With 5:30 remaining and Michigan State still within reach of a recovery, Maryland slowed the ball and launched his offensive midfield set, with guard Hakim Hart tossing the ball to striker Donta Scott at the top of the bracket.
Scott worked his man to the left post, just as he had done in the previous possession for a scoreboard, but this time he kicked the ball back to Hart, who sank a three-point bucket to regain momentum.
Hart’s bucket came in the middle of a 14-4 run by Terrapin that helped push Maryland’s lead to a high point in Game 15 en route to a 73-55 victory on Sunday afternoon.
Maryland men’s basketball took the lead quickly, then used a strong defense and consistent attack to respond repeatedly to any outbursts of Michigan state momentum, never subsiding during competition.
With the victory, the Terps defeated the Spartans at the Xfinity Center for the first time since March 4, 2017. They also extend their current winning streak to five games, with a spot in the NCAA Tournament now virtually guaranteed.
After a long ball possession that resulted in no basket, Maryland went back to basics and forced a turn that generated 11 consecutive turtle points to start the contest.
Terrapin’s stifling defense did not allow for a single Spartan point until the 13:51 mark of the first half, the first time Maryland have kept a goalless opponent for five minutes in the past two seasons.
Michigan State managed to break the ice with a tray and three fast in possession of the next ball, bringing the score to 11-5 with 13:21 remaining in the middle. But a three-point Jairus Hamilton and Eric Ayala converting three free throws helped trigger the attack by sea turtles, not letting the Spartans get any closer.
With 9:02 to go until the end of the break, Michigan State was running through the transition, trying to regain momentum, when Gabe Brown shot towards the basket and climbed up, but then he kneeed Reese Mona in the chest and hit him in a foul offensive.
Just a few possessions later, Eric Ayala converted his first three games of the afternoon with 7:16 remaining, becoming the fifth Terp to do so in just six team attempts. Michigan State opened the afternoon by shooting just 2 in 11 from a long distance on the same stretch.
The defense continued to pave the way for Maryland as half the time started to slow down, when Morsell released a ball during a quick attack by the Spartans, immediately turning the court and leaving a pass to Ayala on the other side to give the Terps a 33- 21 lead with four minutes remaining.
Maryland carried a 35-25 lead to the locker room after 11 of 25 pitches from the ground, including 6 out of 10 out of three, and seven points scored in six moves in Michigan.
Ayala led all the top scorers in the first half with 10 points, while Morsell followed closely with nine points. The Spartans had just five different scorers in 20 minutes, with Aaron Henry (9) and Joshua Langford (8) taking most of the work in the attack.
The Spartans opened the second half with the ball, but a long possession ended with another missed three-point shot, which Terps transformed into points at the other end thanks to a Morsell cut for the basket.
Maryland only left Michigan State as close as nine points early in the semester, doing its job in the charity belt. The Spartans accumulated six fouls in just 4:52 of the second half game, which put the Terps in the bonus after a start of 6 of 6 to the middle of the line and 13 of 13 to that point.
Brown continued to sink his second three-point bucket in the game with 13:04 left, but a Morsell block from Henry in the following defensive possession led to a transitional dunk for Hakim Hart as an immediate response. Galin Smith also suffered a foul on the next possession in Maryland, increasing the lead to 11 points.
Michigan State started a strong push in the second half, using a 6-0 run in three consecutive possessions to reduce Maryland’s lead to five points.
However, a subsequent 14-4 run in Maryland at almost 6:06 worked not only to respond to the Spartans’ effort, but Hart and Donta Scott’s three-point marks worked like daggers, giving the Terps a 15-point lead. towards the final minutes.
Spartan Rocket Watts missed a bucket in the painting with just over a minute to go, prompting Hart to throw the ball to Wiggins for a 360-degree slam to put an exclamation point in the win.
Ayala led the way for 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 a record of eight rebounds, seven points and five assists.
Three things to know
1. The winning streak continues. Maryland has now won five consecutive games, continuing to reverse a difficult start for the Big Ten game. Michigan State won three consecutive contests in Sunday’s clash, including against opponents like No. 5 Illinois and No. 4 Ohio State, but Terps stopped the race.
2. Maryland impressed beyond the arch. The Terps made their first three three-point attempts to start the contest and continued to shoot daggers from there, ending the first half at 6 out of 10 beyond the arc. At the opposite end, Michigan State shot just 4 out of 15 in the opening period.
The Terps continued to throw lights the rest of the way, going from 8 out of 16 (50%) from the depths, compared to just 8 out of 28 (28.6%) for the Spartans. This marks the third time this season that Maryland has shot above 0.500 on three points.
3. The Terps seized their chances in the charity band. The Spartans committed 19 personal fouls on Sunday afternoon, creating many opportunities for Maryland. The Terps reached the free throw line, with 23 of 24 chances. This team has had a display of ups and downs in the charity band this season, including a 26 out of 40 (65%) mark in its last two competitions. But the Terps were not losing any points against Michigan State.