Michigan State rallies past No. 8 Maryland, earns spot in Big Ten final
CHICAGO — Down 23-7 to Maryland with nine minutes elapsed Saturday in a Big Ten tournament semifinal, Michigan State looked wobbly and out of sorts.
For the next 31 minutes, the Spartans were dominant, and their reward is a shot at a second consecutive Big Ten tournament title.
No. 3 seed MSU (23-10) beat the No. 2 seed Terrapins (27-6) 62-58 at United Center, stifling Maryland after a torrid start and getting payback after losing both regular-season games between the teams.
The Spartans will play No. 1 seed Wisconsin at 3:30 p.m. Sunday (CBS) in the title game. At 6 p.m., the NCAA tournament bracket will be unveiled, and it's possible the Spartans are moving themselves into the No. 6 seed range and a better shot at a run.
MSU senior guard Travis Trice scored 20 points, and fellow senior Branden Dawson had 17 points and eight rebounds. Junior center Matt Costello scored 10 and, though Denzel Valentine had an off shooting day (1 for 8, three points), he came up with seven assists and critical defense on Maryland star Dez Wells (10 points).
Melo Trimble scored a game-high 22 for Maryland, but 13 of them came early and Trimble missed nine straight shots until two baskets in the waning seconds.
From the start, Maryland was sharp and hot. MSU was sloppy and cold. Trimble started with a three, found Wells for a dunk, hit another 3, got a floater – it was 12-1 Terps before everyone could settle into their seats.
The Spartans were busy missing their first nine shots, including some point-blank chances, and the lead got all the way up to 23-7 midway through the first half. It was looking like an embarrassing exit for the Spartans.
But Trice started to warm up, hitting tough shots and carrying the Spartans back into the game. A 13-2 run made it 25-20, and Trice had 13 at the break with the Spartans down 33-25.
Trimble hit his first five shots, three of them three-pointers, for 13 quick points. But the MSU game plan of keeping him boxed in started to work.
Still, it was 36-25 Maryland early in the second half. Then the Spartans started charging. Freshman Marvin Clark Jr. had a pair of dunks and Valentine had his first basket, a corner three, in a 15-0 run that stunningly put the Spartans ahead 40-36.
An Evan Smotrycz three ended that run and a scoring drought of 7:23 for the Terps, and it started a 7-0 run to regain a three-point lead. But the Spartans battled back, Dawson getting an inbounds lob from Valentine to rattle in for a 48-47 lead.
A Gavin Schilling dunk on a slick pass from Valentine made it 51-48. Wells then posted and scored on Valentine.
Dawson was hit hard on a dunk try and went to the line with 2:24 left. MSU was 6-for-10 and that point and he was 3 for 6 – but he nailed both. Smotrycz then missed a jumper, Dawson grabbed the rebound and threw a deep pass for Schilling. Smotrycz shoved Schilling in the back, an intentional foul with 2:07 left.
Schilling hit his second foul shot to make it 54-50. A perfect Valentine lob to Dawson made it 56-50. A Lourawls (Tum Tum) Nairn free-throw split after a steal, breakaway and foul on Wells with 1:31 left made it 57-50 -- capping a 12-5 run over 7 minutes to clinch a hard-fought win.
Joe Rexrode writes for the Detroit Free Press.
GALLERY: HIGHLIGHTS FROM CONFERENCE TOURNAMENTS