MSU could've put the game away late in the second half, but junior forward Matt Costello split a trip at the line to give the Spartans a 48-45 lead with 12 seconds left. 

Before the free throw trip, junior guard Travis Trice called a 30 second timeout, erasing a layup from junior guard Bryn Forbes that would've given MSU a four-point lead to ice the game.

Maryland benefited most from the timeout. Wells knocked down a 3-pointer after Costello's split at the line to tie the game with 2.2 seconds left, sending the game into overtime.

Head coach Tom Izzo revealed he informed Trice to call a timeout if sophomore forward Gavin Schilling got the rebound. This was to allow Izzo to put better free throws into the game.

"It sucks that we got the layup," Trice said. "But at the same time we would've turned it over or got the fouls and missed the free throws, it would've went the other way. So nobody's fault."

The Spartans hung tight in the first overtime period despite losing junior guard Denzel Valentine to foul trouble, but the Terrapins consistently got to the line before eventually pulling away with the win. 

"Even though their field percentage wasn't good, when you get to the free throw line 32 times and make 26 of them, that's a lot of points," head coach Tom Izzo said. " That's a lot of points. And that's bad defense."

The Spartans have now dropped three overtime games this year. After failing to close games against Duke, Kansas and Notre Dame this season, MSU lacks a signature win 14 games into the season. 

"It could've been," Izzo said when asked if a win over Maryland could've been considered a signature win. "There's no better win than to play bad and win. That's a signature win. We had chances in regulation and overtime, and we didn't get it done."

Senior guard Travis Trice paced MSU with 26 points and six assists. Freshman guard Melo Trimble led the Terrapins with 17 points and hit several big buckets down the stretch.

Senior forward Branden Dawson returned to the starting lineup for the Spartans after missing two games with a wrist injury.

"I think it's really just mental for us right now," Dawson said of MSU's late game We had the lead toward the end. We have to play smarter, that's what coach Izzo talks about. Just playing smarter. Knowing how many fouls a guy has and just playing smart.

MSU overcame a rough-shooting first half to take a 25-22 lead by the first media timeout of the second half. 

After scoring just six points in the first 16 minutes and 54 seconds, MSU closed out the half with eight points over the next three minutes.

Maryland kept the game close, but the Spartans managed to maintain some consistency on offense after a rough first half. The Spartans scored 17 points in the first nine minutes of the second half, exceeding their total from the entire first half.

The Spartans were solid defensively, forcing 21 Terrapin turnovers while holding the opposing team to 33.3 percent shooting for the night. 

Trice reflected on MSU's missed second half chances in the locker room after the game, stating the Spartans didn't capitalize on chances to put the game away.

"We go up three at the end of regulation, we had a chance to go up four and missed the free throw," he said. We make the free throw and the game is over. But then they come down and hit a 3 and force it into overtime. I mean, that's a missed opportunity. Even in overtime when we were up. We just had multiple chances and we didn't put it away"

Costello knocked down a pair of free throws, and Forbes split a pair following a Maryland technical foul to stretch the lead to four in the first overtime period. But a Maryland layup and two free throws tied the game at 55 with 26 seconds left. MSU called timeout at the 14.6 second mark.

Costello found Forbes in the left corner for an open 3-pointer, and his miss led to a second overtime period.

Maryland to a 60-57 lead at the 2:41 mark following a pair of free throws and fastbreak dunk by Wells.

Ellis was fouled on a transition layup, but missed the free throw, which would've tied the game at 60. Maryland sank two free throws on the next possession to push the lead back to three.

Maryland collected its own miss with 35.9 seconds left and sank two more free throws to take a five point lead and ice the game.

Without a win over a top-100 team and standing at just 9-5 at the start of Big Ten season, MSU could be looking at an uphill climb to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. 

"We just have to learn from our mistakes," Trice said. "We played well enough to win tonight and well enough to lose. But we just gotta learn from our mistakes and that's what we're going to do, watching film"