PISCATAWAY, N.J. _ The Maryland men's basketball team entered last Saturday's game against Michigan State with hopes of capturing its first Big Ten title since joining the conference in 2014.
After a disappointing 78-66 loss, its next opportunity to do so would come at the Rutgers Athletic Center, one of the most difficult places to win a road game in college basketball this season.
A win against Rutgers, or a Michigan State loss to Penn State, would clinch the conference title, but neither scenario fell in favor of the Terps, who lost 78-67, on Tuesday night for their second straight defeat and third in their past four games.
The No. 16 Spartans defeated the No. 20 Nittany Lions, 79-71, bringing the Terps and Spartans to a tie for first place in the Big Ten. Maryland can clinch a share of the regular-season title with a win Sunday against Michigan in its regular-season finale.
Rutgers (19-11, 10-9 Big Ten) had three players score in double figures, led by junior guard Jacob Young, who registered 17. The Scarlet Knights shot 49% from the field and hit 44% of their 3-point attempts.
Maryland (23-7, 13-6) shot 38.5% from the field and made just six of its 32 3-point attempts.
Rutgers jumped out to an 11-point lead in the first half, courtesy of an 8-0 run, prompting a timeout by coach Mark Turgeon. Maryland cut into the lead in the first half, but Rutgers pushed it back to 11 with one minute remaining.
The Terps ended the first half on a 6-0 run to enter halftime down 35-29, despite shooting 2 for 16 on 3-pointers.
A 9-2 run by Rutgers, which made three of its first four shots, to begin the second half pushed its lead to 13.
The Scarlet Knights led by as many as 21, making 56% of their shots in the second half.
Sophomore forward Jalen Smith recorded his 20th double-double of the season with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
Senior guard Anthony Cowan Jr. registered 19 points on 6-for-13 shooting and broke a streak of 15 straight missed 3-pointers, dating to Feb. 18.
Maryland got very little outside of its duo of Cowan and Smith. Its remaining three starters combined for 17 points on 6-for-19 shooting.
