COLLEGE PARK, MD — Ja’Kobi Gillespie looked to sneak an entry into Derik Queen in the low post. The junior guard thought better of the risky pass and calmly reset the ball at the top of the key.
With just over 10 seconds left on the shot clock, Gillespie pulled up and confidently drilled a three-pointer that hardly scraped the net on its way through. No. 15 Marquette immediately called a timeout and the nearly sold-out Xfinity Center crowd erupted.
Gillespie finished with 24 points — by far his best scoring performance as a Terp — but the junior’s efforts were trivial to the result. The Golden Eagles (4-0) took a second-half lead and survived a late scare, ultimately defeating Maryland 78-74 on Friday night.
“Gillespie was tough to handle all night long,” Marquette coach Shaka Smart said.
This was the first matchup between these teams since December 2019, when Maryland (3-1) cruised to a 20-point victory. The Terps limited first-team All-American guard Markus Howard to just six points on 1 of 12 shooting in the blowout.
In stark contrast to the matchup from five seasons ago, Friday’s contest was a battle right from the opening tipoff.
Both coaches trotted out the same starting lineups as they had in their first three games, leading to early scoring that ignited a raucous crowd. Maryland fans exploded every time the team scored or forced a missed shot.
“You see [the atmosphere] on TV, but playing in it is actually crazy,” Gillespie said. “I just wish it was a better result.”
Marquette has been led by one of the most prolific scorers in the country — Kam Jones — so far this season. He entered the night averaging 22.7 points and shooting over 69% from the field.
The senior guard got off to another hot start, scoring 10 points in the first eight minutes of the game. After being caught off guard early, Maryland’s defense settled in and limited Jones to just two points in the final 12 minutes of the opening half.
Maryland led Marquette, 34-30 after the opening 20 minutes of play. It struggled to continue that momentum into the second half, as the Golden Eagles looked rejuvenated out of the break.
Marquette’s defense disrupted Maryland’s halfcourt sets, forcing multiple turnovers — many of which led to easy baskets.
Jones continued his impressive play throughout the second half, scoring or assisting on four of Marquette’s first seven baskets. His play sparked a 7-0 Golden Eagle run in just over 90 seconds, forcing Maryland coach Kevin Willard to call a timeout with just under 14 minutes to play.
Luckily for Maryland, the offense quickly got its groove back, going on a 7-0 run of its own in just 62 seconds.
After scoring 22 points and collecting 20 rebounds in a dominant season-opener debut, Queen was quiet during Maryland’s next three contests. He bounced back Friday, finishing with 24 points in his first real test as a Terp.
Jones continued to carry Marquette down the stretch, scoring 18 points in the second half through numerous tough finishes. The potential All-American finished with a game-high 28 points on an efficient 55% from the field.
“[Jones] played like a first-team All-Big East player,” Willard said. “He put them on their back and just played phenomenal.”
The Terps struggled to score down the stretch, most notably from the foul line. Selton Miguel missed the front end of a one-and-one and Queen missed a pair of his own. The misses kept Marquette in front, despite numerous Terps’ defensive stops.
However, the most impactful misses came in the final seconds of the game.
With under a minute left to play, the Golden Eagles held an eight-point lead. Fans began to head to the exits after what was an assumed close but disappointing loss.
But a pair of three-pointers and a Golden Eagles turnover later, the Terps had the ball in a one-possession game with 36 seconds on the clock.
Deshawn Harris-Smith drove down the lane and was fouled with 15 seconds remaining. The sophomore guard missed both free throws, giving the ball back to Marquette who drained the final few seconds off the clock to secure its narrow victory.
“We gave ourselves opportunities,” Willard said. “That’s part of the growing process of being in tight games. They battled and did some really good things in an environment that was phenomenal.”
The Terps will look to bounce back when they host Canisius (0-3) at the Xfinity Center on Tuesday. Jack Wynn and James Consoli will be on the call for WMUC Sports Radio at 7:00 p.m.
