COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Ja’Kobi Gillespie stood at the free throw line amidst the jubilated screams of the Xfinity Center crowd. Gillespie was presented with an unusual situation as he received the pass from the referee — a rare four attempts from the free throw line.
The Belmont transfer knocked down all four and on the Terps’ ensuing possession assisted on Julian Reese’s layup. The six-point swing increased Maryland’s lead to 15 with just over five minutes left to play.
Maryland ended the game on an 18-10 scoring run earning an upset victory over No. 22 UCLA, 79-61, Friday night. The win ends a three-game conference losing streak.
Gillespie’s free throws were a consequence of UCLA head coach Mick Cronin’s double technical and subsequent ejection that occurred with 5:14 left to play in the second half with his team trailing by nine. The ejection gave life to the Maryland crowd and proved to be the tipping point in what became a lopsided Terrapin victory.
“It’s kind of like a domino effect of events,” Reese said.
Maryland made four of the five shots it took following the ejection, coasting to its largest win against a ranked opponent since 2008.
The game followed a similar pattern from their previous two games out west in which the Terps started out strong and carried a lead into the second half. Only this time, they followed through to secure the win.
“I feel like it was a big statement win for us and kind of showed our character a little bit,” Reese said.
The Terps led by four at halftime behind a strong offensive performance and a dominant defense.
The Terps shot over 50 percent from the floor and connected on four of their nine three-point attempts. Gillespie ended the half as the game’s leading scorer — knocking down six of the ten shots he attempted for 16 points.
Maryland held the lead for the majority of the first half following a 10-5 scoring run after the first media timeout. Gillespie contributed to the run, but the scoring outburst was started by junior forward Tafara Gapare. Gapare scored half of Maryland’s 10 points — including a marvelous stepback three-pointer from the left wing — and ended the half with eight points and one block.
The Terps’ defense forced 11 turnovers and turned those turnovers into 14 points on the offensive end. Despite the turnover issues, the Bruins shot well from the floor (46.4 percent) and made four three-pointers to keep the game within striking distance.
Maryland’s defensive pedigree carried over to the second half.
The Terps forced ten more turnovers in the second half bringing the Bruin total to 21. The Bruins’ 21 turnovers tied their season high from their second game of the season against New Mexico. The Terps capitalized on the giveaways accumulating 26 points from the Bruins’ mistakes.
“When we sit there and watch film and talk about it, we’ve had three minute stretches of defense that’s killed us in all three road games,” said head coach Kevin Willard. “… I thought we took a step in the right direction.”
Gillespie finished the game with a career high 27 points shooting an efficient seven for 13 from the floor. Reese and forward Selton Miguel also finished in double figures with Reese recording his seventh double-double of the season.
“I feel like us being locked in defensively really helped us get going offensively,” said Gillespie. “I was making shots so I just kept shooting.”
Maryland finished the game shooting 54 percent from the floor, 36.8 percent from beyond the arc, and 85.7 percent from the charity stripe against the best defense in the Big Ten — UCLA allowed just 61.5 points per game at the start of the contest.
The Terps will play one more home game on Monday against Minnesota before hitting the road for a one game trip to Evanston, Illinois, for a road game against Northwestern.
