Newark, N.J. — Derik Queen’s clutch free throws with 19 seconds remaining in the game helped Maryland complete a dramatic second-half rally, lifting the Terrapins to a 76-75 victory over Villanova in the final of the Saatva Empire Classic on Sunday afternoon.
Trailing by 12 at the break, Maryland erupted in the second period, shooting 17 of 29 from the field and hitting 4 of 9 three-pointers to fuel their comeback effort. The Terrapins’ offense found its rhythm, overcoming Villanova’s strong first-half performance led by Eric Dixon.
Dixon, who scored 22 points in the opening frame, including four 3-pointers, had Villanova in control at halftime, with the Wildcats holding a 40-28 lead. However, Maryland came out firing in the second half, slowly chipping away at the deficit.
Queen sparked the Terrapins’ resurgence, dunking to cut the lead to single digits with 14 minutes left. Rodney Rice and Malachi Palmer each drilled a three-pointer to bring Maryland within two points, 52-50, with just under 12 minutes remaining. Moments later, Ja’Kobi Gillespie converted two free throws to tie the game at 55-55, and Queen followed with a layup and a jumper, putting Maryland in front, 59-55.
Villanova responded with Dixon, who completed a three-point play and hit a jumper to briefly regain the lead, 62-59. But Queen continued to shine, hitting a free throw and a key basket to push Maryland ahead, 63-62. Villanova regained the advantage with a layup from Jordan Longino and two free throws, making it 66-63 with under five minutes remaining.
The back-and-forth nature of the game continued as Maryland’s Julian Reese made a free throw to tie the score at 70-70 with 2:28 left. Rice then added two more from the charity stripe at 1:53 to give the Terrapins a 72-70 lead.
Dixon drained a three-pointer to give Villanova a 73-72 edge, but Queen answered with a layup to put Maryland back in front. Dixon’s layup with 28 seconds remaining gave Villanova their last lead, 75-74, but Queen’s two clutch free throws with 19 seconds left on the clock put Maryland ahead for good, 76-75.
In the closing seconds, Villanova had a chance to win. Tyler Perkins missed a three-pointer with four seconds to go, but the Wildcats grabbed the offensive rebound. Dixon, open in the corner, got a clean look at a game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer, but his shot clanged off the back of the rim.
Queen led the Terrapins (5-1) with a stellar performance, finishing with 22 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists. Reese added 18 points and 10 rebounds, while Rice contributed 16 points. Gillespie scored 12 points and dished out three assists.
Dixon’s 38-point effort, a career-high, was the standout performance for Villanova (3-4). He shot 15 of 29 from the field, including 5 of 11 from three-point range. Jhamir Brickus chipped in with 11 points for the Wildcats.
