Rutgers men’s basketball ends season with whimper in Big Ten Tournament loss to Maryland
The Rutgers men’s basketball team lost to Maryland 65-51 in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament. With the loss, the Scarlet Knights’ (15-16, 7-13) 2023-2024 season has come to an end.
The Terrapins (15-16, 7-13) got off to a scorching start, making four three-pointers and taking a 16-3 lead into the first media timeout. Rutgers was slow rotating on defense and could not generate open shot attempts in the opening minutes.
The Knights’ defense would improve after the first media timeout. Still, their offense continued to be stagnant, and Maryland held a 20-9 lead after the third media timeout with approximately 8 minutes left in the first half.
Coming out of the third media timeout, redshirt junior guard Jeremiah Williams drilled a three-pointer and sophomore forward Antwone Woolfolk made a hook shot to cut the Terrapin lead to 8 points, but Maryland responded by going on a 10-0 scoring run to reestablish its dominant lead.
The Terrapins took a 36-22 lead into halftime.
At halftime, Rutgers struggled on its layups, shot 0-3 on free throws and 2-11 from three-point range. Maryland was also shooting poorly on layups, but unlike the Knights, it was shooting 8-10 from the free throw line and 4-8 from three-point range.
Rutgers was unable to run crisp and controlled offensive sets in the first half, had trouble finishing at the rim and struggled to catch passes. These three factors led to a stagnant offense for most of the half.
Things continued to get worse for the Knights in the second half, as the Terrapins started the half on an 11-2 scoring run to take a 23-point lead with 16:29 remaining in the contest. The second-half scoring run effectively sealed the game for Maryland, as Rutgers was never able to get its foot back in the door.
The Knights ended the game on a 15-3 scoring run, but it was too little, too late, as the Terrapins cruised to a 14-point victory.
Donta Scott had a standout performance for Maryland, leading the team with 16 points and grabbing six rebounds.
Freshman guard Gavin Griffiths led Rutgers with 16 points, shooting 5-12 from the field. He also grabbed three rebounds.
“I think there’s a lot of things that I didn’t do today," Griffiths said. “Those things that came up on the stat sheet weren’t as important as the things that I didn’t do.”
Senior forward Aundre Hyatt finished his collegiate career out strong, scoring 13 points, grabbing six rebounds and getting his hands in the passing lanes for three steals.
The Knights will now enter a crucial offseason where they will look to surround their star-studded 2024 recruiting class with enough talent to make it back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2022.
“It’s my job now to make sure that we are a lot better next year and I am on a mission to do that,” said head coach Steve Pikiell after the game.
For more updates on the Rutgers men's basketball team, follow @TargumSports on X.
To view more of Ellis Gordon's work, follow @EllisVGordon on X.
