Walker, Hoggard lead Michigan State over Maryland 61-59
College Park, MD - COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — Tyson Walker scored 15 points, A.J. Hoggard hit big shots down the stretch and Michigan State rallied last in a 61-59 victory over Maryland on Sunday.
Walker hit two 3-pointers and added five assists and five steals for the Spartans (12-7, 4-4 Big Ten Conference). He has scored in double figures in 30 straight games. Hoggard, Malik Hall and reserve Tre Holloman all scored 12. Hall had six rebounds.
Jahmir Young sank three 3-pointers and scored 19 to lead the Terrapins (11-8, 3-5). Donta Scott scored 16 on 6-for-8 shooting with two 3-pointers. Julian Reese pitched in with 10 points, 12 rebounds and three blocked shots. Reese has nine double-doubles this season.
COLLEGE PARK, MARYLAND - JANUARY 21: Tyson Walker #2 of the Michigan State Spartans celebrates after hitting the game winning shot in the second half against the Maryland Terrapins at Xfinity Center on January 21, 2024 in College Park, Maryland. (Pho
The lead changed hands 10 times in the first seven minutes. Walker’s 3-pointer put Michigan State ahead 17-15, sparking a 12-0 run that Tre Holloman capped with a dunk and the Spartans led by 14 with 9:08 left before halftime. Holloman had 12 points off the bench, hitting all three of his 3-pointers, Hall scored 10 and Michigan State had a 44-32 advantage at intermission.
Maryland whittled away at the Spartans’ lead until Scott’s layup pulled the Terrapins even at 48 with 12:16 remaining in the game. Young buried a 3-pointer to put Maryland up 53-50, capping a 21-6 run and giving the Terps’ their first lead since the 13:08 mark of the first half.
Hoggard answered with back-to-back baskets and Walker’s layup finished a 6-0 spurt, giving Michigan State a 56-53 lead with 5:02 to go. Reese sank a jumper for the Terps, but Hoggard scored and the lead remained three.
Young had two straight baskets for Maryland, but Walker hit a 3-pointer in between and the Spartans led by two with 36 seconds left. Walker missed a jumper, but Young had the ball knocked away as the clock ran down and the Terps could not get a final shot off.
Maryland honored former coach Lefty Driesell throughout the day with an "Ode to Lefty". The Terrapins wore throwback jerseys from the 1970s. The Terrapins’ Hall-of-Famer had a 348-159 record from 1969-86. Driesell signed 7-footer Moses Malone to play for the Terps in 1974. Instead, the future NBA Hall-of-Fame center became the first player to turn professional directly out of high school when he joined the ABA’s Utah Stars.
Michigan State has won five straight over Maryland and leads the all-time series 15-8 — 14-8 under coach Tom Izzo. The Spartans are 5-3 in College Park where the Terps are 9-2 this season and a conference-best 25-3 over the past two seasons with Kevin Willard at the helm.
Maryland travels to play Iowa on Wednesday. Michigan State travels to play No. 11 Wisconsin on Friday.