EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Anthony Cowan scored 11 of his 24 points in the final two-plus minutes, helping No. 9 Maryland beat Michigan State 67-60 with a strong finish Saturday night.
The Terrapins (21-4, 11-3 Big Ten) scored the final 14 points of the game after trailing by seven with 3:24 left. Cowman had the last 11 points on three 3-pointers and two free throws.
The Spartans (17-9, 9-6) trailed by as much as 15 points in the first half and by eight early in the second half before making a surge to take the lead.
Michigan State’s Xavier Tillman had 18 points and 11 rebounds, but he gave Jalen Smith enough space to make a 3-pointer with 3:08 remaining to start Maryland’s game-closing run. Tillman caught the wrath of coach Tom Izzo after making the mistake on defense.
Smith finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds.
Cassius Winston had 14 points for the Spartans.
DRAWING A ROAR
Michigan State’s new football coach, Mel Tucker, fired up fans during the first half in a timeout break. The crowd roared again during halftime when Michigan State honored its 2000 national championship team.
BIG PICTURE
Maryland: With eight straight wins, the Terrapins have a one-game lead over No. 13 Penn State in the conference standings.
Michigan State: The team is simply struggling, losing four of five games and two straight at home.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
The Terrapins may move up a little in the poll. The Spartans became the firstpreseason No. 1 to drop out of the poll since Kentucky did it during the 2013-14 season and they will be unranked for at least another week.
UP NEXT
Maryland: Hosts last-place Northwestern (6-18, 1-13 Big Ten) on Tuesday night.
Michigan State: Plays at Nebraska (7-18, 2-12) on Thursday night.
