The Spartans were also boosted by one of the best performances from freshman guard Max Christie in nearly a month. After battling a prolonged slump, Christie scored 15-plus points for the first time since Michigan State’s game against Michigan on Jan. 29 with 16 points on 4-6 shooting while notching six rebounds.

After senior center Marcus Bingham Jr. got Michigan State on the board with a hook, senior guard Eric Ayala and graduate student guard Fatts Russell gave Maryland a momentary early lead with a pair of threes before Brown’s pull-up jumper sparked an 11-1 lead that saw the Spartans take control on both ends of the floor. As the Terps weathered a three-plus minute scoring drought, Michigan State stayed hot on their way to shooting a blistering 83.8% from the field in the opening minutes.

Three consecutive turnovers on three consecutive possessions let Maryland back into it, with Ayala knocking down another three to make it 16-15 as Michigan State looked to reassert themselves. 

A costly foul on junior forward Malik Hall beyond the perimeter by sophomore guard Ian Martinez gift-wrapped the Spartans the opportunity to pull ahead again before they uncorked another 7-0 run on the strength of a wide-open three from junior guard Tyson Walker and a strong stretch of post play by junior center Julius Marble II. 

As the Terps started to come out of yet another two-plus minute scoring drought, Michigan State continued to take advantage of every open look that came their way as Christie buried a pair of threes to push the Spartans' lead to double digits for the first time all game. But, despite rarely being in control, Maryland’s resiliency shined as graduate student guard Xavier Green knocked down a three of his own, stole the ball off Walker and scored in transition to make it 33-30 with four and a half minutes to go in the first. 

Faced with a team that had come back on them twice before this season, sophomore guard AJ Hoggard was the first to answer with a layup before Brown added a jumper of his own to keep Maryland at arm’s length. Walker nearly lost the ball in the corner before freshman guard Jaden Akins recovered it and fired off a wide-open desperation three—one that went in to ensure a 44-34 halftime lead in favor of the Spartans. 

The second half only served to trouble the Terps even further as they only mustered three points in the first seven minutes of the second half while Michigan State continued to bomb away, going up 20 after Brown’s three capped off a 10-0 run. Even as Maryland worked to battle back and launched a run of their own as the Spartans’ offense stagnated, they couldn’t find the hard-charging groove that had allowed them to whittle their way back into their prior contests against Michigan State. 

A few defensive lapses and ill-timed fouls allowed junior forward Hakim Hart to cut the Terps’ deficit to nine with a thunderous dunk as the Spartans' dysfunction in the halfcourt reached a new level as the closing minutes began to tick away. With a little under three minutes to go, Akins knocked down a three to make it 68-56 with what seemed like enough room for his team to weather another comeback bid from their opponents. 

It would be far too close for comfort. Russell and Ayala returned to the line following two separate redshirt senior forward Joey Hauser fouls and a slew of turnovers in the face of Maryland's press created massive problems for the Spartans, their most costly being a forced turnover from Bingham that resulted in a Russell three to make it 68-65.

Struggling to advance the ball, Hall finally broke past halfcourt in pursuit of the ball before he committed a no-look turnover, resulting in a converted and-1 for Russell and a stunned hush from the Michigan State fans in attendance.

Walker got a much-needed bucket to make it 72-68 with 31.1 seconds to go before Christie built on that lead with two additional free throws. But after being corralled for the majority of the game, Ayala finally emerged to put it up and in the basket and bring the Terps within two as a mere 15.6 seconds remained—one that the Terps would have possession for.

Russell was the one to pull the trigger on the ensuing possession with a stepback three that quieted the whole arena. It bounced off the edge of the rim and down into the arms of Christie, who was promptly fouled to give Michigan State the four-point lead. Ayala hoisted one last shot to no avail and the clock ran out on Maryland's season as the Spartans moved on with a 76-72 win.

Michigan State will take on Wisconsin in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament tomorrow at 6:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast on Big Ten Network.