Lucious’ 3 at the buzzer ruins Maryland’s rally
When the stunned Maryland Terrapins walked off the floor at Spokane Arena, victims of the latest buzzer-beating shot in the NCAA Tournament, it was to a deserved standing ovation.
After staging a spectacular comeback, the Terps’ season came to a crushing end Sunday in the second round of the tournament as Michigan State guard Korie Lucious hit a 23-foot jumper from beyond the top of the key to beat Maryland 85-83.
The shot dashed the Sweet 16 dreams of the Terps, who rallied from 16 points down in the final 12 minutes, taking the lead twice in the final frantic 35 seconds on shots by Greivis Vasquez. But with 6.6 seconds left, Michigan State rushed the ball up the floor, and Lucious, a sophomore reserve, took a pass from Draymond Green and shot his way into Spartans lore.
“When I caught it, I just tried to get it up before time expired,” Lucious, who finished with 13 points, told reporters. “And it went in.”
As the Spartans celebrated with a baseline dog pile, the Terps looked on in stunned disbelief.
“It just seemed like we were going to win that game, and then we had it taken away from us,” Maryland coach Gary Williams said. “So this is tough.”
The shot spoiled a stirring comeback, fueled by a fullcourt press and 10 points in the final 3:15 by Vasquez, who finished with 26 points and eight assists.
“I didn’t want that game to be my last,” Vasquez said. “But unfortunately it went the other way.”
Maryland (24-9) got strong contributions from senior Eric Hayes (18 points, seven assists) and freshman Jordan Williams (10 points, 10 rebounds). But the Terps were victimized by the hot-shooting, board-pounding Spartans (26-8), led by junior guard Durrell Summers, who hit six of seven from 3-point range in matching his career high of 26 points, and senior forward Raymar Morgan (17 points, nine rebounds, three blocks).
The Spartans made 55 percent of their shots from the floor and 56 percent (10 of 18) from beyond the arc. Green (eight rebounds) contributed to MSU’s 42-24 domination on the boards.
Ironically, the winning shot came from a player who struggled through much of the season. In a nine-game stretch that ended late last month, Lucious hit four of 31 shots from beyond the arc. He was in Sunday’s game because of an apparent Achilles tendon injury to Kalin Lucas in the first half.
“It was devastating when I saw K go down,” Lucious said. “I knew I had to step up.”
Until the final shot, the weekend seemed to be going the Terps’ way. Northern Iowa’s upset of Kansas on Saturday eliminated the top seed from the Midwest Region. On Sunday, when Lucas, the Spartans’ top scorer, limped to the locker room, it set the stage for the Maryland comeback.
“In the Final Four [in 2001], we were up 20 on Duke. That one hurt,” Gary Williams said. “I’m sure there’s been others. Right now I can’t think.”
