It was your classic Big Ten slugfest with each team shooting under 35 percent from the floor, so naturally it ended in thrilling, dramatic fashion.
No. 8 Michigan State defeated No. 16 Maryland 58-55 on a half-court heave at the buzzer by Tre Holloman, giving the Spartans a stunning road victory in College Park on Wednesday night.
Tied at 55, the Terrapins forced a defensive stop and raced to the offensive end with less than 10 seconds remaining, no timeouts and a chance to win it. A deep 3-pointer by Maryland’s Ja’Kobi Gillespie clanged off the front rim and fell right to Michigan State’s Jaxon Kohler, who quickly shuffled the ball to Holloman with just enough time for a one-dribble launch from well behind half-court. The shot banged off the back iron and through the net as time expired.
TRE HOLLOMAN AT THE BUZZER!!!!!!! 🚨 @MSU_Basketball pic.twitter.com/clqNj65VHk
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) February 27, 2025
“I had to throw it up,” Holloman said afterward. “We practice those, so I got it up and it went in.”
The moment more than made up for Holloman’s backcourt turnover and foul with less than 45 seconds remaining, which allowed Maryland to level the score at 55 on a pair of Gillespie free throws that sent the XFINITY Center — and ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt — into a frenzy.
Stunning ending aside, much of the game was spent in the mud. Michigan State (23-5, 14-3 Big Ten) led by nine with just over 5 minutes to play, but Maryland was able to claw back despite making just one field goal over the final stretch. The Terps (21-7, 11-6 Big Ten) made nine of their last 10 free throws — including six of six for Gillespie — but that wasn’t enough to overcome 31 percent from the floor and 20 percent from beyond the arc.
The Spartans, who shot just 34 percent overall and 27 percent from deep, survived while holding Maryland to its lowest point total of the season. Holloman, a junior guard who scored all nine of his points in the second half, said it was his first game-winning shot since his senior year of high school when he hit one to send his team to the state tournament.
“Look, that was a lucky shot, but no one can say we didn’t deserve to win that game,” Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said. “We made some bad mistakes, give them credit, we threw the ball away a little bit. But we deserved to win this game… I’m not taking that as a lucky shot. We played our tails off.”
Freshman Jase Richardson was the only Spartan to score in double figures, finishing with 15 points and 8 rebounds. Sophomore Rodney Rice led Maryland with 20 points, and Gillespie finished with 15. The loss snapped a four-game winning streak for the Terps, who are an impressive 10-3 since Jan. 5.
Michigan State logged its seventh straight victory over Maryland and third straight over a ranked opponent to remain atop the Big Ten standings, now a half-game above rival Michigan. The win also gives the Spartans a ninth Quad 1 win for the time being, including four in a row over Illinois, Purdue, Michigan and now Maryland, and keeps the team on track to earn a No. 2 seed (or better) in the NCAA Tournament.
There’s no rest for Sparty, who has No. 11 Wisconsin at home on Sunday, followed by a trip to Iowa and a home rematch with the Wolverines on March 9 in the regular season finale.
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(Photo: Reggie Hildred / Imagn Images)
