Michigan State stuns Maryland with buzzer-beater from beyond half court

The No. 8 Michigan State Spartans looked like they were headed for overtime on the road after letting the No. 16 Maryland Terrapins storm back from a nine-point deficit. Tre Holloman said “nah.” 

Just before the buzzer sounded, the Spartans junior guard launched the ball from beyond half court, hoping for a miracle — and he got it. 

MSU head coach Tom Izzo, though, refused to believe his team won simply because of a “lucky shot.”

“We deserved to win this game,” he said after the Spartans’ 58-55 thriller.

Holloman’s buzzer-beater was a redemption of sorts after he turned the ball over at midcourt, helping the Terrapins tie the game with 42.1 seconds remaining. After a miss by Michigan State’s Jaxon Kohler, Maryland had a chance to win it with the shot clock off.  

But Ja’Kobi Gillespie missed a 3-pointer, Kohler rebounded the ball and Holloman had enough time to put up a shot that Spartan faithful will be talking about for years to come.

The buzzer sounded as the ball was airborne and Michigan State players leaped off the bench to mob Holloman after his shot swished through the net. Together, they limited Maryland to its lowest point total of the season by a large margin (the Terrapins’ previous season-low was 69 points) and its lowest 3-point percentage on the season (4-of-20 for 20%). 

Maryland big men Derik Queen and Julian Reese had a rough night offensively, shooting a combined 4-of-18 from the field. 

Michigan State finished with a 23-0 advantage in bench points and 10-0 in second-chance points. The Spartans’ steadiness came on the back of stellar guard play and depth at the position. Leading scorer Jaden Akins (13.0 ppg) didn’t get his first basket until the 9: 57 mark of the second half, but others stepped up. Holloman hit a jumper to give Michigan State a 28-27 lead with 15: 30 left and never trailed from that point, although the game was tied three times, including just before the final shot.

Jase Richardson came through again, too, with a team-high 15 points. The freshman has averaged 16.8 points over the last six games, which has coincided with him being inserted into the Spartans’ starting lineup.

With the win, Michigan State (23-5 overall, 14-3 Big Ten) recaptured sole possession of first place in the conference, taking a half-game lead over No. 15 Michigan.

Maryland (21-7, 11-6), on the other hand, saw its four-game winning streak come to an end, in absolutely brutal fashion. With the loss, the Terps are now tied with UCLA and Purdue for fourth place in the conference and the final double-bye for the Big Ten Tournament. 

The Spartans, who control their own destiny for the top spot in the Big Ten, host No. 11 Wisconsin on Sunday. Maryland visits Penn State on Saturday. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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