Julian Reese and Maryland blow out Grand Canyon 81-49 in March Madness
Ja'Kobi Gillespie added 16 points for the Terrapins (26-8), who will play No. 12 Colorado State on Sunday in the second round of the West Region. The Rams beat fifth-seeded Memphis 78-70.
Derik Queen, the Big Ten freshman of the year who was averaging 16.3 points and nine rebounds a game, finished with 12 points and 15 boards, becoming the first Maryland freshman with a double-double in the tournament since Jalen Smith in 2019.
Tyon Grant-Foster led Grand Canyon (26-8) with 23 points.
Led by a hardworking group of starters nicknamed the 'Crab Five,' the Terps overwhelmed the Lopes. Grand Canyon got within 44-32 early in the second half on a jumper by Ray Harrison, but the Lopes moved no closer.
Both teams got off to a slow start. Maryland led 15-10 midway through the first half and then went on an 18-1 run, capped by Rodney Rice's 3-pointer.
Maryland, an at-large entrant to the tournament after falling 81-80 to Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals, led 42-28 at the break.
Grand Canyon beat Utah Valley to win the Western Athletic Conference Tournament title and an automatic berth. It was the Lopes' third straight year in the tournament, but they failed to repeat last year's run to the second round.
More than the starters
While the Crab Five all averaged in double figures during the season, DeShawn Harris-Smith contributed 11 points in 24 minutes off the bench on Friday after going scoreless in his last nine games. He hit back-to-back layups that stretched the Terps' lead to 26-12.
Record breaker
Selton Miguel hit a 3-pointer with 3:08 left in the first half that gave Maryland a 39-22 lead and gave the Terps 273 3s this season, breaking the program record.
___
AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
4 hours ago
- New York Times
Commanders takeaways: Jayden Daniels, Bill Croskey-Merritt show off their speed
LANDOVER, Md. — The second game was always going to be about the starters. Quarterback Jayden Daniels would get his first and only snaps of the preseason, receiver Deebo Samuel would make his Washington debut and most of the Commanders' remade defensive line would get some live reps. But in the 48 hours or so before kickoff, attention shifted to two starters whose futures with the team are in limbo. Advertisement Washington's one-time lead running back, Brian Robinson Jr., was held out of the game amid trade speculation. Coach Dan Quinn and general manager Adam Peters met with Robinson on Sunday afternoon to inform him of the plan, then Quinn addressed the team. Quinn declined to share any specifics about that conversation and wouldn't say if it was related to Robinson's uncertain future with the team. He joined 12 other Commanders starters who did not play Monday, including Terry McLaurin, the star receiver who is in a prolonged contract dispute with the team. McLaurin was activated off the physically unable to perform list on Saturday to begin his ramp-up for the season, but he's yet to agree to a new deal and has said he couldn't see getting back on the field without progress toward an extension. Neither McLaurin nor Robinson attended Monday's 31-17 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. Of course, the drama subsided when Daniels took the field and led the team on a scoring drive in less than two minutes. Here's what we gleaned from Washington's second preseason loss: No one actually thought Daniels would throw the ball much behind an offensive line missing three starters, right? Both of Washington's top guards are out with injuries — RG Sam Cosmi is on the PUP list as he continues to recover from an ACL injury, and LG Brandon Coleman has been dealing with a leg injury — and veteran left tackle Laremy Tunsil was among the starters who sat out. That almost ensured Daniels would let the run game lead the way Monday night. Initially, Quinn said Daniels would get 'a few' series. It turned out to be only one — a four-play scoring drive that spanned a minute and 51 seconds. Samuel kicked it off, turning a jet sweep into a 19-yard gain. Then running back Chris Rodriguez Jr., the 2023 sixth-round pick who had some big runs late last season, took a handoff 40 yards, breaking a couple tackles along the way. He reached a maximum speed of 20.37 mph on the play, according to TruMedia, the fastest of any offensive player for Washington in the preseason. Rodriguez had another one-yard run before Daniels decided to keep it on a second-and-9 from the Bengals' 14. The collective gasp at Northwest Stadium turned into a roar as he found the end zone. Confirmed: Jayden Daniels is still ELECTRIC ⚡️ Watch on ESPNStream on @NFLPlus and ESPN+ — NFL (@NFL) August 19, 2025 'Yeah, I wanted to throw the corner route to C-Rod — it was man coverage — and I was late over the middle to Deebo,' Daniels said. 'And then after that, my instincts kind of just took over.' When a reporter tried to ask if he considered sliding to avoid a hit, Daniels quickly cut him off. 'Not at all,' Daniels said. Advertisement Quinn could only smile when asked about Daniels' decision. 'Yeah, you think those conversations haven't already been told?' Quinn said with a smile. 'It's part of his game, and it is what makes him a special player. … There's just an unusual play-making ability that takes place. Sometimes it's with his legs, other times it's with his arm, but it is part of who he is. But, it is one of the things we worked on to say: when you take your shots and when you go.' Daniels said he had hoped for more reps, but Quinn wasn't going to risk injury for another celebratory play by his quarterback. Those four plays, with zero pass attempts, will be the entirety of Daniels' second NFL preseason. Josh Johnson took over on the second series and alternated with Sam Hartman as they continued their supposed competition for the third QB role behind Daniels and Marcus Mariota. So now everyone has formally met 'Bill,' the Commanders' seventh-round rookie whose play in camp and the preseason has helped shape the team's vision for its future at running back. Jacory Croskey-Merritt had 46 of the Commanders' 185 rushing yards on Monday, including a statement 27-yard touchdown that validated the praise he's received. Offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury has an array of GT Counter runs in his bag and pulled one out for Croskey-Merritt. Andrew Wylie, playing left tackle in place of Tunsil, and left guard Chris Paul pulled to the right side. Paul made a kick-out block on Shemar Stewart while Wylie took on safety Jordan Battle to clear out the right side. Tight end John Bates (more on him later) cleared out linebacker Demetrius Knight Jr. Croskey-Merritt made one cut and burst through the hole for the score. His max speed on the run: 20.15 mph, per TruMedia. Rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt goes by "Bill" Bill just went 27 yards to the 🏠 Watch on ESPNStream on @NFLPlus and ESPN+ — NFL (@NFL) August 19, 2025 The Commanders' RBs group is deep, possibly prompting the team to keep four backs on its initial 53-man roster. Croskey-Merritt will, of course, be one of them. Quinn said earlier in camp that he believed the Commanders' deep group of safeties was among the team's strengths. That group proved it on Monday, especially on the opening series. What should have been a three-and-out by the Bengals turned into a score because of a pair of Commanders penalties. Washington showed an all-out blitz when the Bengals decided to go for it on fourth-and-3, but Joe Burrow used a hard count to pull Frankie Luvu offsides, giving Cincinnati a new set of downs. Then Noah Igbinoghene, who was starting at corner in place of Trey Amos, was flagged for pass interference in coverage against Ja'Marr Chase. The 25-yard penalty allowed the Bengals to move to the Commanders' 4-yard line. Advertisement Despite those mistakes, the drive also featured two (almost three) impressive plays by Washington's safeties. First, Quan Martin had a textbook tackle of running back Chase Brown on a second down. Then, after the Bengals reached the 4-yard line, Will Harris played tight end Tanner Hudson tight in coverage to break up a pass at the goal line. Martin nearly had another big stop on fourth-and-goal, but Brown barely crossed the goal line. Later in the first quarter, on a Bengals' third-and-7, safety Jeremy Reaves brought down Hudson for a gain of only 4 yards. Of course, the Bengals went for it again and Burrow found a receiver for 13 yards and the conversion. Quinn and Whitt praised Reaves last week for his play in camp and preseason, with both acknowledging that they need to find more time on defense for him. 'He's earned right now to be that third safety type of player where you'll see him in there more,' Whitt said. 'He's such a special teams ace that it's hard to just play him full time on defense because he's so important to special teams. But he just keeps making plays, making plays.' There's a reason the Commanders gave Bates a three-year, $21 million extension after he had only eight catches last season. They believe he's the best blocking tight end in the game, and he showed why against the Bengals. Bates and fellow tight end Ben Sinnott helped clear a big lane for Samuel on his opening run. On the next play, Bates blocked Cincinnati's 6-foot-3, 310-pound defensive tackle Kris Jenkins Jr. to open a lane for Rodriguez on his 40-yard run. On the Commanders' next offensive series, Bates again stepped up on a counter. Quinn said after the game that Bates had his best practice of training camp on Friday, when the Commanders were in full pads. Advertisement 'For as tall as he is, this guy can really play with good leverage,' Quinn said. 'If you can beat somebody to the punch, whether it's at tight end or any offensive line spot, tight hands and play it low, he's got real power. So that's the spot. There's been some, honestly, some great battles between him and [DE Deatrich] Wise and [DT Javon] Kinlaw out on the edge. So, I imagine there's some iron sharpening iron that's going on with that. I see John as one of the very best at what he does, so it's been cool to see that.' The rookie corner experienced tightness in his hamstring in practice on Saturday and when he warmed up for Monday's game, he still felt it, though he was prepared to play, Quinn said. The team decided to hold him out, but Quinn indicated that Amos probably would have pushed to play if it were the regular season. He's no longer a Commander, and it's too easy to now say that Washington should've kept him last year. He didn't have the kind of performance then that warranted cutting any of the six receivers the Commanders kept on their initial 53-man roster: McLaurin, Dyami Brown, Luke McCaffrey, Olamide Zaccheaus, Jamison Crowder and Byron Pringle. But Tinsley's play on Monday night for Cincinnati was notable enough to deserve a mention. And it appears he'll be on an active roster shortly. The 6-foot-1, 205-pound wideout had four impressive catches in the final minute and 19 seconds of the first half. The last two were touchdowns, scored 18 seconds apart. It started with a 23-yard catch-and-run on the left side. On the subsequent play, he caught a short pass up the middle that was thrown slightly behind him, tipping it before ultimately gaining possession. Three plays after that, Tinsley was in the end zone, on a fade over the head of cornerback Bobby Price in the left corner of the end zone. Tinsley was back in the end zone seconds later after linebacker Barrett Carter picked off Hartman and ran it back to Washington's 21-yard line. Again, quarterback Jake Browning went to Tinsley, this time on a fade on the right side. Tinsley grabbed the ball two-handed over cornerback Car'lin Vigers poetry in the end zone 🔥 — NFL (@NFL) August 19, 2025 When asked after the game if Tinsley made the 53, Burrow said, 'Sure hope so.' As if he needs any more quality receivers. Shoutout to the bird. (Top photo of Jayden Daniels: Greg Fiume / Getty Images) Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Yahoo
ESPN's Mina Kimes: Bengals 'need so much more' than Trey Hendrickson on defense
Mina Kimes and Rich Eisen slammed the Cincinnati Bengals' defensive effort during the first quarter of Monday night's NFL preseason game against the Washington Commanders at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland. "Watching the Bengals' defense in that first quarter tonight," Eisen said on "SportsCenter" to Kimes, "I thought to myself, 'Trey Hendrickson needs to be paid.'" "Well, that's true, he does need to be paid," Kimes said. "But there's a saying in football you've got to stop the run to have some fun. And Trey Hendrickson doesn't solve those problems. He's not playing defensive tackle, he's not playing linebacker. And watching them get gashed by the Commanders in the first quarter, throughout the game really, it just looks like a lot of the same issues we saw last year. … So yeah, they do need Trey Hendrickson. But unfortunately, it feels like they need so much more, including many points per game from Joe Burrow. I have to think that was going through his head as well. … I think the Bengals' offense is gonna be fine. The defense is another story." This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Mina Kimes: Bengals defense needs much more help than Trey Hendrickson
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Yahoo
'We'll see.' Bengals QB Joe Burrow discusses Trey Hendrickson situation
Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor was mum on matters related to Trey Hendrickson, but quarterback Joe Burrow shared his thoughts on matters concerning high-profile Bengals personnel decisions. Hendrickson, the 2024 NFL sack champion, continued his "hold-in" Aug. 18 amid fresh reports on his contract situation and his club entertaining trade offers for him. He was a favorite target of camera lenses throughout the Bengals' preseason victory against the Washington Commanders at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland, because of that news. It didn't take long for the subject to become a topic of conversation for Taylor and Burrow following the contest. While Taylor told reporters post-game that he had have nothing to do with reported Hendrickson trade talks, Burrow said "we'll see" when asked about his confidence in the Bengals and Hendrickson finalizing a deal. "Yeah, I don't know. I think, Historically, these deals with us have gotten done closer to Week One," Burrow said. "I signed on the Thursday before the first game (in 2023). Ja'Marr's (Chase) started to pick up that week before last year, too, and we were able to get Tee (Higgins) and Ja'Marr done early this year, so that was great. But I think, historically, the way we've done business is it tends to pick up here in the next two weeks so, we'll see." Burrow referenced the signing of his own contract extension ahead of the 2023 season, as well as subsequent extension situations involving Bengals wide receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Chase, in March, became the highest paid non-quarterback in NFL history following his historic 2024 season in which he claimed the receiving "triple crown," leading the league in catches, yards and touchdowns. Higgins also signed a lucrative contract extension in March. Burrow had publicly lobbied for the Bengals to keep both players. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Trey Hendrickson contract talks with Bengals: Joe Burrow weighs in
