Tre Donaldson’s last-second layup stuns Maryland, sends Michigan to Big Ten title game

Tre Donaldson went coast-to-coast for a left-handed layup with 0.4 seconds left to lift No. 22 Michigan to an 81-80 win over No. 11 Maryland in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals. 

Donaldson made a 3-pointer to put the Wolverines up three with 28 seconds left, but forward Julian Reese answered with a layup and Derik Queen hit two foul shots to give the Terrapins a one-point lead with 5.3 seconds remaining. It left just enough time for Donaldson to beat the buzzer.

Donaldson finished the game with 12 points and nine assists. Vladislav Goldin had a team-high 25 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, while fellow big man Danny Wolf added 21 points and 14 rebounds for his third straight double-double. 

Queen finished with a career-high 31 points to lead the Terrapins (25-8), who entered the game as winners of eight of their last nine games. Selton Miguel added 16 points. Maryland has never reached the tourney’s title game since joining the Big Ten in 2014.

The Wolverines took a big lead at the beginning of the second half on Saturday. They held a 49-34 advantage with 17:16 remaining and a 61-50 lead with 11:42 left in the game after Roddy Gayle Jr. made a layup. Maryland, though, scored the next 14 points to take a three-point lead. The teams traded leads over the last seven minutes before Donaldson had the final say. 

His game-winning shot sends Michigan (24-9), the No. 3 seed in the Big Ten Tournament, to the conference title game against fifth-seeded Wisconsin (26-8) on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET. 

Takeaways

Michigan: The tandem of Wolf and Goldin — and the heroic play by Donaldson — were good enough to carry the Wolverines in the semifinals. But if they have another game with 19 turnovers, their dreams could end.

Maryland: The Terrapins have relied heavily, perhaps too heavily, on points from their starters. But the bigger problem was not to front Donaldson on the drive, forcing him to burn precious time.

Key moment

Donaldson’s full sprint from near his own baseline straight to the rim.

Key stat

Michigan’s 47-18 rebounding edge was so dominant Wolf nearly outrebounded Maryland by himself.

Up next

The Wolverines are chasing their first tourney title since winning it back-to-back in 2017 and 2018. Maryland heads home to await the selection committee’s bracket reveal.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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