Despite the willpower of Eric Dixon and his career-high 38 points, the Villanova Wildcats couldn’t stop the Maryland Terrapins on Sunday in the Empire Classic.

The ‘Cats squandered a double-digit halftime lead, while the Terrapins roared back into the game behind Derik Queen, Julian Reese and Ja’Kobi Gillespie.

It was a back and forth battle for the final eight minutes of the match. Queen hit a pair of free throws to give Maryalnd a one-point lead with 19.2 seconds left and the Terrapins held on from there for a 76-75 win.

Villanova had one last possession. Dixon was triple-teamed and the ball found its way to Tyler Perkins for a three, but it was no good. The ball bounced out of Maryland, so the Wildcats regained the ball with 2.4 seconds left.

Dixon got one last shot at the buzzer, but it didn’t help, and Maryland took the win.

The Terrapins got back into the game with a 17-3 run fueled by Queen midway through the second half. He flushed a dunk to spark the second-half surge with 14:02 remaining. He came back to finish it off with back-to-back baskets to give the Terps a 59-55 lead with 8:07 remaining.

Both teams traded baskets and mini-runs, and there were seven lead changes over the final 3:30.

Dixon finished with 38 points on 15-of-29 shooting, including a 5-of-11 clip from long range. He also had four boards, two assists and a steal.

He got off to a torrid start to the match, outscoring his teammates in the first half. 22 of his 38 points came before halftime, and he was a major catalyst in giving the ‘Cats a 40-28 lead at halftime.

At one point he scored nine straight points. Villanova’s largest lead was 14 points and that came in the closing minutes of the first half.

Villanova struggled early to generate consistent offense outside of Dixon, but Jhamir Brickus would finish with 11 points, four assists, one block and two steals. Tyler Perkins and Jordan Longino each finished with seven points.

Maryland was aggressive on the glass, especially in the second half. Reese and Queen each finished with six offensive rebounds, and as a team they had 10 in the second half. The Terrapins scored 20 second-chance points during the comeback.

Queen led the way with a 22-point, 11-rebound double-double on 9-of-14 shooting. He also had five assists and a block. Reese added 18 points on 8-of-12 shooting, with 10 rebounds and a pair of blocks. Rodney Rice scored 16 points, while Gillespie added 12 points, three assists and three steals.

Villanova drops to 3-4 overall. The Wildcats are back in action on Wednesday night against Rider at the Finneran Pavilion. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 PM ET.