Box Score
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Despite a game-high 19 points from senior guard Myles Mack, Rutgers (10-8, 2-3) dropped a hard-fought 73-65 battle at fellow Big Ten newcomer and No. 14/11-ranked Maryland (16-2, 4-1) Wednesday evening at the XFINITY Center. Freshman guard Mike Williams and junior guard Bishop Daniels both contributed 12 points for the Scarlet Knights in a gritty contest that featured seven ties and seven lead changes.
RU shot 45.5 percent (25-of-55), while limiting the Terrapins to a 34.4 percent (21-of-61) field goal percentage. The home squad benefitted from 11 three-pointers, however, and a 46-33 advantage on the glass to escape with the victory before 12,419 fans.
The Scarlet Knights started the game confidently, scoring the first eight points. Mack sparked the early run with a traditional three-point play before knocking a triple down from behind the arc. Maryland called timeout, and countered with a quick 8-0 run of its own, tying the game.
Rutgers would establish the lead again, 17-13 and again at 22-20, as it made six consecutive field goals, four of them by Williams. Hot shooting from long range, however, would be what propelled the Terrapins in the opening stanza. Maryland made eight three pointers in the first 20 minutes and entered the locker room at the midpoint with a 38-31 advantage.
Much like the first half, Rutgers started the second half on a big run. The Scarlet Knights made their first five shots, erasing the deficit with an 11-0 burst to take a 42-38 lead. RU made eight of its first 11 shots in the frame, opening up a 49-43 advantage after a dunk from Kadeem Jack.
The Scarlet Knights held on to that lead, extending it to 57-51. But the Terrapins battled back, and tied the game at 62-62 with less than four minutes on the clock.
RU's shooting cooled down the stretch, however, as the visitors deposited just one of their final nine shots. The Scarlet Knights were within one, 64-63, but a three-pointer by Maryland with 2:22 remaining would prove the decisive blow. The Terrapins scored their final six points at the charity stripe to ensure the win.
The Scarlet Knights remain on the road for their next contest, travelling to Minneapolis for a match-up with Minnesota. The game against the Golden Gophers tips at 12 noon (Eastern), and will be televised nationally by the Big Ten Network.
POSTGAME NOTES
· The meeting between Rutgers and Maryland was the first with both as members of the Big Ten Conference. Maryland now leads the all-time series 4-3.
· The Scarlet Knights had three players in double figures for the fifth time this season.
· Myles Mack had 19 points and six assists. He now has 1,481 career points, moving past Geoff Billett into 11th place on Rutgers all-time leading scorers list. Mack also now has 369 career assists, moving past Mike Coburn for fifth place on Rutgers all-time list.
· Myles Mack set season highs in three-pointers made (4) and attempted (10).
· Greg Lewis, a Baltimore, Md. native, had eight points and four rebounds.
· Mike Williams and Bishop Daniels each had 12 points, with both reaching double figures for the fifth time in their careers.
· Junior Etou led the team with eight rebounds. It was the 11th time this year he led the team in rebounding, and the 15th time in 18 games that he had at least five rebounds.
· Kadeem Jack had nine points and seven rebounds.
POSTGAME QUOTES
Rutgers Head Coach Eddie Jordan
Opening statement:
"I thought we did a great job in the second half coming out after being down. We had a nice little surge. Our downfall tonight was that we didn't rebound the ball well enough and we didn't finish plays - layups, free throws. They spread you out, they've got a good rotation and they have good chemistry of spreading you out with three-point shooters from every position it seems like. They spread you out then go to the offensive glass. They're known to just get in the paint and get free throws. Their threes really hurt us in the game but for the most part, we need a third scorer. Myles [Mack] did a great job and we just didn't finish enough plays and you can't do that against the No. 14 team in the league in their house."
On handling the mental aspect after upsetting Wisconsin:
"I thought we did a good job. It was over and done with. We had the confidence to play with the best teams in the country and we have to keep proving it because we go to Minnesota, then we play Michigan and it just keeps going on and on. I think we understand if we do things right for the most part of the game, we're going to give ourselves a chance to win."
On how they played in the beginning of the second half:
"We just had a nice surge, we had a good flow, Myles [Mack] was taking over and making shots. You have to make shots and we haven't been known to do that. We can make shots, we defend well enough, but we didn't rebound tonight. For the most part we need to score a little more and Myles got it going tonight. He found guys slipping to the basket, but we didn't make free throws and we didn't make layups when we had to."
