In its most recent unusual loss, Maryland men’s basketball looked like the team the nation expected it to be before the season began, competing with title contenders and producing efficient numbers  — even without their leading scorer, Eric Ayala. 

No. 3 Purdue, at home, was on its heels for a full 40 minutes. Struggling to guard Fatts Russell and the offense he initiated, the Boilermakers fell to a deficit that ballooned to a seemingly decisive 12 points before they could officially take control. 

Jaden Ivey was the player who usurped that control and closed out the contest — nearly single-handedly. Following a referee gaffe and last-second no-call, Maryland fell just short of the ultimate consolation prize of their plummeting season.

The Terps, 62-61, loss marks their fifth straight. 

“We didn’t get the outcome we wanted,” interim head coach Danny Manning said. “But that effort and moxie gave us a chance to compete with one of the better teams in the country.”

Here are some takeaways from the loss. 

Fatts Russell performed well in Eric Ayala’s absence … and picked up the slack for everyone else

Russell got going early. And he had to without Ayala.

After Purdue jumped to an early 4-0 lead, Russell, through an assist or a score, was responsible for the next eight, feeding Qudus Wahab for a deep jumpshot and sinking a pair of threes off the bounce. Following a subsequent Donta Scott fastbreak layup, the Terps held a 10-4 lead.

It was a lead Maryland possessed for over 15 minutes of the first half — a product of Russell’s play. That theme, Russell’s foundational play leading to overall success, continued for the rest of the contest. For all of the 37 minutes he played, Russell scored when necessary, distributed often and corrected broken plays 

He finished the first half leading both teams in points (10), rebounds (5) and assists (3). After missing just one minute in the second half, he still led both teams in points (24) and assists (6) and led Maryland in rebounds (9) by three boards. 

All five feet and eleven inches of Fatts Russell. 

“I knew I was gonna have to be, at least, a little bit more aggressive to control the game,” Russell said. 

Carrying the weight of the team in crunch time, Russell scored 14 points in the second half, without making a three, attacking the basket and drawing fouls. He led the breakout run in the opening minutes of the final half. He tied the game up on a gutsy drive right over Purdue forward Trevion Williams. And he drained the final two free throws to position the Terps for a chance to steal the win. 

Of course, it all wasn’t enough. 

No help.

The reason Maryland failed to take full advantage of Russell’s outburst is the same reason he had to play for 37 minutes. There simply isn’t enough depth.

When Russell wasn’t thriving, Maryland certainly wasn’t either. The closest offensive performer to Russell was Donta Scott, who scored 11 points on 33% shooting, offering a fraction of the energy that allows him to dominate inside and out. 

Russell’s fellow guards were floundering as well. Ian Martinez scored just four points and shot 1-6 from the floor. He did, however, play admirable defense on the other end of the floor. 

Xavier Green, who started in place of Ayala, had similar struggles, notching just one field goal and totaling four fouls in spite of playing strong defense of his own. 

Russell and Scott ended as the Terps’ only double-digit scorers. 

Once Jaden Ivey and the Boilermakers really started pushing the pace, there was no stopping them.

Maryland was rolling. It had a 12-point lead and Purdue’s best player, Ivey, was a non-factor. 

After Donta Scott made his ninth point at the rim with the foul and Maryland likely looked to take its well-established, double-digit lead near the half’s midpoint all the way to the finish line.

Then, Purdue started running. 

Maryland failed to spot shooters on the break, namely Sasha Stefanovic, who hit three of his five threes in the second half. When Maryland wasn’t doing that, Ivey began aggressively seeking opportunities to score and cashed in five easy points at the charity stripe during the Boilermakers 14-0 comeback run. 

A back-and-forth ensued, but Ivey delivered the last blow. With their final possession of the contest, with the game tied at 59 points, the Boilermakers opted to take the lead with Ivey, who converted with the foul, scooping the ball into the cup with his non-dominant left hand with Hakim Hart on his right.

His second field goal of the game, along with the made free throw, turned out to be the winner, as Scott failed to respond on the other end. 

“I’m really proud of the guys. They fought. We all battled,” Scott said.