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At 5:30 am to go and Michigan state still within reach of a comeback, Maryland slowed the ball down and kicked off their offensive set on half court, guard Hakim Hart throwing the ball to forward Donta Scott at the top of the key.
Scott brought his man down to the left post, as he had done with previous possession for a score, but this time he returned the ball up to Hart, who sank a key three-point bucket to regain his momentum.
Hart’s Bucket arrived in the middle of a 14-4 Terrapin run that helped push Maryland’s lead to a peak 15 points en route to a 73-55 victory on Sunday afternoon.
The Maryland men’s basketball quickly took the lead, then used solid defense and consistent attacking to repeatedly respond to any Michigan State surge of momentum, never letting go throughout the contest. .
With the win, the Terps beat the Spartans at Xfinity Center for the first time since March 4, 2017. They also extend their current winning streak to five games, with an NCAA tournament spot now nearly locked in.
After a long first possession that did not result in a basket, Maryland went back to basics and forced a roll that triggered 11 Terrapin points in a row to start the contest.
Terrapin’s stifling defense didn’t allow a single Spartan point until the 13:51 mark of the first half, the first time Maryland had held an opponent scoreless for five minutes in the past two seasons. .
Michigan State broke the ice with a layup and three quicks on the next possession, bringing the score to 11-5 with 13:21 remaining in the half. But a three-point Jairus Hamilton and Eric Ayala converting three free throws helped spark Terrapin’s attack, not allowing the Spartans to come close.
With 9:02 to play in the half, Michigan State was rushing into transition, looking to regain momentum, when Gabe Brown broke towards the basket and came up, but then knelt Reese Mona in the chest and l ‘crashed for an offensive foul.
A few possessions later, Eric Ayala converted his first three of the afternoon with 7:16 left in the half, becoming the fifth Terp to do so in just six team attempts. Michigan State opened the afternoon shooting just 2 for 11 long range in the same stretch.
The defense continued to lead the way for Maryland as half-time began to calm down, as Morsell cleared a ball during a quick break from the Spartans, immediately returning the field and depositing a pass to Ayala at the other end to give the Terps a 33-21. lead with four minutes left.
Maryland led a 35-25 lead in the locker room with an 11 of 25 shot from the floor, including 6 of 10 of three and seven points on six Michigan State turnovers.
Ayala led all scorers in the first half with 10 points, while Morsell followed closely with nine of his own. The Spartans had just five different scorers in 20 minutes, with Aaron Henry (9) and Joshua Langford (8) doing most of the work on offense.
The Spartans opened the second half with the ball, but a long possession ended with another three-point miss, which the Terps turned into points at the other end thanks to a Morsell cut to the basket .
Maryland left Michigan State just close to nine points at the start of the half, doing its job at the charity strip. The Spartans racked up six fouls in just 4:52 of the second half which put the Terps in the bonus after a 6 of 6 start at the half from the line and a 13 of 13 effort at this point .
Brown then sank his second three-point bucket of the game with 13:04 left, but a Morsell block from Henry on the next defensive possession led to a transition dunk for Hakim Hart as an immediate response. Galin Smith was also fouled on Maryland’s next possession, increasing the lead to 11 points.
Michigan State started a strong push throughout the second half, using a 6-0 run of three straight possessions to reduce Maryland’s lead to five points.
However, a subsequent 14-4 run in Maryland at nearly 6:06 not only met the Spartans’ effort, but three-point marks from Hart and Donta Scott worked like daggers, giving the Terps a 15-point lead before the final. minutes.
Spartan Rocket Watts then missed a bucket in the paint just over a minute from time, leading Hart to throw the ball at Wiggins for a 360-degree snap to put an exclamation mark on the win. .
Ayala led the way for the Terps with 22 points as one of four double-digit players, followed by 13 points from Wiggins, 11 from Morsell and 10 from Hart. Scott had eight rebounds, a team-high, seven points and five assists.
Three things to know
1. The winning streak continues. Maryland have now won five straight games, continuing to revolve around a tough start to play at the Big Ten. Michigan State had won three straight contests heading into Sunday’s game, including against players like the No.5 from Illinois and No.4 from Ohio State, but the Terps stopped that run in its tracks.
2. Maryland impressed beyond the arc. The Terps made their first three three-point attempts to start the contest, and they continued to fire daggers from there, finishing the first half 6 of 10 beyond the arc. In contrast, the State of Michigan only shot 4 of 15 deep in the opening period.
The Terps continued to fire lights the rest of the way, going 8 of 16 (50%) deep, compared to just 8 of 28 (28.6%) for the Spartans. This is the third time this season that Maryland have shot over 0.500 on three runs.
3. The Terps took advantage of his chances at the charity gang. The Spartans committed 19 personal fouls on Sunday afternoon, which created plenty of opportunities for Maryland. The Terps arrived at the free throw line, giving 23 out of 24 chances. This team has had some charity ups and downs this season, including a 26 of 40 (65%) mark in their last two. competition. But the Terps did not lose any points to Michigan State.
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