COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The Scarlet Knights have won their second-straight Big Ten road game with the 56-53 victory over Maryland in College Park on Tuesday night.

RU made five of their last seven baskets to seal the 56-53 victory following a game-winning layup by redshirt junior guard Jeremiah Williams with under a minute to play.

To start the road contest, RU took a 15-8 lead at the under-eight media timeout. A stout defensive effort held the hosts to 3-of-15 shooting to start the game, including 0-of-7 to start from long-range.

Maryland's defense countered, forcing Rutgers' into an offensive stretch where they shot just 1-of-11 in a nine-minute span, with the Terps taking a 24-20 lead. The Scarlet Knights limited UM's Jahmir Young, who entered the game second in the league in scoring, to just 1-of-7 shooting in the first frame. However, 12 opening half turnovers limited the visitors, and the Terrapins held a slim 24-22 lead at the break.

To start the second half, Rutgers forced five Terps turnovers in the first five minutes, taking their first lead of the second half at 34-32. A three-pointer by JaMichael Davis made it a 7-0 RU run and a five-point lead, forcing a Maryland timeout as RU opened the frame shooting 6-of-12. Halfway through the second half, the Terps had evened the score at 37.

Rutgers responded with a run. Jeremiah Williams snapped a cold drought with a stepback three, and Derek Simpson scored in transition to put the lead back up to five. Emmanuel Ogbole's first collegiate field goal on a putback made it a 7-0 run and a 44-37 lead with seven minutes to play.

Rutgers' defense forced the Terps into a stretch where they didn't make a field goal for over seven minutes, taking their largest lead of the game at 50-41, a 13-4 run overall. Maryland responded with an 8-0 run to get within one point, but Jeremiah Williams answered with a clutch layup, just beating the shot clock buzzer for a three-point lead with 35 seconds to play. Mawot Mag hit two clutch free throws, and the defense held on for a 56-53 victory.

With The Win:

• RU has five wins in the past seven games over Maryland.
• Head coach Steve Pikiell's 129^th career win, surpassing Bob Wenzel for sole possession of 3^rd place all-time at the helm of RU.
• Rutgers records back-to-back road wins for the first time this season. RU did it twice in league play last season, most recently at Wisconsin (Feb. 18) and Penn State (Feb. 26). 
• 8^th all-time win against Maryland in 21 meetings.

Postgame Notes

• Cliff Omoruyi now has 862 career rebounds, passing Roy Hinson (860) for fifth all-time at RU.
  • Omoruyi (three blocks) has multiple blocks in 17 of 22 games this season and ties James Bailey's 1978-79 season for 17^th in blocks in a single year (66).
  • He has now made 469 field goals in his career, surpassing Jim Valvano to move into 20^th all-time on RU's career leaderboard.
  • Omoruyi (eight points) now has 1,157 career points, passing Bob Graecen for 28^th all-time at RU.
• Mawot Mag (15 points) scored in double-figures for the 8^th time in his 14 games played this season.
  • Prior to this season, Mag had scored in double-figures 8 times in his first 63 career games over three seasons.
  • Mag has 15 points in each of his last two games, his first time in his career with back-to-back games of at least 15 points.
• Jeremiah Williams (14 points) has scored double-figures in both games he's been active for this season.
  • His two-game scoring average of 12.0 leads the team in average points per game.
  • RU is 2-0 with Williams in the starting lineup.
• Rutgers had just three turnovers in the second half, and shot 50% (14-of-28) from the field after halftime.
• Rutgers held Jahmir Young, who entered second in the Big Ten in points per game, to 3-of-17 shooting, his worst of the season.  
• Rutgers held Maryland to shooting 11.1% (2-of-18) from 3-point distance, a season worst.
  • The two three-pointers were the fewest by any RU opponent this year, fewest by a RU opponent since Rider made just two on Nov. 22, 2022, and fewest by a Big Ten opponent since Indiana made two on March 11, 2021.
• Rutgers held Maryland to just 53 points, tying for their second lowest of the season.
• Rutgers held Maryland to 31.5 percent from the field, the lowest percentage shot by a RU Big Ten opponent since the 2021-22 season.

Postgame Quotes

Guard Jeremiah Williams
 
On tonight's progress compared to a couple of weeks ago: 
 
"It's a blessing. I'm on the road with my guys enjoying it, and we're taking it step-by-step."
 
On what it means to play again: 
 
"Our athletic director came up to me and told me I was able to play basketball again. It was maybe about a day before the Michigan game that I got the news. We were actually about to take off. It was a relief. Everything I've been through, and was working toward, it was just everything."
 
On playing in Maryland and reacting to the crowd: 
 
"Yeah, that's just me having fun out there. Maryland is a great place to play, a great vibe. The crowd was giving us a bit of a hard time, so I was just trying my best to have my fun out there" 
 
On the fun of the game: 
 
"I mean, anyone who has been playing basketball since they were young would get this game is everything to me. I've just been enjoying the moment, and I am happy to be back out there. No matter what happens again, I'm just happy to be playing again"
 
On playing back at Jersey Mike's Arena after two road games: 
 
"I'm looking forward to everything, back in front of our fans against a ranked team. That's the game we came here to play so I'm really looking forward to it, staying focused, and hopefully we get that win when we get back."
 
Forward Mawot Mag

On Jeremiah Williams's toughness: 
 
"He has a lot of toughness and he's been through some adversity. It's been two years, and for him to come back and come on the road with us, and play back-to-back, I feel like he does a good job and it shows his hard work. It's paying off. He's always in the gym. He's a great teammate, and I'm just happy for him."
 
Head Coach Steve Pikiell
 
Opening statement: 
 
"Obviously, that was a tough game. Those guys played hard, their point guard was fantastic, it was a quick turnaround for us. But, we had two straight games on the road and figured out a way to win. I'm proud of Mawot Mag's huge free throws, and these guys played great. We fought through technicals, and foul trouble. I always say how the whistle blows dictates a lot of things, and certainly we're challenged every turn, Coach Kevin Willard does a great job and this is a tough place to play, so I'm glad to get a win."
 
On Jeremiah Williams's toughness and resilience: 
 
"He's got a great personality. He's brought a lot of personality to our team. He talks a lot, and it's a good thing for us. He loves to play. He's happy so I'm glad to have him back. He made some huge plays down the stretch for us. He can't get in foul trouble anymore, but he adds a lot. He's mature. He loves basketball and you see it every day in practice. He's a multi-position guy and he can guard multiple positions. He's confident, so it's a great addition for us." 

On defending Jahmir Young: 

"First of all, he's been playing as well as any player in the league. He had a double-double but I thought he had to work for everything. (Jamichael Davis) wanted him first, then Derek Simpson got him. Noah (Fernandes) then guarded him too. I thought we were focused, but he's a tough guy to guard. We wanted to make sure nothing was easy for him."

On Jeremiah Williams:

 "He's been practicing with us all year. To add Jeremiah gives us a multi-position guy. He's vocal on the court, in the locker room, we just love his energy. He's been able to come in and work his way into a good position."

On how he found out about Jeremiah Williams coming back: 
 
"I got to the lawyers and then I got the phone call that he was eligible. I know he was excited. I was excited and he was ready to play a month ago, so I'm thankful we were able to jump through all those things. He deserves to be on the court. He's earned his opportunity and now he's taking advantage of it."
 
On Mawot Mag's performance:
 
"Mawot does a lot of things for us. He had a tough matchup because Donta Scott has been playing good basketball too and has been shooting the ball well. Mawot gives us great energy. He's been practicing the right way. He's one of those guys that all of the things he does don't show up until you watch a film. I'm proud of him. He sat out for a year, bounced back and that isn't the easiest injury to bounce back from. I'm glad to have his energy back. He was awesome tonight and hit two huge free throws down the stretch."

Up Next

Rutgers will return to Jersey Mike's Arena to host one of the league's top-ranked teams. RU welcomes No. 11 Wisconsin for a 12 pm tipoff on Saturday, February 10.