Maryland basketball vs. Michigan State final score, with 3 things to know from the Terps’ 63-60 win

In what might have been his final home game as a Maryland Terrapin, Melo Trimble hit a buzzer-beater three to give his team a 63-60 win over Michigan State.

If Trimble never hoists up another shot in front of the fans at Xfinity Center, he’ll have a sweet memory of this one.

And only shortly beforehand, Michigan State failed to capitalize on a crucial opportunity.

With seven seconds left in the game, Michigan State’s Cassius Winston found Nick Ward wide open down low. But the pass slipped through Ward’s hand as the shot clock expired. Maryland got the ball back, and Trimble didn’t waste his chance.

The Terps secure the No. 3-seed in the Big Ten Tournament with the win, and got to send out their seniors in style.

Damonte Dodd finished his Maryland career with a seven-point, three-rebound effort, and graduate transfer L.G. Gill got the start in his final game in his only season in College Park. Trimble, who could leave for the NBA after this season, may also have just played his last game in a Terrapins uniform. He finished with 16.

Maryland held a 45-37 lead after a strong start to the second half, but a 9-0 Michigan State run tilted things back in the Spartans’ favor. The game was back-and-forth after that. The game featured 18 lead changes, and only got more intense in that final minute.

The first half was a typical display of 2017 Big Ten basketball. Maryland shot 35 percent, while Michigan State was 33 percent from the field. It got ugly at times, aside from Miles Bridges’ 11 points.

Maryland did not convert a field goal attempt in the half’s final 3:52, but some smart fouling at the end of the half robbed Michigan State of a possession, and the Spartans went into halftime with a 28-27 lead.

Maryland opened the second half strong, but that 9-0 Spartan run changed things. Each team shot better in the final 20 minutes. Justin Jackson scored 12 of his 15 points in the second half, hitting three three-pointers and tossing in four free throws.

Michigan State’s Nick Ward gave Dodd all he could handle down low. Ward finished with 22, teaming up with Miles Bridges (18) to account for two-thirds of Michigan State’s points.

Both teams went into shooting slumps in the game’s final minutes, but Trimble’s shot made that irrelevant for Maryland.

Three things to know

1. Maryland’s conference tournament seeding is now set. The Terps have officially clinched a double-bye, which means they get almost a full week off before playing in the Big Ten Tournament on Friday.
2. It was an emotional Senior Day. Damonte Dodd and L.G. Gill won’t play at Xfinity Center again, and Melo Trimble might not either. Dodd and Gill will have exhausted their eligibility after postseason play, and Trimble will have to decide this offseason if he’ll go to the NBA or return for his senior season. The crowd at Xfinity was as loud as it gets.
3. Anthony Cowan and Justin Jackson gave Melo Trimble the offensive assistance he needed. Cowan had several nice dishes, including one right through the defense to Ivan Bender, and gave the Terps the non-Trimble scoring they needed. Jackson was on from three-point range when they needed him.