Ron Harper Jr. made five 3-pointers in the final 10 minutes, finishing with a career-high 31 points as Rutgers earned its first road victory of the season, 70-59 at Maryland, Saturday afternoon in College Park, Md.
In winning for the first time in six road games, (Rutgers 10-6, 4-2 Big Ten) surged from 11 points down at halftime. Paul Mulcahy helped spark the comeback with 11 of his 15 points coming after the break.
Harper’s consecutive 3-pointers midway through the half capped a 10-point run that gave the Scarlet Knights the lead. His biggest 3 came with 1:14 left and put Rutgers in front 65-57.
Maryland (9-7, 1-5) was paced by Eric Ayala, who scored 13 points. Donta Scott contributed 12 points and Hakim Hart added 10 for the Terps, who went cold in the second half, hitting 7 of 28 shots (25 percent) and committing nine of their 14 turnovers.
Meanwhile, Rutgers made 15 of 30 shots (50 percent) in the second half, including 7 of 13 (53.8 percent) from beyond the arc.
A layup by Maryland’s Fatts Russell tied it at 55-55 with 3:32 left but it would be the final field goal for the Terps as the Scarlet Knights outscored them 15-4 the rest of the way.
Geo Baker, who had eight points and seven assists, broke the tie with a driving layup and then found Mulcahy on the perimeter for his decisive 3-pointer. Baker also assisted on Harper’s late 3. Over the final 47 seconds, Harper made 5 of 6 free throws.
In the opening minutes, Ayala made 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to help the Terps to a 13-4 lead. But Aundre Hyatt responded with 3-pointers on two straight trips as Rutgers tied it at 14.
Midway through the half, Maryland went on a 10-point run. Scott started it with a 3-pointer. Russell made three free throws and added a steal, which Ian Martinez turned into two more points. Scott then followed with a steal and a fastbreak layup for a 30-21 lead.
–Field Level Media
