SEATTLE — Julian Reese shone with 18 points and nine rebounds, helping fourth-seeded Maryland decisively defeat No. 13 seed Grand Canyon 81-49 in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday.
The Terrapins, boasting a 26-8 record, saw significant contributions from Ja’Kobi Gillespie, who added 16 points. They are set to face No. 12 Colorado State on Sunday in the second round of the West Region after the Rams upset fifth-seeded Memphis with a 78-70 victory.
Derik Queen, honored as the Big Ten freshman of the year, added a robust performance with 12 points and 15 rebounds. This achievement marked him as the first Maryland freshman to secure a double-double in the tournament since Jalen Smith in 2019.
Tyon Grant-Foster was the standout player for Grand Canyon, contributing 23 points. However, the team struggled to keep pace with Maryland’s starters, affectionately dubbed the “Crab Five.” Despite Grand Canyon narrowing the score to 44-32 early in the second half, the lead by Maryland proved insurmountable.
Both teams initially struggled to find their rhythm, and Maryland maintained a slender 15-10 advantage midway through the first half before launching an imposing 18-1 run. This decisive surge was punctuated by Rodney Rice’s impressive 3-pointer.
Maryland, competing in the tournament as an at-large selection following a tight 81-80 loss to Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals, led 42-28 at halftime. Grand Canyon, who had clinched their spot by winning the Western Athletic Conference Tournament against Utah Valley, saw their tournament journey end sooner than last year’s second-round appearance.
Beyond the starting lineup, Maryland found valuable support from DeShawn Harris-Smith, who came off the bench to score 11 points over 24 minutes, breaking his nine-game scoreless streak. His consecutive layups expanded Maryland’s lead to 26-12.
A noteworthy milestone was also achieved when Selton Miguel sank a 3-pointer with 3:08 remaining in the first half. This shot not only extended Maryland’s lead to 39-22 but also allowed the Terrapins to reach a total of 273 successful 3-point shots for the season, breaking the program’s record.