Northwestern likely to make Big Ten Tournament despite loss at No. 13 Maryland

COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Julian Reese had 19 points and 11 rebounds in his home finale, and No. 13 Maryland pulled away late for a 74-61 victory over Northwestern on Saturday.

The Terrapins (24-7, 14-6 Big Ten) had a sluggish day offensively but did enough to win for the seventh time in eight games — with the only defeat coming on a 65-foot shot at the buzzer against Michigan State late last month.

Ja'Kobi Gillespie scored 17 points for the Terps, and Derik Queen added 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Maryland snapped a three-game skid against Northwestern, which included an overtime loss to the Wildcats in January.

Nick Martinell scored 28 points for Northwestern (16-15, 7-13), which is still likely to reach the Big Ten Tournament despite the loss.

The Wildcats led for a good deal of the first half and were up 42-41 in the second before being outplayed down the stretch.

Takeaways

Northwestern: The Wildcats played Maryland tough this season, but they ultimately didn't have enough offensive firepower, going 4 for 19 from 3-point range in this one.

Maryland: The Terrapins reached a new level after that loss to Northwestern earlier in the season. They're 11-2 since then.

Key moment

A 14-4 Maryland run, which included 3-pointers by Gillespie and Rodney Rice, gave the Terps a 55-46 lead. They never looked back.

Key stats

Maryland had 16 offensive rebounds, while Northwestern managed only 17 defensive rebounds. The Terps had a 14-4 edge in second-chance points.

Up next

Maryland will be either the No. 2 or No. 3 seed in the Big Ten Tournament. The top 15 teams qualify. Northwestern was one of five teams tied for the final five spots with one game remaining, with Iowa just a game behind.