The 7th-ranked Maryland Terrapins got 11th-ranked Michigan State’s best punch, losing to the Spartans,74-65 at a packed and rowdy Breslin Center.
The Terrapins were on their heels all game long as the Spartans, looking to snap a three game losing streak with the help of the home crowd, would not be denied.
With just over five minutes to go the Terps pulled to within 62-59 on a Melo Trimble 3-pointer and with 52 seconds left, Maryland again made it a one possession game after freshman Diamond Stone sank two free throws to make the score 68-65.
From there Michigan State made their free throws down the stretch and ended their losing streak while improving to (17-4, 4-4 Big Ten) for the season.
Maryland was led by Trimble who scored 24 points, corralled seven rebounds and dished out three assists. Robert Carter Jr. chipped in with 13 points and five rebounds.
The Spartans were led by an inspired Bryn Forbes who scored a game-high 25 points. Denzel Valentine had 19 points and a team-high 14 rebounds to go along with eight assists.
Matt Costello had an impressive all around game scoring 15 points and snagging 12 rebounds. He went 9 for 10 from the free throw line down the stretch and also had three blocks, two assists and two steals. It was his two rebounds and a blocked shot in the final seconds of the game that allowed his team to get to the free throw line and cement the victory.
In the beginning of the first half neither team gained a significant advantage and the score was tied at 14-14 with 8:42 to go before halftime. From there the Spartans seized control of the half and led 35-26 with 53 seconds to go before the break. The Terp’s Rasheed Sulaimon sank a three pointer right before the half to cut the Spartan’s lead to 35-29 at intermission.
In the second half the Terps had their largest lead of the game at 46-42 with 16:14 to go but the Spartans would rally to gain a 62-53 advantage and would never trail again.
Neither team shot well as the Terps were 39 percent from the field, making 22 of 57 shots while the Spartans went 22 of 61 for a 36 percent accuracy from the field. The same could be said from three point range as Maryland went 8 for 27 and Michigan State hit 7 of 23 shots from beyond the arc. Maryland made 13 of 16 free throws while the Spartans went 23 of 29 from the charity stripe.
The Spartans did gain an advantage on the boards by out rebounding the Terps 46-36 including 17 offensive rebounds which led to 15 second chance points and 18 fast break points.
Maryland’s Stone scored six points, had six rebounds and three blocks, while Sulaimon finished the game with eight points, seven rebounds and three assists in a losing effort for the (17-3, 6-2) Terrapins.
