Maryland was in need of a bounce-back win following back-to-back upset defeats at the hands of Wisconsin and Minnesota. But the test Sunday was Michigan, the team that handed Maryland its first conference loss this season.
The Terps built a 16-point lead in the first half but watched that advantage disappear completely as the Wolverines roared back, grabbing several second-half leads. But in the end, Maryland got the bounce-back win it needed, getting the game's final hot streak to secure an 86-82 win in College Park.
Maryland built a big first-half lead thanks to strong defensive play and an ice-cold stretch by Michigan. The game was knotted at 12 five and a half minutes in, but the Terps exploded from there with 14 straight points, part of a larger 17-1 run by the home team. The Wolverines scored just one point and missed 13 consecutive shots over that seven-and-a-half-minute span, emerging from that long period in a 16-point hole. But Michigan responded once its shooting started to thaw and Maryland started turning the ball over. The Wolverines outscored the Terps, 23-12, over the final seven minutes of the half, slicing that 16-point deficit down to just five at the break thanks to hitting five of the last six 3-pointers it attempted.
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The offenses controlled the final 20 minutes, and the two teams traded baskets out of the break, with Mark Donnal doing an incredible amount of damage for Michigan. Donnal scored 14 points in the first six minutes of the second half, putting the Wolverines on top, 56-55. But the Terps responded with an 11-2 run that included a pair of Jake Layman 3-pointers to reestablish an eight-point lead. That lead hit nine before Michigan again caught fire, using a 14-2 run that featured eight points from Donnal to build its biggest lead of the game at 75-72 with under six minutes to play. The Terps, though, punched right back with eight straight points to own a five-point lead with three minutes remaining. A big Zak Irvin triple cut the deficit to two, but Robert Carter responded with a dunk. And despite a Duncan Robinson triple to make it a two-point game in the final seconds, Maryland was able to hang on, hitting four free throws as Michigan missed two 3-point tries and a free throw and turned the ball over twice in the final two minutes.
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It was a hot-shooting day for the Terps, who shot 54.4 percent from the field on the game. The Wolverines weren't too far behind at 47.1 percent including a sterling 56.3-percent mark in the second half. Michigan made 13 3-pointers and scored 21 points off 18 Maryland turnovers, but that latter category was practically equal as the Terps turned 16 Wolverine turnovers into 20 points. Maryland also had a big free-throw advantage, going 17-for-19 from the line compared to Michigan going just 5-for-8.
Carter led four Terps in double figures with 17 points. Layman finished with 16 points, Melo Trimble had 14 and Diamond Stone had 13.
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Donnal ended with 25 points, 22 of them coming in the second half. He was 10-for-13 from the field and 3-for-4 from 3-point range. Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman finished with 16 points, Derrick Walton Jr. had 14, Irvin had 11 and Robinson had 10.
The win boosted Maryland to 23-5 overall and 11-4 in the Big Ten, holding at third place in the conference standings. Next up is a big game at Purdue on Saturday.
Michigan dropped to 19-9 overall and 9-6 in the league. Next up is a game against Northwestern on Wednesday night.