Tre Donaldson converted a driving layup with 0.4 seconds left Saturday, lifting No. 22 Michigan to an 81-80 win over No. 11 Maryland in the Big Ten Conference tournament semifinals in Indianapolis.
Derik Queen made two free throws with 5.3 seconds remaining to give the second-seeded Terrapins (25-8) an 80-79 edge. Donaldson then slalomed down the middle of the floor, split defenders in the lane and finished a 12-point, nine-assist performance with the game-winner.
Vladislav Goldin led the third-seeded Wolverines (24-9), who play fifth-seeded Wisconsin on Sunday for the tournament title, with 25 points and 10 rebounds. Danny Wolf added 21 points, 14 boards and four assists, while Nimari Burnett chipped in with 10 points.
Queen poured in a game-high 31 points for Maryland, going 9-for-9 at the foul line. Selton Miguel added 16, while Julian Reese contributed 13. Ja’Kobi Gillespie finished with 10 points and nine assists.
Michigan shot 47 percent from the field and annihilated the Terrapins 47-18 in rebounding, scoring 18 points off 18 offensive boards. Maryland countered by forcing 19 turnovers and cashing them in for 29 points. The game featured 15 lead changes and 12 ties.
Despite the loss, the Terrapins are a cinch to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament when the field is announced on Sunday night.
The pregame storylines were plentiful, centering mostly on Maryland potentially repeating a near-flawless floor performance in an 88-65 rout of Illinois on Friday and if Michigan could dominate inside as it was able to do in its 86-68 drubbing of Purdue.
Early, it became clear that the game would come down to the Wolverines’ dominance on the glass versus the Terrapins’ ability to create points off turnovers. Michigan enjoyed a 27-12 rebounding advantage as Wolf and Golden by themselves combined for 14 rebounds.
Yet Maryland held a late lead in the first half after forcing nine turnovers before the Wolverines rattled off the half’s last seven points, capped by an alley-oop dunk from Roddy Gayle that gave them a 38-34 advantage at the break.
–Field Level Media
