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Spartans fall short against Maryland, despite Powers' superb performance

March 6, 2015

Aerial Powers unleashed mayhem on both ends of the floor Thursday afternoon, continuing to be the catalyst for a depleted MSU squad.

Powers' double-double of 27 points and 10 rebounds, including three assists still wasn't enough to knock off the likely No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament Maryland, losing 70-60.

Using her aggressiveness and talent to wreck her opponents offensively and defensively, the Detroit native was virtually unstoppable in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten tournament, falling short of a Cinderella run in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, at the Sears Centre Arena.

It took roughly four minutes on the clock before the Spartans went on the points column when Aerial Powers knocked down a pair of free throws.

Before that, Maryland went on a 7-0 run that began with a rainbow shot from long distance by Laurin Mincy on their first possession.

Lexie Brown, the 5-foot-9 sophomore guard, led the Terrapins with 27 points and four rebounds, the only player to finish in double-digit scoring for Maryland.

Just like any basketball game, it takes a team effort to come away with a victory, especially if it's against the No. 4 ranked program in the nation in the Maryland Terrapins, who were undefeated in conference play coming into this game.

The first two points not recorded by someone named Powers didn't occur until the 9:22 mark when sophomore Tori Jankoska scored on the put back after rebounding the missed jumper by Powers.

Powers would later drain the first Spartan 3-pointer two minutes later right in front of the Maryland bench. MSU was 0-for-7 from beyond the arc beforehand. She hit her second at the top of the arc to cut the deficit to nine with 3:57 remaining.

Freshman Kennedy Johnson went on a back-to-back scoring spree the following two possessions later. She, senior Anna Morrissey and Jankoska combined for a total eight points before halftime.

Both teams came out of the locker rooms trading buckets in the final 20 minutes of play, setting the stage for an impressive hustle play by Powers.

After missing her second free throw, the extra effort by crawling on the ground to keep the ball from rolling out of bounds and then calling timeout to retain possession provided that much needed spark for the Spartans at a crucial moment in the game.

Up by nine, Maryland went on a 21-14 run before an MSU timeout called at the 7:35 mark. It was just another test that the first-year Big Ten participant responded to in excellent fashion.

Needing another source of motivation to keep their tournament hopes alive, Jankoska would hit two 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions from the same area, cutting the deficit to 11.

But Maryland continued to keep a steady lead, as two jump shots and a pair of free throws brought the lead back up to 15. 

With MSU out of the tournament, play will continue until the championship game on March 8.

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