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Men's College Basketball
Preview
Canisius at Maryland
When: 7:00 PM ET, Tuesday, November 19, 2024
Where: Xfinity Center, College Park, Maryland

After falling short in its first test of the young season, Maryland will aim to bounce back on Tuesday night when it hosts a winless Canisius squad in College Park, Md.

The Terrapins (3-1) opened the campaign with three 30-point victories against light opponents before falling 78-74 at home to No. 15 Marquette on Friday.

Coach Kevin Willard's team played the Golden Eagles tough but faltered when it mattered most.

After scoring five points in seven seconds to pull within 76-74 in the final minute, Maryland squandered two chances to tie the game. The Terrapins first came up empty after getting a steal before DeShawn Harris-Smith missed two free throws with 15 seconds left.

It was a wasted opportunity for Harris-Smith to partly atone for his offensive struggles so far at Maryland, but Willard still trusts his sophomore guard.

"I have confidence in him. He was out there for a reason," Willard said. "That's part of sports. You don't make every game-winning shot. ... You have to learn from it, get back in the gym and just be a big boy."

Harris-Smith, who shot just 36.8 percent overall as a freshman, has improved to 47.6 percent so far this season. He is averaging 6.0 points per game, while freshman Derik Queen and Belmont transfer Ja'Kobi Gillespie share the team lead with 16.3 points per game.

The Terrapins may not face as many high-leverage moments against the Golden Griffins, who dropped to 0-5 after Sunday's 92-69 loss at Western Michigan. The Broncos shot 63.3 percent (38 of 60) overall and outscored Canisius 54-24 in the paint.

Sunday's defensive performance frustrated Golden Griffins coach Jim Christian, particularly because he liked the looks his offense generated despite finishing 35.9 percent floor (23 of 64) from the floor.

Christian said playing complementary basketball has been a key struggle amid the team's slow start.

"We keep fixing one area, one area improves and the other area drops off," he said. "We haven't found any continuity to compete."

Guards Paul McMillan IV (22.4 points per game) and Tana Kopa (14.2 points per game) are Canisius' top two scorers and 3-point shooters. McMillan has hit 11 of 23 (47.8 percent) from distance, while Kopa has drilled 18 of 40 (45 percent).

--Field Level Media

Stats and Records
Team Comparison
  W/L Strk Home Away Neutral Day Night Conf
Canisius 0-5 L5 0-1 0-3 0-1 0-3 0-2 0-0
Maryland 3-1 L1 3-1 0-0 0-0 0-0 3-1 0-0
Last Meeting
Canisius Maryland
Date Away Home Pts Reb FG% Pts Reb FG%
No previous meeting.
Player Stats
Previous Matchup
Points Player Total FG% FTM
Canisius N/A
Maryland N/A
Rebounds Player Total Off Def
Canisius N/A
Maryland N/A
Assists Player  
Canisius N/A
Maryland N/A
Season
Points Player Total FG% FTM
Canisius P. McMillan IV 110 51.4 25
Maryland J. Gillespie 65 54.3 5
Rebounds Player Total Off Def
Canisius C. Palesse 25 10 15
Maryland J. Reese 34 13 21
Assists Player  
Canisius A. Benard 16
Maryland D. Queen 10
Quickchart Matchup
blue bar Canisius Off vs  red bar Maryland Defense
blue bar 64.2 Points For
red bar 58.0 Points Against
blue bar 41.0 FG%
red bar 37.6 FG%
blue bar 25.0 Reb
red bar 30.8 Reb
red bar Maryland Off vs  blue bar Canisius Defense
red bar 80.8 Points For
blue bar 82.0 Points Against
red bar 46.9 FG%
blue bar 51.0 FG%
red bar 37.0 Reb
blue bar 35.0 Reb