COLLEGE PARK, MD — With the clock ticking under five seconds in the first half, Ja’Kobi Gillespie took two dribbles between his legs. The junior guard then sidestepped to his left before releasing a high-arcing three-pointer.

Gillespie’s 25-foot jumper was pure, barely touching the net on its way through. As the Xfinity Center erupted, Gillespie calmly jogged to the locker room with a game-high 13 points while his team led by two. 

The junior guard finished with 22 points, five assists and four steals — Gillespie’s fourth 20-point performance of the season and his 1,000th career point. 

“He’s wired to score,” coach Kevin Willard said. “He’s always in go mode.”

After Thursday’s heartbreaking overtime defeat at Northwestern, Maryland bounced back en route to a 69-66 victory over Nebraska on Sunday afternoon.

The Terps got off to a hot start from beyond the arc, knocking down a pair of three-pointers courtesy of Rodney Rice and Selton Miguel. A steal-and-score by Gillespie off a Nebraska inbound play propelled Maryland to an early 14-7 lead.

Per usual, after every made basket, the Terps pressed their defense upcourt, forcing the Cornhuskers to use almost 10 seconds every possession just to get the ball upcourt. Nebraska committed seven early turnovers while trying to beat the press — miscues that Maryland turned into six points. 

But despite their hounding defense, the Terps’ offense went cold, failing to score for over four minutes. 

The Terps were unable to get into their press as a result of the missed baskets. Nebraska took advantage, comfortably settling into its offensive sets as Maryland defenders scrambled. 

Andrew Morgan paced the Cornhuskers offense on Sunday, using all of his 6’10” frame to score with ease in the paint. 

Heading into the day, Morgan was averaging just eight points on six shots. The senior forward passed those marks in the first half alone, scoring a team-high 12 points on six shots.

“He came out and torched us a little bit,” Willard said. “He caught us a little by surprise.”

Nebraska nearly took a one-point lead into halftime off the back of Morgan’s stellar play. But Morgan’s Gillespie’s buzzer-beater gave Maryland a 37-35 advantage at the break.

Morgan continued scoring efficiently after the break, scoring Nebraska’s first five points to start the second half. He consistently got position in the low post and found success while guarded by Derik Queen or Julian Reese. Morgan finished with a team-high 17 points.

Queen excelled in Maryland’s previous home game, scoring a career-high 27 points and collecting seven rebounds against Minnesota. However, he struggled mightily in Thursday’s loss to Northwestern, finishing with just nine points in the face of foul trouble.

The heralded freshman continued struggling on Sunday, finishing with just three points — all coming from the foul line in the first half. 

“Everyone needs to take a deep breath and realize he’s a freshman going against fifth-year seniors,” Willard said. “He’s as talented of a player as there is and he’s going to be in that three-letter league soon. He’s going to figure it out.”

In contrasting fortunes, Miguel bounced back after a down night against Northwestern. 

The fifth-year guard scored seven straight points for the Terps to begin the second half. Miguel has blossomed into a quality secondary scoring option for Maryland, making at least one three-pointer in 12 of his last 13 games.

Rice was also clutch in the second half after a quiet opening 20 minutes. He tallied 10 of his 15 points after halftime, including a contested mid-range jumper amidst a 10-0 run for Maryland.

“He’s starting to understand the attention he’s getting,” Willard said. “You’re seeing him…evolve.”

But immediately after the Terps scored 10 straight, the Cornhuskers went on a 9-0 run of their own. That stretch tied the game at 66 with just over a minute left to play.

Desperately needing a bucket down the stretch, Willard once again turned to Gillespie. The Belmont transfer dribbled through traffic before finishing at the rim with a finger roll.

“[Gillespie’s] having an unbelievable year,” Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg said. “He’s one of the best shooters in the league.”

After Rice went 1-for-2 at the free throw line, Nebraska had possession, trailing by three points with just under 15 seconds remaining. Jordan Geronimo snatched a missed three-pointer from Connor Essegian out of mid-air to secure the win for the Terps.

“We are getting better at a lot of certain aspects, we just have to learn how to punch through on the road,” Willard said.

Maryland looks to notch its first true road win of the season on Thursday when it travels to Illinois. Daniel Stein will be on the call for that 9 p.m. tipoff for WMUC Sports.