There wasn’t much else Diggy Coit could do.

Maryland men’s basketball’s 5-foot-11 flamethrower made eight 3-pointers in the first 30 minutes Saturday against No. 2 Michigan. Coit broke free off screens, shook defenders and recklessly fired off-the-dribble.

His heroics kept Maryland within three points against the Wolverines midway through the second half. But after senior forwards Pharrel Payne and Solomon Washington exited — and Coit continued to fire — Michigan coach Dusty May’s sole objective became to stop him.

Coit took just one shot in the last 10 minutes. It was a death knell for a Maryland team that showed fight but was overmatched by what coach Buzz Williams called a “historical” Michigan team, 101-83, at Xfinity Center.

“I feel like [Payne] and [Washington] being out hurt us,” Coit said. “We played with a five that we didn’t practice with, which makes it hard to get into an offense.”

When Coit tried bringing the ball up, he was slowed by the Wolverines’ press defense. When he moved off the ball, Michigan (10-0, 2-0 Big Ten) guarded him with 6-foot-9 forward Yaxel Lendeborg.

[Maryland wants to get Pharrel Payne the ball. The problem? Everyone knows it.]

The size disparity offered Coit limited room along the perimeter and a near-foot disadvantage.

“He was pretty much a one-man army,” Lendeborg said. “My whole gameplan was to not let him touch the ball.”

The final score, fueled by a 27-12 Michigan run through the last 10 minutes, wasn’t a surprise. The bigger shock was what transpired in the 30 minutes prior.

The Terps (6-5, 0-2 Big Ten) crumbled in previous ranked matchups against Gonzaga and Alabama, falling into early 15-point holes and never recovering. They led 50-45 at the end of Saturday’s first half, scoring more combined points than Michigan’s previous two opponents, Villanova and Rutgers.

Despite Maryland’s advantage, it trailed Michigan in assists, paint points and fast break points by significant margins. The Terps’ best source of early offense came from beyond the arc. They shot 10-for-18 on first-half 3-pointers — Coit made six of those.

“The staff did good things in real time to try to solve that against the No. 1 team in the country,” Williams said. I don’t know [if] any of it was conclusive, but we were trying a few different things.”

Payne, who suffered an apparent gruesome injury Nov. 15 against Marquette and returned just nine days later, re-injured his right knee with under five minutes left in the first half Saturday. He immediately grabbed his right knee, already in a black brace, and was unable to put pressure on the leg while subsequently being helped off the floor.

Washington was then ejected early in the second half after picking up his second technical foul on a delay of game. Their absences allowed a 9-0 Michigan run.

[How Buzz Williams turned a ballroom into Maryland men’s basketball’s Las Vegas headquarters]

Maryland made just one of seven shots across a short stretch to follow — their first real cold streak of the night — while Michigan built a six-point lead.

The Terps gave possessions away more to a dangerous Wolverines defense in the second half. Maryland committed eight second-half turnovers, doubling its first-half total. Michigan also grabbed a significant advantage at the free throw line, drawing seven foul shots to Maryland’s one during the opening nine-minute stretch.

It was more of what Williams had expected.

He presented Saturday as an opportunity for his team to learn for the future. Williams dropped a laundry list of ways he and his staff could take bits and pieces from the top-ranked Wolverines.

“There’s a standard that they have, and so we’re going to be able to see where we are,” he said. “I think in a demented way, that’s all really healthy, not just for now to learn those lessons and apply, but … for where we’re wanting to be in the future.”

The result may have not shown it. But for an inferior Maryland team playing shorthanded, this was the most life it showed all season — providing hope for a competitive Big Ten calendar.

“I admire the resilience that those guys competed with and the togetherness with that,” Williams said.