As Maryland men’s basketball faced a three-point deficit against Washington with six minutes remaining, there was no doubt who the Terps would turn to.
Andre Mills was in the midst of an off day, but he had emerged as the team’s offensive leader. Maryland needed him, and he delivered, scoring at every level to give Maryland a two-point lead with ten seconds left.
On the defensive end, Mills grabbed the rebound off a blocked Huskies shot and peeled down the court. He ran a quick one-two with Guillermo
Del Pino, who lofted a pass that Mills emphatically jammed down in front of a raucous Xfinity Center crowd.
While he appeared to be having an off day, Mills scored 10 of Maryland’s last 13 points, leading Maryland through Saturday’s second-half slugfest to a 64-60 victory over Washington.
Mills finished with 21 points, five assists and four rebounds after a slow start, asserting his entrance after tying Maryland’s freshman scoring record in a 39-point outburst Wednesday.
He was joined by an incredibly unlikely sidekick in Del Pino, who was a revelation. The Spaniard had played just 28 minutes in 2026 entering Saturday, in part due to injuries, but he played 27 against Washington.
Head coach Buzz Williams relied on him down the stretch, and Del Pino delivered, making the game-winning block on one end and tossing the assist for Mills’ emphatic finish.
But most importantly, Maryland turned the Huskies’ freshman star, 6-foot-11 forward Hannes Steinbach, into a nonfactor early. The efficient German, who averages 18 points and 11 rebounds a game, had just six points and no rebounds before the break and finished with 14 and three, respectively.
Fellow freshman Darius Adams took a high volume of Maryland’s shots early in lieu of Mills but missed all but one. After less than six minutes, he was subbed out, not to return for the half. When the freshman’s second-half return saw him miss more shots and turn the ball over, he sat again.
Adams finished the game with three points on 1-of-8 shooting in nine minutes, with Del Pino helping the Terps consistently move the ball and splashed two 3-pointers in his place.
Microwave scorer Diggy Coit didn’t give the Terps much to work with, either. He played four first-half minutes and had one assist and no shots taken.
Thanks to the rest of the depth, though, Maryland’s offense maintained its first-half fluidity. Outside of Del Pino, Isaiah Watts and George Turkson combined for seven points in 21 minutes of spot cameos.
Despite Washington’s starting five including two players in Steinbach and center Franck Kepnang, the Huskies were most effective attacking Maryland on the wings. Guard Zoom Diallo finished with a team-high 19 points and five assists, consistently dicing up Maryland’s man defense.
Neither team could find separation through the second half — Maryland’s largest lead was the final score, and Washington’s was five points.
When the Terps needed him most, Mills responded. He effortlessly stepped into a 3-pointer to snap a scoring drought for the Terps with six minutes left, helping Maryland tie the game at 54.
Things slowed down from there, much to Williams’ frustration. His frustrations at his team’s efforts were perhaps the most intensely displayed they have been all season, with the coach kicking his legs, stomping up and down, and laying into players until his face turned red.
But Mills’ triple and subsequent free throws on the next possession eased the coach’s concerns and brought Maryland closer.
After the Huskies regained the lead with two minutes left, Solomon Washington caught the ball on the wing, and the Xfinity Center crowd collectively drew a breath as the 23% 3-point shooter sized up his look.
Instead, Washington worked inside as Andre Mills, the man of the hour, sagged behind him to the perimeter. Washington pushed the ball outside with a second on the shot clock. Mills drilled it.
Three things to know
1. Turnover turnaround. Maryland’s ball movement was substantially better against Washington than it had been earlier in the season. Maryland had three first-half turnovers, and each of those came from Mills aggressively pushing to the basket in transition. The Terps turned the ball over on two of their first three second-half possessions, but only finished the game with eight.
2. Elijah Saunders’ effective game. With all the rotating Maryland did, its one consistency was leaving Saunders in a wing position he liked, with a rotation of Washington, Turkson and Collin Metcalf keeping Maryland’s big presence strong. Saunders went 4-of-5 from deep, giving Maryland an important second scorer.
3. Schedule ramps back up. The Terps had several easily apparent opportunities to pick up a win in early February. But having dropped two of their last three, escaping the Big Ten first round looks near-impossible now. Three of Maryland’s final four opponents are ranked in the top 25. Its game against Rutgers on March 1 is truly a must-win matchup.
