Penn State struggles to get rebounds in loss to Maryland

The Nittany Lions suffered a defeat in their first conference game of the season, losing to Maryland 81-75.

This marks the fifth straight loss for the blue and white, who have been getting dominated in the paint during the recent struggles.

Qudus Wahab has been playing well this season as the team’s primary center, averaging almost a double-double with 10.4 points and 9.3 rebounds per game.

However, at the end of games and during the stretches with him off the court, the opposition has been able to find success by getting offensive rebounds at will.

Penn State as a team is averaging 33 rebounds per game while allowing 38.1 rebounds to their opponents.

One of the main reasons for this is the injury to Favour Aire, who was going to be one of the main rebounders and bigger bodies with the bench unit.

Head coach Mike Rhoades said after the team’s season opener that Aire would be out for around 4-6 weeks with a hand injury.

In his absence, the team has looked to Demetrius Lilley and Leo O’Boyle to fill in at the five spot, which hasn’t been working against the tougher opponents.

The Terrapins were able to blowout the Nittany Lions on the glass, reeling in 23 offensive rebounds and 30 defensive rebounds compared to just nine offensive rebounds and 22 defensive rebounds by the blue and white.

On offense during regulation, Penn State was solid and hitting 3-pointers, which has been another key weakness. In overtime, things fell apart on that end of the floor as they missed all eight of their field goal attempts.

Defensively, the team was able to elevate to the elite level that it was playing at earlier this season, holding Mayland to just 34.3% shooting from the floor.

However, with Mayland getting numerous second-chance opportunities, the Terrapins were able to overcome their inefficient shooting with an increased quantity of shots, which kept them in the game.

The Nittany Lions led for most of the game, but once Wahab and Lilley fouled out late in the second half, the team was fighting just to stay alive.

Maryland was able to get to the paint at will and the rebounding advantage completely swung in their favor with their size, which made overtime not even competitive.

Overall for Penn State, it was a very close game that showed signs of life after its shocking upset loss to Bucknell. The defense improved and was able to hang in there against tough competition in the Big Ten.

Guards Kanye Clary and Ace Baldwin Jr. were another bright spot for the team, each putting up double-digit points and showing they could fit well next to each other.

Even the 3-point shooting was better, as the team went eight of 21 from beyond the arc during regulation.

Ultimately, the improved play of the Nittany Lions wasn’t enough to overcome their struggles on the boards, and it cost them their first conference game of the season.

Penn State’s next game will take place on Saturday when it hosts Ohio State, which will be another game where the blue and white’s rebounding will be crucial.

Christopher Reynolds is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email him at clr5971@psu.edu.