As the new year begins, the University of Maryland and head coach Buzz Williams are still searching for that first Big Ten win. The Terrepins suffered a 64-54 loss against the No. 18 Oregon Ducks who now have their first in conference victory of the season.
While the score gap was minor, it was easy to see that Maryland struggled during the game to put points on the board. The Terrepins only completed 18-65 field goals and went 20% from the three, making this one of the worst shooting games of their season. Although Maryland could not get points on the board consistently, they showed dominance in other areas, forcing turnovers and shooting 79% from the free throw line.
Maryland’s go-to scorer went ghost from the start, as the game opened with shooting 4-21. The Terps only trailed by seven at the end of the first half, keeping up hope of achieving their first 2026 win alive. But further into the game, Maryland got bullied by Oregon’s bigs in the paint which ultimately made shooting from the arc look like the only option.
While things were slow for the Terps, Solomon Washington had an explosive night and was a key leader on the court. Washington ended the night with 17 pts and earned his second consecutive double-double making this a career performance. Even though the senior had a standout game, Washington was still not satisfied: “It feels great to score the ball, but it feels better to win.”
Maryland’s efforts were evident throughout the night, finding ways to force Oregon turnovers and making defensive plays, but in the end, the Ducks size advantages and grittiness pushed them towards their win.
“I thought a lot of things that we were trying to accomplish were the right things to do. We didn’t shoot the percentage that we needed to shoot, but I wouldn’t necessarily say that they were what I would call ‘red light shots’. I thought we shot a lot of green light shots, we just didn’t make them,” said head coach Buzz Williams.
Maryland looks forward to being back at the Xfinity Center on January 7th, where they’ll face off against the No. 10 Indiana Hooziers.
For more insight about the matchup, check out Kelsi Jones’ postgame recap.