Maryland advanced in the South Region as they beat No. 12 seed South Dakota State 79-74 on Friday night in Spokane.
South Dakota State had a chance to tie the game, down 77-74, with no shot clock remaining, but senior Rasheed Sulaimon came up with a steal and dunked home the win for Maryland.
The No. 5 seed Terps (26-8) got a big game from senior Jake Layman, as he scored 27 points. Sophomore Melo Trimble added 19 points, Jared Nickens contributed 14 points and big man Robert Carter added seven points and 10 rebounds. Sulaimon finished with seven points and four steals.
Layman playing like this is huge for Maryland because he’s a dynamic wing who hasn’t really fit well at the three this season in the new Terp lineup. But if he gets on a run of playing good ball with this lineup then Maryland could be dangerous if they win another game or two.
South Dakota State (26-8) was led by senior Deondre Parks, as he had 22 points. Freshman forward Mike Daum had 16 points while senior guard George Marshall also added 15 points for the Jackrabbits.
With the win, Maryland has won an NCAA tournament game in back-to-back years. The No. 5 seed Terps move on to face No. 13 seed Hawaii, who upset No. 4 seed Cal on Friday afternoon. That South Region game in Spokane will be played on Sunday.
