Michigan basketball lacks intensity, goes cold late in 64-58 loss to Maryland

Michigan Wolverines basketball shot just 10-of-29 from the field in the second half, and couldn’t get over the hump in a 64-58 loss to the Maryland Terrapins. The game was tied at 42-42 with 12 minutes remaining, but Michigan was out-played in crunch time.

U-M is now 10-8 overall and 4-3 in Big Ten play. The Wolverines will be back in action at Crisler Center Sunday against Minnesota.

Here’s a recap of how the game unfolded.

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First half

Michigan lost the tip but got a stop. Junior center Hunter Dickinson hit a hook shot in the middle of the lane to put the Wolverines up 2-0 after their first offensive possession.

Maryland scored seven points in a row, on a Don Carey Jr. three-pointer over Dickinson in the right corner and layups from fellow guards Jahmir Young and Hakim Hart. Michigan got it to 7-4 at the media timeout with 15:10 to play, thanks to a freshman guard Jett Howard layup.

Maryland went on a 6-0 run to take a 15-6 lead, and Michigan head coach Juwan Howard called timeout with 11:44 remaining. His team hadn’t scored in over two-and-a-half minutes at that point. Maryland had 10 points in the paint and four transition points. The Wolverines’ interior defense was getting worked, with the Terps connecting on 5 of 9 two-point looks.

Jett Howard picked up his second foul at the 11:14 mark. His father left him in the game for the time being.

Michigan freshman point guard Dug McDaniel chucked up a layup, missed and let Maryland get out on the break. Hart finished off a dunk at the other end, marking an 8-0 run to make it 17-6.

The Wolverines stopped the bleeding with a freshman forward Tarris Reed Jr. dunk at the other end, making it 17-8 at 10:04.

Maryland held a 23-13 advantage at the media timeout with 7:33 remaining in the half. Michigan made three-straight shots at that point, but getting a stop at the other end felt like a helpless task. Maryland scored on three consecutive possessions itself, including on an offensive rebound by Hart and subsequent second-chance dunk by big man Julian Reese.

A semi-transition triple from Maryland forward Donta Scott gave the Terrapins a 28-15 lead with just over six minutes to play. Jett Howard answered with a triple of his own.

Maryland held a 30-23 edge with 3:49 to go in the half. At that juncture, the Terrapins scored 22 of their 30 points in the paint, grabbed 10 offensive rebounds that resulted in nine second-chance points and had nine fast break points.

Michigan’s defense really ramped up to conclude the half. Maryland made just 5 of its final 17 shot attempts from the field, and the Wolverines turned a 13-point deficit into just a two-point hole at the break, trailing 34-32 heading into the locker room.

Three-pointers were the name of the game for Michigan late in the half, with its only points coming from four triples — one from Jett Howard, one from junior forward Terrance Williams II and two from Dickinson — in the final 4:18 of the stanza.

The Wolverines shot 50 percent in the first half, compared to Maryland’s 42. The difference was the Terrapins’ 11 second-chance points on 10 offensive rebounds, and U-M’s 6 turnovers that resulted in 5 points.

Jett Howard (11 points) and Dickinson (10) led the way for Michigan, while Young’s 11 points highlighted Maryland’s first half.

Second half

The beginning of the second half felt oddly similar to the start of the first. Young got to the rim for a layup, and Scott had a transition dunk. Young drove left and drew a foul from Michigan sophomore guard Kobe Bufkin, went to the line and made both free throws to take a 40-34 lead with 15:51 remaining.

Williams had a huge stretch for Michigan, with two layups for a personal 4-0 run that tied the game at 42-42 with 11:55 to go. Maryland was 3 of its last 13 shooting from the field.

A three from Hart broke a 44-44 tie and gave Maryland a 47-44 edge with 9:59 to go.

Maryland ripped off a 7-0 run to make it 51-44 and then had it at 55-49 with 7:04 remaining, at which point Juwan Howard called timeout. The Terrapins made four-straight field goals at that point. Michigan’s offense went cold, outside of five bench points from graduate guard Joey Baker. The Wolverines scored just those five points in the last four minutes at that juncture.

Maryland continued its run and went on another mini spurt — this time 6-0 — before a Dickinson triple, his third of the game, got the Wolverines back within seven points, 59-52 with 3:24 remaining. The Terrapins continued their dominance on the inside, with 18 points in the paint in the second half. Young had 10 second-half points at that point, with his dribble drive being a challenge for the Maize and Blue to contain.

A Williams layup and Dickinson put-back brought Michigan within four points, 60-56, with 42 seconds to go. The Wolverines fouled Young with 34 seconds left, and he hit both free throws, though.

Jett Howard shot up an off balance three-pointer with 23 seconds left. It missed, but so did Young’s ensuing free throw on the other end.

Michigan showed some life down the stretch, with 2 Dickinson free throws pulling the Wolverines within four points with five seconds to go. But Young nailed 2 free throws to extend the edge back to six points, 64-58, with four seconds remaining. Jett Howard’s three-point attempt at the buzzer fell short, and Maryland won by that final score.

Young led the way with 26 points. Dickinson finished with 19 for Michigan.

The Terrapins scored 42 points in the paint, 13 second-chance points and only had six turnovers. Despite shooting nearly an identical percentage as the Wolverines (42 percent to U-M’s 41), the Terps had a few extra possessions, which were the difference.