Reese ties career high as Maryland outlasts Penn State in physical overtime win

COLLEGE PARK — It was a knock-down, drag-out fight that needed all of regulation and then some to decide. And though it was ugly, a Maryland team that’s had a disappointing first month of the season found a way, thanks to its two unquestioned leaders.

Jahmir Young scored a game-high 28 points, Julian Reese tied a career-high with 24 points and added 15 rebounds, and Maryland fought through shooting struggles and inconsistency to come back and beat Penn State in overtime, 81-75, Wednesday night.

“That’s the first thing, you’re just relieved that you won a conference game. But just looking at our numbers, there’s really no joy right now,” Maryland coach Kevin Willard said. “I’m happy we won, and glad that we pulled it out, and happy for these kids that work so hard, but we just have a lot of stuff we have to fix.”

Reese recorded his fifth double-double of the season and has scored 15 or more in his last six games. The Baltimore native progressively raised his level as the game went on, even after a first half in which Maryland struggled in the paint.

“I think Julian Reese is really developing into a heck of a leader to be perfectly honest with you,” Willard said. “He was the one, after we went into overtime, he was the guy really talking and just saying, “Hey, let’s go, we’ve got five more minutes. Let’s figure this out. Let’s find a way.’”

“I feel like it definitely gives the team confidence,” Reese said. “After tonight we can see that we can battle through adversity and stay together, especially when the game probably should have been over earlier.”

Young was a perfect 12-for-12 from the foul line and pulled down eight rebounds. He showed no ill effects from a sprained ankle he sustained last Friday at Indiana, playing all but 68 seconds of the game’s 45 minutes.

“I didn’t even know,” Young said of his endurance. “[With] just the atmosphere and energy, I could play longer than that. So yeah, I feel like we’ll feel it in the morning.”

After PSU’s Ace Baldwin Jr. made two foul shots to tie the game at 71 with 4.1 seconds to go, Young’s coast-to-coast running floater was short of the rim as regulation expired.

But in overtime, he scored four of Maryland’s 10 points and delivered a pinpoint pass to a baseline-cutting DeShawn Harris-Smith to put the Terrapins up for good, 79-75. Penn State missed all eight of their shots from the floor in overtime.

“When he cut back door, he was wide open, so I just had to make sure I got it to him,” Young said. “That was a key possession, and I just had to make sure I was sure with my pass.”

Shooting was again a struggle for the Terrapins (5-4, 1-1 Big Ten), who finished 5-of-20 from three-point range (20%) — below their already third-worst in the nation 22.7% average. Maryland also shot below-average overall from the floor, 34.3% instead of 41%.

“I mean, we did some stupid things, but it was a lot of stupid things by guys that are gonna learn from it and get better from it and won’t do it again,” Willard said. “You know, that’s part of having a lot of guys that hadn’t been in this situation before and hadn’t played in this league. So they’ll get there.”

The Big Ten home opener for the Terrapins was their first overtime game at Xfinity Center since 2016 and extended their winning streak in the building to 16 games. Penn State has now lost five in a row after winning their first four games.

After dropping a season-high 17 in College Park last season, Penn State point guard Kanye Clary showed again that he really loves playing at Maryland. He led the Nittany Lions with 25 points, his fourth 20-plus showing of the season.

“He hasn’t even scratched his potential,” first-year Penn State coach Mike Rhoades said of the sophomore. “You saw it last year, and you saw it again tonight: He can make plays.”

Penn State (4-5, 0-1 Big Ten) certainly didn’t act like a team on a losing streak. The Nittany Lions raced out to an early 20-9 lead with help from a 4-4 shooting start from Clary — one of the few returners for PSU after former coach Micah Shrewsberry left for Notre Dame after last season.

Penn State forward Qudus Wahab looked much more ready for Big Ten play than the last time he played at Xfinity Center — as a sophomore for the Terrapins in 2021-22 — dominating the post with eight first-half rebounds.

Slowly, though, the Terrapins chipped away at the deficit as the Nittany Lions went on a 1-7 cold stretch from the floor and committed five turnovers themselves in just over five minutes.

After starting 3-for-11 from the floor and 0-for-4 from three, Maryland scored 12 of the half’s final 20 points, including rare three-pointers from Jamie Kaiser Jr. and Jahari Long, to leave the Terrapins down two, 30-28, at halftime.

With a full burst of energy after the break, Maryland took the lead for the first time. A long Jordan Geronimo two put the Terrapins in front, 32-30.

The energy was short-lived as Penn State found its stroke. PSU rattled off a 9-0 run — with five points from Clary — to go up 44-37, while Maryland went without a field goal for a six-minute span.

The back and forth continued for the duration of the second half. Maryland surged again behind Donta Scott’s first basket on a back-down hook shot, followed by Kaiser’s second three for a 63-61 lead with 2:42 to go.

“Good things happen when you play hard and I just tried to carry over my energy from the second half of the Indiana game and bring it into this game,” Kaiser said, “knowing that stuff was gonna go a little bit more our way because we were at home.”

He entered the game 5-of-28 from three for the season, but his two tonight — part of a season-high 10 points for the freshman from Burke, Virginia — came at moments that gave the Terrapins a needed lift.

“That’s the fun thing about seeing a freshman kind of evolve a little bit and getting confidence in him. I think he’s starting to understand his role,” Willard said. “He’s like the Energizer bunny, man … these young guys are working really hard to kind of figure it out. And I think each game they’re just getting a little bit more comfortable.”