Michigan State got off to a fast start, winning the tipoff and getting the first three shots of the game following a couple of Maryland turnovers.

After their hot start, the Spartans turned over the ball multiple times and went on a three-minute scoring drought, giving the Terrapins their first lead.

It was a second chance layup from senior forward Taiyier Parks that relit the fire beneath the Spartans. Redshirt Junior guard Julia Ayrault sunk a three to tie it up at 12, but both teams were not willing to relent the lead that easily.

MSU left the floor at the end of the first trailing Maryland by just one point.

Maryland struck first in the second quarter with a three-pointer from star senior guard Abby Meyers, and Maryland held on to the lead for almost the entirety of the second quarter.

MSU was playing catch-up until graduate student guard Kamaria McDaniel sunk a second-chance three-pointer with just 50 seconds left on the clock to tie the game at 40 and head to the locker room even.

Both teams were plagued by missed shots on both ends of the floor upon returning for the second half, but McDaniel sunk another three to give MSU the lead for the first time since the first quarter.

Unfortunately for the Spartans, the team was not able to score for more than three minutes after that. This long scoring drought allowed Maryland to take off with the lead with a 15-0 scoring run.

Sophomore guard/forward Matilda Ekh is usually a huge playmaker for MSU, but she struggled early to make anything happen against the Terrapins. She made her first three-pointer midway through the third quarter to end the long drought.

The Spartans were only able to garner 11 points in comparison to the 30 put up by Maryland in the third. It seemed like the Spartans could not hit a single shot, but the Terrapins were able to sink almost everything they put up.

Senior guard Moira Joiner started off the fourth quick with a three to breathe some life back into the Spartan offense.

Michigan State was down by 19 points going into the fourth quarter, but the Spartans were not ready to go down without a fight. They started off the fourth on a 10-0 scoring run to help close in on the Terrapin's comfortable lead.

Ekh was able to fall into a nice rhythm in the fourth quarter and sophomore guard DeeDee Hagemann brought the Spartans within ten points.

With 23 seconds left, Joiner had a three-point play to bring Michigan State within six points. From this point on, the Spartans were fouling Maryland left and right to try to find enough time to tie the game.

The Spartans fell short in their comeback, but their solid fourth quarter play kept the game competitive until the end.

Michigan State will be back at the Breslin Center Jan. 11 at 7 p.m. to take on the Wisconsin Badgers. The game will also be streaming on BTN+.