Feature photo courtesy of Maryland Athletics.
Trailing Michigan State by three points late in the final 30 seconds, the No. 7 Maryland Terrapins were in trouble. When guard Alvin Ellis III missed a three, a glimmer of hope struck the Terps.
In an instant, the hope lessened as forward Matt Costello grabbed his sixth offensive rebound of the game and extended the Spartans possession, bringing them one step closer to victory.
The Terps (17-3, 6-2 B1G) didn’t make a field goal in the final three minutes and 31 seconds and failed to score in the final 52 seconds as they suffered their third loss of the season at the hands of the Spartans (17-4, 4-4 B1G), 74-65.
Throughout the game, the Terps struggled to secure defensive rebounds, giving Michigan State second chances. They were outrebounded 46-36 and 17-9 on the offensive glass. Costello bullied the Terps on the boards and on defense with 12 rebounds, three blocks and two steals.
Guard Denzel Valentine led the Spartans with 14 rebounds. He also added 19 points and eight assists.
Offensively, Bryn Forbes fueled the Spartans. He led all players with 25 points on 8/15 shooting and four threes on eight attempts. Guard Melo Trimble paced the Terps offensively with 24 points on 9/17 shooting and four threes on 11 attempts.
Early in the game, the Terps struggled to secure rebounds and to score. Maryland struggled to connect from outside the perimeter and had little success in the paint. They shot 36.7 percent from the field in the first half and missed nine of 12 threes. The Terrapins only attempted five free throws before the break.
Though they didn’t play well in the first half, the Terps stayed within six points, trailing 35-29 at halftime. In the final minute of the half, guard Rasheed Sulaimon scored his first points of the game when he connected from three and forward Robert Carter Jr. blocked forward Kenny Goins jumper in the final seconds, giving the Terps some momentum.
In the second half, the Terps remained resilient, much like they have throughout the season. Maryland opened the second half on a 17-7 run, jumping out to their first lead of the game and extending their advantage to four points.
The Spartans responded with more offensive pressure. Michigan State pulled away from the Terps, and after Costello converted four consecutive free throws, they extended their lead to seven points with four minutes and eight seconds left.
When Maryland cut the deficit to three in the final minute, Costello was there to secure another offensive rebound. Four more missed shots for the Terps and six more made free throws from the Spartans secured the victory for Michigan State. The nine point margin of victory was MSU’s largest lead of the night.
The Terps will take on No. 9 Iowa (15-3, 6-0 B1G) at home on Thursday.
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