they left no room for another one. With Minnesota, Nebraska and Nebraska coming up, they have a chance to gain ground in the standings. Gillespie struggled during Maryland’s road trip, going without a field goal in a surprising loss to Washington and missing some questionable shots in the final moments of their loss at Oregon. It was apparent the Belmont transfer was motivated to put it behind him. He shot 7 of 13 from the floor, 4 of 8 from three and 9 of 9 from the free throw line. He was a pest on defense, poking the ball away often en route to four steals. “I just wanted to defend better, I wasn’t really defending on the road trip,” Gillespie said. Reese was one of few Terps who played well in the loss at Washington, but in a narrow loss at Oregon, he managed just six points and six rebounds. So he was due for a get-right game and he delivered one. The 6-10 senior was a physical presence all night against a UCLA team trying to pound it inside. Bruins leading scorer Tyler Bilodeau (18 points) got his on offense, but Reese out-rebounded him 10 to 4, shot 7 for 8, grabbed three steals and threw his weight around, leading Maryland to a 38-20 scoring advantage in the paint. Gillespie and Reese are now tied for second on the team in scoring at exactly 13 points per game. Reserve forward Tafara Gapare has been quiet lately, scoring two or fewer points in three of the past four games and seeing his minutes dwindle. He checked in and got going quickly with a layup and a three-pointer that gave Maryland a 23-18 lead. Later in the first half, Gapare chased down a loose ball, raced up the court and somehow spun in a lefty layup while being fouled. Then Gapare showed off his athleticism with an NBA-caliber lefthanded block on Bilodeau, who fell to the floor as Gapare stared him down and flexed at him, drawing a technical foul. With UCLA chipping away and less than seven minutes left, Gapare showed off his athleticism again, racing over and bouncing high to block Dylan Andrews’ layup. His final line (3 for 4, eight points, two rebounds, two blocks and a steal) might not be eye-catching, but he made a big impact on the game and got the crowd roaring several times. Maryland held UCLA to 36 percent shooting in the second half while shooting 57.1 percent on the other end. The Bruins turned it over 20 times and had just two fastbreak points and two players who reached double figures, Bilodeau and Trent Perry (10 points). But the biggest swing happened on the sideline. UCLA coach Mick Cronin, who’d blasted his players after a home blowout loss to Michigan earlier this week, calling them “soft,” was ejected with a little more than five minutes left. I’m told Mick Cronin got the boot because he said “F you, Jeffrey” and followed it w/a few similar bombs on official Jeffrey Anderson, a top ref who’s worked 7 straight Final Fours.
Terps pounced with a KO punch, 6 points in 11 seconds, and it was done.pic.twitter.com/JjeRJQAw1Y — Jeff Ermann (@Jeff_Ermann) January 11, 2025 Cronin’s double-technical sent the crowd into a frenzy and sent Gillespie to the line for four free throws. He made all four and Reese scored inside for a 6-0 run that took 11 seconds and effectively ended the game. if that didn’t end it, Gillespie did a minute later when he drained a three to push Maryland’s lead to 15 points, 69-54, with 4:01 left. A three from Selton Miguel (4 for 9, 11 points, three assists, two steals), who made a bunch of momentum-building plays, and a three-point play by DeShawn Harris-Smith put a bow on the win. Maryland has 22 runs of 10-0 or more this year, first i the nation. Maryland shot 54% from the floor, which was its best FG% in a Big Ten game since Feb. 2023 (68.1% vs Minnesota). The 18-point margin was Maryland’s largest over a ranked team since beating No. 5 Michigan State, 80-62, in 2008. After starring regularly, Queen has hit a bit of a freshman slump lately, totaling 29 points on 10 for 27 shooting in the past three games. The projected first-round NBA Draft pick scored 20 points or more five times in the first 10 games, but he hasn’t hit that mark in the past six. As brilliant as he’s been for much of the first half of the season, Queen lately has looked casual sometimes on defense and going after rebounds. The good news is, most of the time, Reese or Queen is going to have a big game. And sometimes, they both will. But Maryland needs Queen operating at a high level, and he needs to show a non-stop motor more often if he wants to become a high first-rounder. “I think Ja’Kobi was a little upset at the way he played out west. I don’t think he played particularly well out west. And so I think he had, we had a good conversation about just understanding at this level on what it takes to play at a high level,” Willard said. “Not only the level of effort that you got to play with but the attitude you have to have every game. I’m not sure he has it yet, but I think he’s starting to realize it.” It was the 16th straight home win for Maryland, which has won a program-record 14 consecutive Big Ten games at home. It was also the sixth top-25 home win by Willard. Maryland’s 16-1 home record in 2022-23 was the best since 2019-20 and the eighth time overall that the Terps had won 16 or more games at home. In 2012-13 and 2014-15, the Terps won 18 games at home, going 18-3 and 18-1. Julian Reese posted the 29th double-double of his career, ranking eighth in program history. He ranks 10th on Maryland’s all-time rebounds list with 830. Next up for him to pass: Donta Scott and Tom McMillen (859 rebounds each). Reese blocked two shots and ranks eighth on Maryland’s all-time blocked shots list with 144 in his career. Joe Smith ranks seventh with 190 blocks from 1993-95. He’s also one of nine players in program history to record more than 1,100 career points and 800 career rebounds. — Save $20 on your SeatGeek purchase of tickets to Maryland games or any major events with code “IMS” at checkout! — Get the latest Terps news delivered to your inbox FREE! Sign up for our email newsletter here and stay informed on Maryland basketball, football, recruiting and every other Terps storyline. — Don’t miss any of our new video Terps content: Subscribe to InsideMDSports on YouTube and hit the notification bell so you know when new videos drop. – Need a go-to Terps podcast? Listen to IMS Radio here, watch earlier episodes here and don’t forget to subscribe to IMS Radio on iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher | Podbean | Amazon Music | TuneIn | Apple Podcasts…Read more by Jeff Ermann