COLLEGE PARK, Md. — In an exciting matchup on Monday night, freshman Derik Queen delivered a standout performance, scoring a total of 27 points, with 18 coming in the second half. Alongside him, Rodney Rice contributed 21 points, helping the Maryland Terrapins secure a 77-71 victory against the Minnesota Golden Gophers.

With 13 minutes remaining in the second half, Ja’Kobi Gillespie hit a crucial 3-pointer from the corner, marking Maryland’s first lead of the game at 49-46 since trailing early at 14-13. Queen then fueled a run for the Terrapins, scoring six consecutive points and pushing the lead to 60-53. His outstanding dunk at the 4:19 mark broke his previous season-high of 26 points, achieved against No. 8 Purdue on December 8. Queen finished the game with impressive stats: he shot 10 of 15 from the field and was 7 of 8 from the charity stripe.

Gillespie, who recently posted a career-high 27 points against then-No. 22 UCLA, added 15 points and dished out seven assists in this game. Julian Reese played a supportive role for Maryland (13-4, 3-3 Big Ten), grabbing eight rebounds while scoring four points.

Minnesota (8-9, 0-6) was led by Dawson Garcia, who managed to score 21 points despite facing foul trouble during the second half. Freshman Isaac Asuma and Lu’Cye Patterson each contributed 15 points for the Golden Gophers.

Garcia notched up 12 points in the first half, with Asuma adding 10, helping Minnesota to a narrow 35-32 lead at halftime. The Golden Gophers showed strong shooting performance, hitting 50% from the field in the first half, including 5 of 9 from beyond the arc. However, they struggled with 11 turnovers, which Maryland capitalized on for 11 points.

Garcia faced a setback after picking up his third foul early in the second half, followed by a fourth foul just six minutes later, hampering his ability to contribute effectively.

Looking ahead, Minnesota will return home to face No. 20 Michigan on Thursday, while Maryland is set to travel to take on Northwestern on the same day.