A Crucial Stretch

The first half did not end particularly well for Maryland last night against Michigan State. Ahead by five, Dave Neal set up to inbound the ball after a made Spartans basket. Michigan State was in a full-court press, leaving Neal few appealing options. After looking around he fired a long pass down the left sideline intended for Eric Hayes.

But the pass was too long, and it ended in the hands of Spartans forward Delvin Roe. Roe passed it to Travis Walton, who proceeded to hit a transition jumper as time expired. At halftime, the Terps may have led by three points, but they had lost much of their momentum.

Michigan State opened the second half with a 9-2 run that put the Spartans on top by four. But from then on, the Terps took control and did not give it back. Maryland went on a 27-6 run that spanned more than nine minutes of the second half. With seven and a half minutes remaining, the Terps led by 17 points.

"We knew they were going to make a run," sophomore guard Adrian Bowie said. "They’re the No. 5 team in the country. We knew they was gonna come at us, so just withstanding that and just coming back with another run, and they folded."