PISCATAWAY, N.J. — It started as a rock fight and ended up a blowout.
The Maryland men’s basketball team overcame a slow start to rout Rutgers, 63-46, in a Sunday afternoon matchup of two of the Big Ten’s best defenses. The Terrapins, who snapped a two-game skid, set a season best in points allowed as the Scarlet Knights shot 37 percent.
Julian Reese led four Maryland players in double figures with a game-high 20 points. Jordan Geronimo, a Newark native, added 11 points and a game-high 11 rebounds with roughly a dozen friends and family members in attendance.
“I thought we did a really good job knowing our personnel, who we’re guarding, helping our teammates out,” Geronimo said. “… I think we did a good job having each other’s backs.”
While the Terps (15-13, 7-10) made just two of their first seven shots, Rutgers (14-13, 6-10) fared no better. All told, Maryland’s defense controlled the opening half: The Scarlet Knights scored just 18 points, committing more turnovers (seven) than they made field goals (six).
But capitalizing was not easy for the Terps, who struggled from the field. At the 10-minute mark, Rutgers led by a point.
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“Something we’ve really talked about as a team is not getting down when we miss three-point shots,” Maryland Coach Kevin Willard said. “If you watch earlier in the year, we would go through some really tough stretches when we’d miss shots and it would affect our defense. We’re much better now when we miss shots; we’re not getting down as much as we were before. I just think we’ve gotten used to missing shots.”
Eventually, those shots started falling. With five minutes left, Geronimo, Jahmir Young (12 points, nine assists) and Donta Scott (11 points, seven rebounds) hit three-pointers during a 10-0 run that put the Terps ahead 30-18 at the half.
Maryland was suffocating on the other end, holding the Scarlet Knights without a point for the final six minutes of the half. That silenced Jersey Mike’s Arena, which is a challenging environment for visitors when the home side gets rolling. Willard knows all about that after 12 seasons at Seton Hall.
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“I hate this place,” he joked. “I’m really hoping I don’t have to come back next year. … It’s become a place where it’s really tough to win.”
The Terps’ lead maxed out at 21 early in the second half. Rutgers got as close as 10 but couldn’t cut the deficit to single digits. In a season-long theme, the Scarlet Knights struggled to find consistent offense: While 10 players scored, just one reached double figures (Aundre Hyatt with 13).
Maryland helped its cause on the offensive glass, outpacing Rutgers 15-7. Willard’s team neutralized big man Clifford Omoruyi, who came in averaging 10.9 points and 8.8 rebounds but finished Sunday with five and four.
While the Terps have struggled with their shooting, Willard said they have figured out rebounding is essential.
“We know there’s a pretty good chance we might not make that shot, so the best thing to do is go get it,” he said. “… When we shoot it, we’re going to go get it. It’s kind of our best offense.”
Maryland hosts Northwestern at 7 p.m. Wednesday. The Wildcats (19-8, 10-6) won the teams’ first matchup, 72-69, in January in Evanston, Ill. That was one of seven Terps games decided by one possession; the team is 1-6 in those games.
“We’re 20 points away from probably being, like, the 10th team in the country,” Willard said, “as crazy as that sounds.”
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