INDIANAPOLIS, IN — Derik Queen stepped up to the free throw line with 5.3 seconds left and Maryland down just one. After crawling out of a 15-point deficit earlier in the half, Queen had a chance to put the Terps back in front with minimal time remaining. The freshman standout calmly knocked down both free throws. 

Without a timeout, Michigan’s Tre Donaldson quickly inbounded the ball to Vladislav Goldin before getting it right back. Donaldson raced across the full length of the court before making a contested layup over Queen with under a second to go.

After a thrilling semifinal game that saw 12 ties and 15 lead changes, Michigan prevailed 81-80, thanks to Donaldson’s heroics.

“Obviously disappointed in the way the game ended,” Maryland coach Kevin Willard said. “[I’m] proud of the battle; we fought back in the second half.”

Both teams were playing their second game in as many days after receiving double-byes to the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals.

In Friday’s previous round, Maryland dismantled Illinois 88-65, earning its first trip to the semifinals since 2016. Michigan cruised to an 86-68 win over Purdue, returning to the last four for the first time since 2021. 

The lone regular season matchup between the two teams took place just 10 days prior. Maryland fought off a late Michigan push to escape Ann Arbor with a 71-65 victory. 

Rice led the scoring for the Terps, finishing with 19 points, including four three-pointers. Maryland’s defense wreaked havoc on Michigan all night, scoring 21 points off 16 turnovers. Miguel was also key to the Terps’ success, scoring 17 points including an off-balance deep ball in the final seconds of the first half.

Maryland got out to another strong defensive start on Saturday, forcing nine turnovers in the first half and scoring the same number of points off of those takeaways. 

After shooting well to start the game, Maryland’s offense cooled off in the final 10 minutes of the frame, not making a field goal for over the first half’s final three minutes.  

Goldin and junior Danny Wolf dominated the glass for Michigan, collecting a combined 14 rebounds. The 7-footer duo outrebounded Maryland as a team in the first half, 14-12.

Taking full advantage of the Terps’ mishaps, the Wolverines held a 38-34 lead by halftime. Unfortunately for Maryland, its first-half struggles persisted into the second. 

Michigan started the half on an 11-0 run and didn’t allow the Terps to get off any open shots. The Wolverines extended their lead to 15 before junior Ja’Kobi Gillespie finally knocked down a three to end the scoreless streak.

With Maryland’s deficit hanging near double digits for the better part of six minutes, it seemed any minor Michigan run would put the game beyond reach. But Queen refused to let the Terps go down quietly. 

The first-team all-Big Ten center put the team on his back, scoring nine straight points amid a 14-0 Maryland run.

Down the stretch, Michigan continued feeding Goldin in the paint, the same place he found success all afternoon. The FAU transfer dominated Maryland inside, finishing with 25 points and 10 rebounds. 

Wolf also had his way in the paint, scoring 21 points to go along with 14 rebounds. 

Despite only losing by one, the Terps uncharacteristically got bullied on the glass. The Wolverines collected 47 rebounds compared to just 18 for Maryland — a season low. The negative 29 differential was also the Terps’ worst rebounding margin of the year. 

“Our guards have to do a much better job of helping rebound,” Willard said. “When you play against bigger teams, you need your guards to go in there and dig [rebounds] out.”

Even in the loss, Queen showed why he’s projected to be a lottery pick in this year’s NBA draft. The Big Ten freshman of the year finished with a career-high 31 points — the most by a Maryland freshman since 2015.

Maryland now awaits tomorrow’s Selection Show to see where it’ll be seeded and headed in next week’s NCAA tournament. ESPN currently projects Maryland as a 3-seed in the East region, facing UNC Wilmington in the first round. FOX has the Terps as a 4-seed in the Midwest, facing Liberty to open the tournament.