5 Observations: Michigan State clings to victory over Maryland in closing seconds

Whew! That was a close one!

Author:
Matthew Lounsberry
Publish date:
Jan 21, 2024 2:43 PM EST

In this story:

Michigan State men's basketball had to hold on for dear life in the closing seconds, but sophomore guard Tre Holloman knocked the ball away from Maryland's Jahmir Young on a drive with three second left and the Spartans beat the Terrapins, 61-59, in College Park.

That final sequence came after senior guard Tyson Walker splashed a dagger of a 3-pointer with 44 seconds left to put MSU up four, but Young answered with a toe-on-the-line 2-point jumper at the other end to keep the Terps alive. After Walker missed a midrange jumper on Michigan State's following possession, the ball ended up in Young's hands in transition with a chance for Maryland to tie or win the game. Holloman reached and got a hand on the ball as Young tried to cross him over, and it bounced away harmlessly as the final seconds ticked off.

The Spartans and Terrapins traded jabs early in the game, but Michigan State started landing body blows midway through the first half. The Spartans went on a 17-1 run to take a 31-16 lead with just over six minutes left in the frame.

That run was powered by a dominant stretch from Michigan State on defense, which forced Maryland into eight consecutive misses shots. Offensively, senior forward Malik Hall hit a pair of baseline jumpers and sophomore guard Tre Holloman knocked down a pair of 3-pointers in transition. MSU led 44-32 at the break.

The second half was a different story, and that leads into Observation No. 1 ...

1.) Offensive nightmare in second half

Michigan State played one of its best halves of basketball in the first 20 minutes today. It started on the defensive end, which allowed the Spartans to get out in transition for 14 fast break points in the first half. After halftime, however, MSU was completely discombobulated on the offensive end. In the first 12 minutes of the second half, the Spartans scored just six points, which allowed Maryland to come back and eventually take the lead.

From there, the game divulged into a rock fight, with both teams struggling to put the ball in the basket. Michigan State got just enough from A.J. Hoggard and Tyson Walker down the stretch, but the Spartans scored just 17 points after halftime. It's a credit to MSU's defense, but they were fortunate to get out of this one with a victory.

2.) Terps make MSU pay for defensive gameplan

Coming into this game, Maryland had been the worst 3-point shooting team in the Big Ten, shooting just over 28% as a team from long range. Understandably, Michigan State played to that, backing off shooters to lock down the interior. However, as has been the case often this, the Terrapins had one of their best shooting games of the season against MSU.

Maryland shot 8-for-22 (36%) from 3-point range in this one, which doesn't jump out at you but given the way the Terps had been shooting this season was significant. While it made sense for the Spartans to play off Maryland, Michigan State was a little too brazen with it and gave up a lot of wide open looks from outside. At the end of the day, these are still college basketball players. Give a guy enough open shots and he's bound to throw in a few.

3.) Balanced scoring for MSU

On a day in which Walker struggled for long stretches at the offensive end, Michigan State needed multiple other guys to help carry the scoring load. It wasn't always pretty, but, ultimately that's what the Spartans got.

Hall was the go-to guy early with 10 first half points. He finished with 12 for the game and added six rebounds. Holloman was MSU's most efficient scorer with 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting, including 3-for-4 on 3s. The sophomore didn't add much else to the box score, but he played with poise throughout in an intense environment.

As mentioned above, it was Hoggard and Walker who closed the deal for Michigan State down the stretch. Hoggard had multiple frustrating misses at the rim, but finished with 12 points on 4-of-11 shooting and added two assists and two steals. Walker, meanwhile, still ended up leading the Spartans in scoring with 15 points, despite multiple uncharacteristic mistakes on the offensive end from the fifth-year senior. Walker shot just 5-of-14 from the floor and had three turnovers, but balanced that out with five assists and five steals.

4.) Rebounding woes return

Ever since the win over Baylor in Detroit, Michigan State has been much better on the glass than it was in the first nine games. Today, however, looked like that early-season Spartan team as Maryland dominated MSU in the rebounding department. The Terrapins had a 37-22 edge in total rebounds, and benefitted from nine offensive rebound which led to 10 second-chance points.

It is important to note that the Spartans did a nice job on the glass late in the game, with the outcome very much in doubt. That should give MSU fans some confidence that this team has still made strides in this area, despite what the final numbers ended up looking like.

3.) Good first half minutes from Jaxon Kohler

Kohler is slowly working his way back into the rotation and his two-minute stretch in the first half was the most comfortable he's looked on the floor since coming back from injury. The sophomore played with high energy, fighting for loose balls, blocking a shot and flashing his refined offensive skillset with a nice spin baseline off a post up and scoring on a reverse layup. Kohler did not play in the second half, as head coach Tom Izzo stuck with his most-trusted guys in a tight game, but what we saw out of Kohler in his limited time today was encouraging.

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