For a second straight game, Maryland started out ice cold shooting the ball, falling into a 29-point halftime hole that they were never able to climb out of, as they dropped their third straight game, falling at home to UCLA by a score of 87-60.
The Terps were led by Ian Martinez, who came off the bench to score a team-high 16 points and was one of just two Terps in double-figure scoring along with Donta Scott.
Wednesday night's game concluded a brutal four-game stretch for the Terps in which all four opponents are currently ranked inside the AP top 25. They will now have an eight day break before they host Saint Peter's on Dec. 22.
Here are three takeaways from the Terps' third straight loss:
Terps open ice cold for a second straight game
Coming off of a game in which the Terps were able to score just 17 points in the opening half versus Tennessee, things didn't get much better Wednesday night in College Park versus the Bruins. The Terps came out ice cold shooting the ball, going into the first media timeout without scoring a point and missing their first eight field goal attempts before Ian Martinez hit a three with 15:06 remaining in the opening half. Maryland would go on to shoot just 8-26 in the first half, including 2-11 from deep, while committing 11 turnovers. They scored just 20 points in the first 20 minutes, trailing by a score of 49-20.
Maryland came out and shot the ball better in the second half, but trailing by 29 points at the intermission, the game was essentially already over. Given Maryland's lack of size and depth inside, they simply can't afford to play from way behind unless they get red hot from three-point land.
What is the status of JuJu Reese?
Making matters even worse for the Terps in the second half on Wednesday night, they were without starting big man Julian 'JuJu' Reese, who did not play in the final 20 minutes after suffering an apparent shoulder injury.
With Reese out of the lineup, former Rivals five-star and freshman big man Adem Bona was able to do all kinds of damage in the paint for the Bruins, scoring 10 points while going a perfect 5-5 from the field, adding three rebounds and a block in 13 minutes of action. Bona finished the game with 14 points and a game-high seven boards.
The long-term status of Reese is what is of importance for the Terps moving forward. Hopefully the injury is nothing serious and he's able to play Dec. 22 versus Saint Peter's. But if Reese were to be out an extended period of time, missing the Saint Peter's or UMBC games probably wouldn't hurt the Terps' chances, but the following game they will travel to Ann Arbor where they will face 7-footer Hunter Dickinson and the Michigan Wolverines.
After a strong start to the season, Reese has hit a rough patch. He's failed to score in double figures in three of the Terps' past four games and he's had foul trouble throughout. The Terps need him to get back to scoring in double figures, rebounding and being a rim protector in league play.
Time for some much needed rest
While a 1-3 record over the past four games surely isn't the outcome the Terps would have hoped for, they faced the type of stretch of basketball that often makes teams stronger come March. All four of Maryland's most recent opponents are currently ranked in the AP poll. Two of those four games were played away from the friendly confines of Xfinity Center and many had UCLA pegged as a national title contender before the season started. They looked like it versus the Terps. Not many teams will face a stretch like that during the season and while Wednesday night's outcome wasn't desirable, they fought until the end in the other three games, including a conference win over a very good Illinois team.
Now Kevin Willard's team gets a chance to catch their collective breath, with eight days until their next game. As Willard mentioned ahead of the UCLA game, they will now get a chance to get back to practicing and working on some things they need to improve on. They will also have the opportunity to get some of their swagger back and build their confidence back up against Saint Peter's and UMBC before they get into the meat of the Big Ten schedule starting in the new year.
