“He’s not a good matchup for anybody,” Willard said. “That kid’s a warrior. That kid is, if he could ever improve his outside shot just a little bit, he’s unstoppable.”
Reese had eight of Maryland’s first 10 points, while frontcourt mate Queen was held off the score sheet for the first 15 minutes. The star freshman was frustrated enough after earning a foul call on a baseline drive to throw the ball at a Northwestern player, instead earning himself a technical foul.
The foul midway through the half actually helped turn things in the Terrapins favor. Maryland rallied with an 8-0 run courtesy of Reese and Gillespie to surge back and take a 20-19 lead while holding Northwestern to 1-of-9 shooting.
A track meet broke out in the waning moments of the half, with Maryland making six of its final nine shots, Queen scoring 8 points in the final five minutes, and Maryland holding a 32-29 lead at the break despite 11 first half turnovers and an eventual season-high 18.