INDIANAPOLIS – As Diamond Stone elevated toward the rim Friday night, a body materialized in front of the rim.

But the Terrapins men’s basketball center wasn’t fazed. He simply rose above those towering arms and ferociously slammed the ball through the hoop.

That posterizing dunk over Nebraska freshman Jack McVeigh with 10:58 left in the first half was Stone’s first points of the night. As the night progressed, Stone provided the portion of Terps fans in Bankers Field House with more highlight-reel dunks and finished with 23 points, second on the team. Stone’s dominant interior presence helped propel the No. 3-seed Terps to a 97-86 win over No. 11-seed Nebraska in the Big Ten quarterfinals.

It all began with that thunderous dunk over McVeigh.

“That definitely helped him get a huge jumpstart,” forward Damonte Dodd said. “When you dunk on someone, you automatically get hyped.”

Stone’s starring performance Friday came eight days after he played 12 minutes, his second-fewest as an eligible player. In the Terps’ 81-55 win over Illinois on March 3, coach Mark Turgeon opted for a smaller lineup, which left Stone on the bench for most of the night.

He responded by putting in more effort in practices. Days later, he had 12 points against No. 10 Indiana, and he notched his second-highest point total of his career Friday.

“He actually worked a lot harder because he was upset he didn’t play a lot,” guard Jaylen Brantley said. “Diamond’s a really good kid, and he’s starting to get it going now towards the end of the season.”

Stone began this season as a starter but struggled to maintain a grip on that spot. With Dodd providing the Terps a solid defensive presence, Stone started one contest in a 13-game stretch. Even that was a mistake; someone made a scorekeeping error.

In a 74-68 win over then-No. 3 Iowa on Jan. 28, Stone returned to the starting lineup. He hasn’t relinquished his place, starting the last 10 games aside from a one-game suspension. One of his most complete performances in the regular season came against the Cornhuskers on Feb. 3. He was two block shy of a triple-double, finishing with 16 points, 10 rebounds and eight blocks in a 70-65 win.

“He’s a dominant player,” Nebraska coach Tim Miles said Friday. “The kid’s got a NBA future whenever he decides. We don’t have anyone like that at this point, so it was hard to get him under control.”

The Cornhuskers were stretched thin with their third game in three days Friday, and with the Terps on fire from the outside – they were 13-for-22 on 3-pointers – Stone took full advantage in the interior.

Still, it took awhile for Stone, who missed his first two shots, to get going. But then guard Melo Trimble found Stone rumbling down the lane. Moments later, he was dunking over McVeigh. Stone’s teammates often found him streaking down the floor for easy buckets the rest of the night.

“They got me involved today,” Stone said. “I’m happy to be a big piece.”

While Friday was Stone’s postseason debut, he didn’t appear nervous or apprehensive before the game. He was simply himself. So when the ball ended up in his hands in the first half, he knew what to do.

“He’s unique,” Dodd said. “He’s always ready.”