Guard Dez Wells rises up for a jumper during the first half of the Terps’ 68-66 double-overtime victory over Michigan State on Dec. 30, 2014 at the Breslin Center.
EAST LANSING, Mich. — When Dez Wells trotted back onto the court at Breslin Center on Tuesday night with 11.6 seconds remaining in the Big Ten opener, it appeared as if, finally, the Terrapins men’s basketball team would drop a close game, and its hot start to season would at last hit a road bump.
Michigan State held a three-point lead over the No. 12 Terps, and Wells, who was then shooting 3 of 11 from the field, had just committed a costly turnover. But as the clock ticked toward expiration, the Terps senior guard curled off a screen and caught a pass with a chance to play the familiar role of hero.
“In my mind, I was like, ‘Alright, you got to get this back,’” Wells said. “Somehow, someway you have to find a way to get this back for your team.”
Wells did just that when he made a move to create separation, rose up and drilled a 3-pointer near the left wing with less than three seconds left that sent Tuesday’s thriller into overtime. The jump shot was just the first in a string of improbable sequences that helped the Terps earn a 68-66 double overtime victory in a marathon of a welcome to the Big Ten.
The Terps (13-1, 1-0 Big Ten) faced another deficit in the first overtime, and after coach Mark Turgeon was called for a technical foul with 1:52 to play, Michigan State (9-5, 0-1) took a four-point lead.
Wells, though, stepped up again. He whipped a pass to forward Jon Graham for a layup to bring the team within two, and later in the period, Wells drove to the rim, got fouled and tied the score with a couple free throws that sent the game into another overtime.
The Terps then pulled away from the Spartans in the final five minutes.
“That’s a great win for us,” Turgeon said. “I’m not sure how we did it, to be honest with you.”
The Terps’ victory comes against one of the Big Ten’s marquee programs and in a nationally televised contest. Starting point guard Melo Trimble, the prized freshman who led the team with 17 points Tuesday, said it was the Terps’ biggest win of the season.
And it took contributions from unlikely sources, along with Wells, to fend off the Spartans underneath the eight Michigan State Final Four banners that hang in the arena’s rafters.
In the second overtime, Wells, who finished with 16 points, had a strip on one end of the floor and bucket on the other that gave the Terps a 60-57 lead they would never relinquish.
But Turgeon also said Graham’s defense was key to the Terps win and lauded Trimble for his success at the free-throw line. Plus, Detroit native Richaud Pack grabbed an offensive rebound with about 35 seconds left that effectively sealed the result.
“A lot of guys helped us,” Turgeon said. “So a lot of guys feel good about this victory.”
The Terps struggled in late-game situations last season, but have now pulled out several close contests this fall. The team is also 4-0 away from Xfinity Center.
“We stuck together, we never lost faith in each other,” Graham said. “We trust each other in all of our hearts … that’s how we get wins like this.”
The Terps victory came after a sluggish first half in which neither team could avoid anemic offense. The score was 17-14 at halftime, and both squads had more turnovers than made field goals in opening 20 minutes.
Sloppiness eventually gave way to excitement, and the contest seesawed toward the final minutes of regulation. With guard Travis Trice (26 points) leading the way, the Spartans pulled ahead before Wells’ big shot in the closing seconds quieted the Breslin Center crowd.
“I just knew I had to make the shot, man,” Wells said.
He did, and in a thrilling contest, the Terps eventually upended the same Michigan State program that bounced them from the 2010 NCAA tournament.
In that second-round contest nearly five years ago, an usual last-second play doomed the Terps when Spartans guard Korie Lucious buried a buzzer-beating three to win the game, 85–83.
Tuesday night, the Terps took another step toward returning to the Big Dance for the first time since that loss with a whirlwind win of their own.
“It was great for our team, it was great for me, mentally, and it was great for Maryland basketball in general,” Wells said, referencing the fan base. “Everybody felt that win.”
