Maryland men’s basketball dropped to 11-3 Thursday night, falling to Washington, 75-69, at Alaska Airlines Arena.

The Terps were in control for much of the game, leading by three points at halftime and nine in the second half, but Washington (10-4) took the lead for good with just over five minutes left in the game.

Here are three takeaways from the loss.

Maryland’s road struggles continued in the new year

Despite a new team, star freshman and new year, Maryland continues to struggle on the road under head coach Kevin Willard at Washington. It shot 44.8% from the field, but just 18.2% from three on 11 attempts. Maryland also committed 11 turnovers and 23 fouls.

The Terps are now 0-2 on the road this season, with their first loss coming at No. 20 Purdue. While a small sample size, their road issues date back to Willard’s first season in College Park. Maryland is 6-19 on the road since 2022-23.

Thursday also marked another loss in a close game for Maryland. The Terps are 4-13 in games decided by six points or less since last season — 1-3 this season — with its only close win this year coming over Villanova, 76-75.

While the Terps have been dominant at home and won many blowouts under Willard, they will need to win tough road games if they want to sit with the Big Ten’s best.

Reese versus Osobor

Maryland and Washington relied heavily on their senior forwards Thursday, as Julian Reese led the Terps and Great Osobor paced the Huskies.

Reese was particularly active on the offensive end, posting a game-high 22 points. He displayed his improved shooting ability often against Washington, as the final six of his 14 first-half points were scored on close-range jump shots. He went 9-of-12 from the field.

Reese has now strung together multiple impressive performances, averaging 15 points and 12 rebounds per game over the three contests prior to Thursday’s game including a season-high 23 points against Maryland-Eastern Shore Saturday.

He also provided a solid defensive presence, totaling seven rebounds, two steals and a block.

But Reese’s defense was not stout enough to slow down Osobor, who led the way for the Huskies with 20 points, 14 rebounds, four assists and three steals. Carrying Washington has become customary for the 6-foot-8 forward this season, as he leads the team with 14.6 points, 9.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.1 steals per game.

Queen and Gillespie limited the Terps

Derik Queen and Ja’Kobi Gillespie were not their usual spectacular selves against Washington, posting a combined five points on 1 for 13 shooting.

Some of their lack of production can be attributed to limited playing time. The freshman saw just 17 minutes, as he faced foul trouble for much of the contest. He picked up his second foul of the game less than eight minutes into the first half, which resulted in an immediate trip to the bench, and then committed his third foul nearly two minutes into the second half. Gillespie fouled out after just 18 minutes of playing time.

Queen still suffered from poor shot selection at times, though, and often felt phased out of the game.

Queen and Gillespie’s struggles noticeably capped the Terps offensive ability against a mediocre Washington defense. The Huskies entered the game allowing the seventh-most points per game in the Big Ten (68.5) and ranked 81st in the country in KenPom defensive rating (100.4), which measures points allowed per 100 possessions and is adjusted for opponents.

While the Terps’ depth has shined this year, poor performances from their two leading scorers were too much to overcome Thursday.