Maryland point guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie reached his left hand out and intercepted the pass from Syracuse forward Jyáre Davis. Gillespie led the Terps’ fastbreak down the left side, stopping at the left wing to throw the ball to the streaking Jordan Geronimo. Geronimo slammed the ball through the net completing a 10-0 scoring run before halftime.
The Terps (10-2, 1-1 Big Ten) ended the first half with a 26-point lead over the Orange. Maryland used that large advantage to coast to its tenth win of the season, beating Syracuse (5-6, 0-1 ACC), 87-60, Saturday afternoon.
Maryland’s defense dominated from tipoff forcing two turnovers on Syracuse’s first two offensive possessions. The Terps finished the first half forcing 12 Orange turnovers that resulted in 18 points for their offense.
Maryland’s ability to force turnovers boosted an offensive attack led by transfer Selton Miguel. Following a game in which he was a shot away from creating a new career high, Miguel started this game right where he left off, scoring 16 points in the first half while shooting over 70 percent from the floor.
Miguel finished with 24 points for the second straight game, falling two points shy of a new career high. The USF transfer shot over 70 percent from the floor and 75 percent from three-point range leading the team in points for the second straight game. Miguel established a new career high with his six made three-pointers.
“He’s in that rhythm,” said head coach Kevin Willard. “I think that’s the thing about Selton … he’s just one of those guys that can go out and get a bucket.”
Along with Miguel’s excellence, Maryland’s offense received contributions from almost every player that touched the court. Nine of the ten Terps that played scored at least two points and four Terps scored in double figures. Maryland made 35 shots in the game with 26 of them coming off of assists.
“Just being a very versatile team it’s easy having a lot of trust in guys that can score, you know, it makes it easier to pass and makes everyone more willing to pass,” said Maryland forward Julian Reese.
Maryland’s offense finished the game shooting 47.9 percent from the floor and 44.4 percent from beyond the arc. It’s their third straight game shooting over 40 percent from the floor and three-point range.
Maryland’s defense finished the game strong, holding the Orange to their lowest scoring output of the season. All but one Terp registered a steal in the game generating a total of 21 Syracuse turnovers. Maryland turned those turnovers into 25 points.
“Our defensive pressure I thought was great even when we missed shots, I thought our defensive intensity was really good,” Willard said.
In addition to the turnovers, the Terps’ defense held the Orange under 44 percent shooting and only eight made three-pointers. Syracuse’s leading scorer Elijah Moore had 16 points and was one of only five Syracuse players to make multiple shots.
Maryland’s win makes them the Gotham Classic champions and breaks a streak of four straight losses to Syracuse. It’s their first win against Syracuse since 1980.
The Terps will play one more non-conference game against Maryland Eastern Shore (on December 28) before diving into the rest of their Big Ten schedule starting with a west coast trip to Washington and Oregon in January.
