Donaldson’s court-length drive sends No. 22 Michigan past No. 11 Maryland 81-80 in Big Ten tourney

INDIANAPOLIS — Tre Donaldson drove the length of the court and scored on a layup with 0.4 seconds left to give No. 22 Michigan an 81-80 victory over No. 11 Maryland in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals Saturday.

Donaldson finished with 12 points and nine assists, but the heavy lifting was done by Vladislav Goldin, who had 25 points and 10 rebounds, and Danny Wolf Jr. with 21 points and 14 rebounds.

The Wolverines (24-9) will face No. 18 Wisconsin in Sunday’s championship game in Indianapolis.

Donaldson’s remarkable drive rekindled images of Tyus Edney in 1995 and Danny Ainge in 1981, who made similar plays to add their stories to the March Madness book. This time, Maryland tried to preserve the lead without fouling.

Derik Queen finished with a career high 31 points to lead the Terrapins (25-8) who entered the game on a nine-game winning streak. Selton Miguel added 16 points. Maryland has never reached the tourney’s title game.

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.