After securing back-to-back wins to climb to .500 in Big Ten play, Maryland basketball traveled to Michigan State in hopes of avenging the two-point loss it suffered just 13 days prior. Trailing for all but 13 seconds of the game due to foul trouble and poor shooting, the Terps failed to withstand a late Michigan State run and eventually succumbed, 63-54, on Saturday night.
Jahmir Young (31 points on 9-22 shooting) was virtually the only offense for Maryland, who shot just 31% from the field and 7-30 from three-point range.
Julian Reese finished with two points in only 14 minutes after dealing with foul trouble throughout the game. With the loss, Maryland falls to 13-9 on the season and 5-6 in conference play.
“You have to give [Michigan State] credit, they are a physical defensive team with an unbelievable home-court advantage,” Maryland head coach Kevin Willard said. “There’s a reason why [Tom Izzo] has 701 wins now. … We had some opportunities, we had some shots. I thought we got a little sped up during that stretch and I think we took some quick shots, but these guys, they battled and played their butts off and that’s all you can ask going on the road in a tough atmosphere.”
Donta Scott, who finished with 13 points on 5-19 shooting, scored the first eight points for the Terps as they battled back from an early nine-point deficit. He started the game 2-of-4 from three as Maryland climbed back into it after five early turnovers.
Maryland had many hurdles to jump early on in Saturday’s matchup, as Reese picked up two fouls in the first 2:18 and was forced to sit. With a frontcourt that is already thin, the Terps inserted Caelum Swanton-Rodger in his place to man the middle.
As Reese sat, the Terps relied on outside shooting and guard play to claw back. Young rattled off five straight points after missing his first three shots to get Maryland within three, but received little help.
Reese committed his third foul with 7:04 remaining and did not see the court for the remainder of the half.
Only three Terps scored in the first half, as the Terps hoisted 17 three-pointers and turned the ball over six times and only shot two free throws. Miraculously, the stout Maryland defense held the Spartans to only 13-27 in the first half and trailed by only four at the break.
Out of halftime, it took only eight seconds for the outcome to look even more bleak. Reese was called for his fourth foul with 19:52 remaining in the game and sat for the next nine minutes. Without his presence on both ends, the Terps had to go small and move Jordan Geronimo to the five.
“I think more than anything, we haven’t practiced a whole lot with [Geronimo] at the five,” Willard said. “We just got really stagnant on the offensive end because a lot of the stuff we can do with [Reese], we couldn’t do just because of [Geronimo] being out there at the five.”
The teams began the second half a combined 4-23 from the field and 0-8 from three-point range. A reverse layup from Young gave Maryland its only lead of the game at 42-41, but a lob to Mady Sissoko put the Spartans back on top on the next possession.
Free throws from Jahari Long cut it back to a one-point deficit, but an ensuing 12-0 Michigan State run pushed its lead to double-digits and took the wind out of Maryland’s sail. The Spartans, who shot just 11-27 from the field and made only two three-pointers in the second half, withstood Maryland’s defense to take control.
Tyson Walker and Malik Hall each scored 19 points for the Spartans, who improved to 14-8 with the win. Hall scored 14 in the second half, knocking down seven free-throws in the process.
“The two’s were alright,” Willard said of Hall. “On the one he made a three we scrambled great and we just kind of lost him at the end of the shot clock. … I always say ok shooters become great shooters at the end of the shot clock because they know they have to shoot it. And that happens, we were gassed.”
Scott shot only 1-of-10 from the field in the second half after starting 4-of-9 for the Terps. He and Young combined to take 41 of Maryland’s 55 field goal attempts in the loss.
“Jahmir is so much more of a rhythm guy even though he had 31,” Willard said. “He struggled a little bit early coming off the bye week, but his effort and heart were unbelievable. All of them, it was great, [but] the fouls on [Reese] really changed the game.”
Following the Michigan State loss, Maryland will return home to host Rutgers on Tuesday night before traveling to Ohio State next Saturday.
“Rutgers is tough defensively, we’re going to have to find ways to score, and Ohio State on the road, it’s tough,” Willard said. “We came in here, had an effort and had a chance, and give [Michigan State] a lot of credit for making some big plays.”
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