Maryland once trailed 23-11 in its B1G Tournament opener against Michigan State, but the Terrapins responded in impressive fashion during the final 10 minutes of the first half. Eric Ayala put the exclamation point on the late surge.

With time winding down and Maryland owning a 31-30 lead, Ayala pulled up and drilled a buzzer-beating 3-point shot give the Terps a 34-30 advantage heading into halftime. It was the largest lead of the game for Mark Turgeon’s crew.

Ayala was a problem for Michigan State in the first half, scoring 13 points, dishing out 3 assists and grabbing a rebound. Aaron Wiggins had 7 points and Jairus Hamilton gave Maryland 6 points off the bench.

The Terrapins are 15-12 on the season and are considered a Last Four In team after dropping its final two games of the regular season to Northwestern and Penn State. They could certainly use a big win over a hot Michigan State team to ensure its spot in the NCAA Tournament next week.

We’ll see if Maryland’s late run results in a win.