Mawot Mag scored 15 points and hit two key free throws with 17 seconds left as Rutgers fended off Maryland 56-53 on Tuesday in College Park, Md.
Jeremiah Williams added 14 points and made both of his 3-point attempts, including the go-ahead trey midway through the second half that propelled the Scarlet Knights (12-10, 4-7 Big Ten) in front for good en route to their second straight win, both on the road.
The Terrapins’ Julian Reese finished with 19 points to complement Jahmir Young’s 16, and both grabbed 12 rebounds for Maryland (13-10, 5-7), which has lost six one-possession games this season. Young shot just 3-of-17 from the field but hit all eight of his free-throw attempts to help the Terrapins rally in the final 2 1/2 minutes.
Rutgers shot just 3-of-13 from deep but took the lead for good on Williams’ long ball that edged the Scarlet Knights ahead 40-37 midway through the second half.
Derek Simpson followed with a silky reverse fastbreak layup before Emmanuel Ogbole scored his only two points on a second-chance finish as Rutgers’ advantage stretched to 44-37 with 7:14 to play.
Simpson seemingly sealed the game with three minutes left on a teardrop layup that pushed the lead to 52-43, but the guard was issued a technical foul for taunting the Maryland crowd on his way back down the court.
Young hit both technical free throws, and the momentum quickly swung toward the Terrapins.
Reese muscled in a layup on Maryland’s ensuing possession before Donta Scott followed with a steal at halfcourt and made two foul shots to cut the deficit to 52-49 with 2:28 remaining.
The Terrapins pulled within 52-51 with just more than a minute left on a pair of Young free throws, and the margin remained at one point with 27 seconds left after both teams traded layups.
Mag tacked on his final free throws, and Scott’s trey attempt from the left wing in the final seconds clanged off the rim.
Maryland shot just 17-of-54 from the field and hit 2 of 18 3-pointers a game after the Terrapins shot a season-low 30.9 percent in their loss at Michigan State last Saturday.
The first half between the Big Ten’s bottom two teams in scoring and field goal percentage played out accordingly. Both squads shot below 30 percent from the floor and combined for more turnovers (19) than made field goals (16) as the Terrapins stumbled into halftime leading 24-22.
–Field Level Media