Maryland men’s basketball came up short in front of its most raucous crowd of the season Feb. 29, falling 78-66 to No. 24 Michigan State.
The No. 9-ranked Terps never led, and every push they made was met with a response. Michigan State started the game on a 9-0 run and led 17-5 at the first media timeout, and after Maryland tied the game at 23 apiece halfway through the opening period, the Spartans countered with another 9-0 spurt. They led by 11 at halftime and by 18 early in the second half, enough of a margin to keep the home team at bay.
Cassius Winston led a balanced Michigan State offense with 20 points and six assists, and fellow senior Xavier Tillman recorded a 14-point, 12-rebound double-double. The Spartans’ weakness has been finding other scoring options, but they had them Feb. 29. Malik Hall scored 16 points on 5-of-5 shooting from the field, just his second time reaching double figures this season. And Rocket Watts excelled on both ends, pairing lockdown defense with 13 points and three dimes.
