Michigan
Maryland
Donaldson's Last-Second Layup Sends Michigan to Big Ten Title Game
3/15/2025 7:39:00 PM | Men's Basketball
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- A coast-to-coast, buzzer-beating layup by Tre Donaldson lifted the No. 22-ranked and third seed University of Michigan men's basketball team to an 81-80 Big Ten Tournament semifinal victory over No. 11-ranked and second seed Maryland on Saturday (March 15) at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. U-M now advances to the Big Ten Tournament championship game to face No. 18 and fifth-seeded Wisconsin.
Leaders and Best
Vladislav Goldin had a 25 point, 10 rebound double-double on 9-for-15 shooting, going 6-for-6 from the free-throw line. Danny Wolf added a 20-point double-double with 21 points and 14 rebounds. Donaldson scored 12 points to go along with a career-high nine assists. Nimari Burnett had 10 points and four rebounds.
Turning Point
With 5.3 seconds remaining on the clock, a pair of Maryland free throws gave the Terrapins an 80-79 lead. Without a timeout, Donaldson quickly inbounded the ball to Goldin, who handed the ball back to Donaldson. He sprinted, dribbling the ball the length of the floor and drove to the middle of the lane, where he hit a running left-handed layup off the glass with 0.4 seconds remaining. Maryland's long inbounds pass was knocked away to secure the win.
Second Half
Michigan (24-9) rattled off an 18-0 run, spurred by scoring on eight straight possessions that spanned the last 1:25 of the first half and the opening 2:44 of the second, to extend its lead to 15 points, 49-34 -- the largest of the game. Maryland scored 10 consecutive points to cut the lead to five, 49-44, before Rubin Jones scored his first points to end the Terrapin run. Will Tschetter's dunk and drawn charge brought Michigan's lead back into double figures 57-46 with 13:26 remaining.
The Wolverines and Terrapins (25-8) traded baskets before Maryland set off on a 12-0 run to recover the lead, 62-61, after taking advantage of five U-M turnovers over four minutes. While Maryland scored five consecutive field goals, Michigan went 0-for-10 from the field after starting the half 11-for-14 (84.6 percent).
Goldin followed up his turnaround jumper with a three-pointer to bring the U-M lead back to three, 74-71, with four minutes to go. After three Terrapin free throws tied the game, Goldin made a layup for the 13th lead change of the day.
Michigan held a large margin in rebounds, 47-18, but turned the ball over 19 times -- which the Terrapins turned into 29 points. U-M shot 92.3 percent (12-for-13) from the charity stripe, its highest of the season.
First Half
A hot start to the semifinal game for both teams led to a 10-10 tie going into the first media timeout. Five early points from Donaldson and Burnett accounted for 10 of Michigan's first 12 points, but several missed layups and six turnovers in the first 10 minutes allowed the Terrapins to take a 23-16 lead.
Burnett's three-pointer with 7:12 remaining in the half spurred a 9-0 Michigan run over a three-minute period during which Maryland missed six consecutive field-goal attempts. The Terrapins countered with seven straight points to take the lead back, 32-29, with three minutes to go. Goldin's second-chance layup ended the Wolverine scoreless period, and his steal prompted a fast-break Roddy Gayle Jr. three-pointer to tie up the game at 34 with 1:25 showing on the clock. Two dunks on consecutive possessions to end the half gave Michigan a four-point advantage, 38-34, going into the break.
Michigan outrebounded Maryland 27-12 in the first half, with nine offensive boards, and eight total from Wolf. Nine U-M first-half turnovers turned into nine Maryland points. Michigan shot 15-for-34 (44.1 percent) from the floor, and Maryland shot 12-for-32 (37.5 percent).
What's Next
Michigan will face Wisconsin in the Big Ten Tournament championship game on Sunday (March 16) at 3:30 p.m. inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The game will be broadcast live on CBS.
In the only meeting this season, the Wolverines defeated the Badgers, 67-64, at the Kohl Center on Dec. 3.
Notes
• Michigan advances to its sixth Big Ten Tournament title game. U-M is 3-2 in its previous five trips.
• U-M's win over No. 11 Maryland improves the Wolverines record to 6-5 against nationally ranked teams.
• With his two points, Rubin Jones surpassed the 1,000-point milestone (1,001).
• Gayle's three-pointer was his first since Jan. 24 at Purdue.
• With Wolf's 15th double-double of the season, he takes over the top spot in the Big Ten.
• This game marks the fourth time Goldin and Wolf have had a double-double in the same game.
