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Maryland outlasts MSU in 2-OT to win Big Ten debut

Dec 31, 2014 - 5:35 AM East Lansing, MI (SportsNetwork.com) - Dez Wells scored 16 points and No. 12 Maryland went into Breslin Center and stunned Michigan State 68-66 in a double overtime thriller in the Terrapins' Big Ten debut.

Wells, who forced OT with a 3-pointer late in regulation, also had seven rebounds and five assists for Maryland (13-1, 1-0 Big Ten), which moved from the ACC to the Big Ten this summer.

Melo Trimble shot 12-of-14 from the foul line for 17 points for the Terps, winners in six straight games.

"They had zero free throws at halftime and then ended up with 32," said MSU coach Tom Izzo. "We couldn't cover anybody. Our guards struggled."

Trailing by three with time winding down, Wells stepped into a 3 and hit nothing but nylon. Denzel Valentine's half-court heave narrowly missed, and the game went into OT, but not before a lengthy video review. Officials spent nearly five minutes watching the replay of Wells' triple to see if his foot was on the line, but the video was inconclusive.

MSU led 55-51 with under two minutes to go in the first OT period, but Wells found Jon Graham for a layup and made a pair of free throws to force another five minutes.

Maryland did most of its damage from the stripe in double-overtime. Wells and Richaud Pack both made two and Trimble hit all six of his to help the visitors prevail.

"That's a great win for us," said Maryland coach Mark Turgeon. "I'm not sure how we did it to be honest with you."

Travis Trice scored a game-high 26 points for Michigan State (9-5, 0-1).

Baskets were at a premium in the early going of this one. MSU led 4-2 following a Trice jumper when Graham made layups to bookend a 7-0 Maryland run.

The Spartans went scoreless for nearly six minutes before Branden Dawson hit a jumper. Then, more than seven minutes passed until Trice split a pair from the foul line.

Despite Michigan State's woes, Maryland only built a 13-6 lead. The offense picked up in the final segment of the half, and Maryland led 17-14 at the break.

MSU ran off six straight points early in the second half. Wells' dunk ended the flurry, but Bryn Forbes followed a pair of Valentine free throws with a 3- ball, and the hosts led 25-21.

They led by as many as five, but Maryland stayed within striking distance. A 3-pointer from Evan Smotrycz at 3:16 had the Terps within 41-40, and a terrific sequence from Damonte Dodd helped them climb in front.

Dodd held his ground in the post against Dawson and blocked a turnaround jumper with just over two minutes to play. Then, the sophomore big man hit a jumper that gave Maryland a one-point lead.

Trice restored Michigan State's lead with a steal and transition layup, then potted two free throws to extend the lead to 47-45 with 35 seconds left.

Matt Costello had a chance to put the game away with a pair of free throws, but he only made 1-of-2, leaving the door open.

Game Notes

Dawson (hand) missed the last two games ... Dawson, Forbes and Costello all scored nine points ... Maryland won the rebounding margin, 53-36 ... The two teams meet again in College Park on Jan. 17.