The end of the first half Sunday at Xfinity Center couldn’t have gone more perfectly for Maryland had Mark Turgeon scripted it himself. In a way, he had, setting up a 3-point shot by senior wing Jared Nickens during a timeout to help give the Terps a 13-point halftime lead.
Fairy tales don’t always come true.
Playing on just one day’s rest, No. 6 Michigan State used an 18-4 spurt at the second of the second half to take the lead, watched Maryland self-destruct amid silly turnovers, errant shots and poor defensive rebounding and then held off a late comeback by the Terps to win, 74-68.
The defeat was the fourth in the past five games for Maryland (15-8, 4-6), the third in which the Terps either held a double-digit lead in the second half or led late in the game. With No. 3 Purdue on the road Wednesday, the season is quickly slipping away.
After falling behind by as many as eight points midway through the second half, the Terps cut their deficit to 63-61 on a layup follow by Nickens. With the first sellout crowd of the season, which included former star Greivis Vásquez and Hall of Fame coach Gary Wlliams in attendance, Maryland seemed to have a second life.
But Michigan State (20-3, 8-2) was able to get its 19th offensive rebound, and sophomore guard Cassius Winston hit a pair of free throws, and sophomore guard Anthony Cowan Jr.’s drive was blocked by Jaren Jackson Jr., one of four the 6-foot-11 freshman had to go along with 12 points and eight rebounds.
There would be no comeback as the crowd began to disperse.
Sophomore guard Kevin Huerter led Maryland with 17 points, while Cowan finished with 12 points and nine assists. But the game was lost on the boards — Michigan State held a 46-29 advantage. The Spartans had 19 offensive rebounds, to just nine for the Terps, resulting in a 16-9 differential on second-chance points.
Sophomore guard Joshua Langford led Michigan State with 19 points. Sophomore guard Cassius Winston overcame early foul trouble to finish with 13 points, all in the second half, while sophomore forward Miles Bridges finished with 11 points and nine rebounds. Sophomore center Nick Ward had a game-high 12 rebounds.
Freshman guard Darryl Morsell (Mount Saint Joseph) added 12 points and seven rebounds for the Terps.