COLLEGE PARK, MD – The Maryland men's basketball team dropped a hard-fought 65-63 decision to the No. 13 Michigan State Spartans inside XFINITY Center on Tuesday night. The Terps (11-11, 3-8 Big Ten) were led by Eric Ayala's team-high 15 points.
Michigan State's Malik Hall hit a go-ahead layup with 1.9 seconds remaining and Fatts Russell's half court shot at the buzzer was no good.
After trailing by as many as 15 points in the second half, Maryland would claw its way back and tie the game at 61 apiece after a three-pointer from Fatts Russell with 2:49 remaining. The teams would trade free throws to bring the score to 63 all with 2:20 left.
Donta Scott tallied 14 points and Russell scored 10 points, eight in the second half. Qudus Wahab scored nine points and grabbed eight rebounds.
The Terps held an advantage down low, outscoring the Spartans in the paint 32-24 and outrebounding them 31-30.
No. 13 Michigan State (17-4, 8-2 Big Ten) was led Hall's 16 points and aforementioned game-winner.
Breaking Down The Action
A fast-break layup from Russell and a three-point field goal from Ayala were all the scoring Maryland had at the under-16 timeout as the teams were tied at five apiece with 15:57 remaining. After a brief run by the Spartans, an 8-0 run by the Terps gave Maryland a 17-14 lead with 10:25 remaining in the first half. Michigan State would respond with another scoring burst, taking a 27-25 lead at the under-four timeout. The Spartans lead would balloon to 35-25 at the half.
After trailing by 42-27, the Terps would reel off 11 straight points to get right back in the game at 42-38 with 14:58 left in the game. The teams would trade runs again as Maryland once again found itself down four (54-50), this time with 8:28 remaining. The Terps would get it down to 59-56 with 4:05 left after a jump hook by Scott. The lead would get trimmed to one (59-58) after two free throws from Hakim Hart with just over three minutes remaining. A three-pointer from Russell and free throws kept the game level, but Hall's driving layup proved to be the winner.
Up Next
The Terps travel to Columbus, Ohio, for a matchup with the Buckeyes on Sunday, Feb. 6. The game is set to tipoff at 1 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on CBS.
