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FINAL: Maryland 73, MSU 55, Spartans fall back to early season woes

February 28, 2021
<p>Victory formation: sophomore guard Rocket Watts and Head Coach Tom Izzo walk back to the locker room with their arms around each other after the Spartans&#x27; win against Penn State on Feb. 9, 2021.</p>

Victory formation: sophomore guard Rocket Watts and Head Coach Tom Izzo walk back to the locker room with their arms around each other after the Spartans' win against Penn State on Feb. 9, 2021.

Photo by Devin Anderson-Torrez | The State News

After arguably their best week of the season, Michigan State men's basketball fell in an ugly 73-55 loss to Maryland on Sunday afternoon in College Park.

The Spartans came out looking like the team that struggled earlier this season. Maryland opened the game on an 11-0 run while the Spartans found desperate looks that wouldn’t connect.

Maryland’s defense clogged the paint and proved to disrupt the Spartans' offensive game plan. MSU shot 15 three-point shots in the first half alone, with just four falling.

The Spartans shot .333 overall, their lowest performance since Jan. 31 at Ohio State.

On the other hand, Maryland was hot from deep, making 6-for-10 in the first half to take what was once a 12-point lead.

Graduate student guard Joshua Langford almost brought some life to the Spartans after sinking a three late in the first to hold Maryland’s lead to just 33-25. With an opportunity to cut their deficit before the half, the Spartans instead gave up a layup on the other side before redshirt junior forward Joey Hauser missed a contested shot from deep to enter halftime 35-25, Maryland. 

Then the second half came, but the Spartans' struggle with shooting and some downright confusion on the court carried over. Despite holding themselves to just two turnovers in the second half, MSU’s shots wouldn’t connect.

A three from junior forward Gabe Brown brought the Spartans within 7, and as junior forward Aaron Henry ran back off a steal in transition it looked like the Spartans might make it a two possession game. Instead, Maryland’s defense came back, proving to be in all the right places by blocking Henry’s shot and making one for themselves on the other end. 

Maryland’s defense suffocated Henry, who has proven to be the shooter the Spartans need in recent games. Henry shot 4-for-16 overall to put up just 11 points.

Not even free throws worked for the Spartans. MSU shot 9-for-15 from the line, which proved to be no match against Maryland's near-perfect 23-for-24 shooting from that spot.

The loss snaps a Spartan win streak that looked to be gaining postseason momentum.

MSU will return home to host Indiana at 8 p.m. Tuesday.

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