Maryland men’s basketball suffers loss to Michigan State, 63-58

Joey Hauser stood in the corner spacing the floor for Michigan State when his team needed a big shot. A.J. Hoggard stood at the top of the key and zipped a pass to the 6-foot-9 big man, who calmly stepped into his shot and drained a three to give the Spartans a five-point lead.

Michigan State’s duo of Hauser and Hoggard knocked off Maryland men’s basketball, who had its four-game win streak snapped, 63-58.

Hauser lead all scorers with 20 points and knocked down three threes to aid the Spartans with their elite scoring from beyond the arch. Michigan State shot 9-20 from three and knocked down several big threes down the stretch.

Senior guard Tyson Walker, who leads the Spartans in points per game, added 17 points and three assists on an efficient night shooting from the floor. He also knocked down three threes.

For Maryland, four of its starters reached double figures, but graduate student Jahmir Young lead the Terps with 17 points, six assists, and three steals. Senior guard Hakim Hart notched 12 points and six rebounds and four assists as well.

In less than three minutes of action, Michigan State jumped out to a 10-0 start, forcing coach Kevin Willard to call a timeout. After the timeout, the Spartans scored five more points before Maryland finally got on the board with a pair of free throws made by Hart.

“The start is my fault,” Willard said. “This is our fifth day on the road and we practiced terribly yesterday. We did stuff that we usually don’t do. And I thought our practice yesterday was a result of how we started.”

With 12 minutes remaining, Michigan State succumbed to a five-minute scoring drought, missing their last five shots from the field and turning the ball over three times. However, Maryland struggled to close the gap.

At the 7:07 mark, Michigan State was 3-6 from beyond the arc with three different players knocking down a triple. The Spartans have shot the ball well all year, as their 36.9% rate from three is good for fourth in the Big Ten.

Young was the spark the Terps needed, bringing them within six. But everytime it looked like Maryland was going on a run, the Spartans responded with a big shot.

Hauser was the one hitting those big shots. With 3:24 left in the first, the graduate student forward scored 11 points and his ability to space the floor gave the Terps defense a challenge.

Maryland headed to the locker room down 31-22 and was holding its own after a brutal start. Maryland is a team that thrives off hot starts but have struggled to come back in the second half of games with a 1-7 record when down at halftime.

Michigan State minimized mistakes and made shots at a high percentage at halftime. They shot 48% from the floor, including 5-10 from the three-point line. Hoggard was setting his teammates up for easy looks with four first half assists.

Maryland also minimized mistakes but conversely shot just 31% and 2-13 from long range. The Terps bench went scoreless and needed someone other than Young to step up in the second half.

Walker knocked down a big three to put the Spartans up by 12 at the 16:44 mark. A minute later, Young and Hart rallied the Terps by each converting and-1s at the rim. The two buckets cut the Michigan State lead down to six.

With under 14 minutes in regulation, Michigan State recorded three turnovers in two minutes and Maryland capitalized with a 9-0 run. The run continued, and Young found Hart who knocked down a triple to tie the game at 38. 

“We left Hauser open way too many times,” Willard said. “Being down nine at half with the start we had, I actually thought we were in a pretty good spot. We came out in the second and guarded the way we should have guarded to start the game and got right back in the game.”

Maryland reached the bonus at the 12:30 mark and senior forward Patrick Emilien knocked down two free throws to take the lead for the first time all night. The Terps’ 14-0 run finally ended on the next possession with senior forward Malik Hall knocking down a turnaround jumper.

With 8:35 remaining, sophomore forward Julian Reese picked up his fourth foul and was subbed out. With the Terps’ defensive anchor out, the Spartans quickly went on an 8-0 run with two threes courtesy of sophomore guard Jaden Akins and Walker. 

With 33 seconds in regulation, Maryland had a chance to take the lead with a three. Michigan State coach Tom Izzo wisely forced his team to foul, putting Reese at the free throw line. Shooting 50.7% from the charity strike, Reese only hit one.

Despite their rough first half, Maryland almost completed the comeback after going down 15-0 within the first few minutes. The Terps rallied, leading as much as four points with nine minutes remaining, but their poor shooting performance prevented them from sustaining the late lead.

“Tough team, I mean tough place to play,” Willard said. “But proud of my guys, they played hard. That’s all I can ask for on the road.