Mike Smith threw the ball one more time — not toward any of his teammates, as he had all day, but straight into the air.
The Michigan guard had torched Maryland basketball to that point, both through his own contributions and what he set up for his teammates. So when the buzzer sounded, he finally let the ball out of his grasp. With Smith’s 18 points and Big Ten tournament record 15 assists, the Wolverines beat the Terrapins for the third time this season.
In each contest, there were moments of friction. Center Hunter Dickinson, who attended DeMatha Catholic High School near College Park, fanned the flames in the first meeting. And in Friday’s 79-66 Wolverines win, a spat midway through the second half clouded over Maryland’s loss.
Michigan coach Juwan Howard seemed to yell something toward the officials, and Maryland coach Mark Turgeon soon responded. That kicked off a momentary scuffle, with shouts back and forth. Howard needed to be held back by his assistant coaches, a double-technical was assessed to the Wolverines and Howard was ejected.
That prompted a short-lived 5-0 run for the Terrapins, with two makes from Aaron Wiggins in the mix. But Michigan continually re-established double-digit leads, pushing the game out of reach down the stretch to advance in the Big Ten tournament.
Michigan asserted its dominance on the offensive glass immediately, pulling down two boards on the first possession before Dickinson scored from the post. But Maryland built an edge on the back of lights-out shooting — at one point hitting eight straight attempts.
One day after his team-high 21 points pushed the Terrapins past Michigan State, guard Eric Ayala kept his aggressive play going, knifing to the rim and scooped a layup between two Wolverines defenders. And there was Aaron Wiggins’ monster dunk, beating forward Austin Davis near the three-point line before meeting guard Franz Wagner at the rim, slamming home over him.
Those moments helped Maryland build a 12-point lead, especially once Dickinson spent considerable time on the bench with two fouls. But guard Darryl Morsell picked up two fouls, too, so he spent the final eight minutes watching from the sideline.
And without Morsell, Michigan began a major comeback. The Wolverines knocked down nine of their final 11 shots and embarked on a 16-2 run to take a 40-38 halftime advantage. During that spell, Michigan guard Mike Smith showed off his playmaking ability, recording nine first-half assists without a turnover.
Smith flexed his muscles shortly after intermission, too, after he forced coach Mark Turgeon into a timeout. Instead of setting up one of his teammates, Smith splashed from deep — one of his two treys.
Michigan’s zone defense kept Maryland out of the paint, though, and the team missed its first 11 three-point attempts before Ayala and Jairus Hamilton hit consecutive long-range shots. That cut the Terrapins’ deficit to six points, but the Wolverines kept building back a lead.
Smith had plenty to do with that, one of several standout Michigan players. For Maryland, Wiggins knocked down just one of his eight long-range attempts while Ayala led with 19 points. The Terrapins are almost certainly secure for an NCAA tournament berth, even with the loss.
• Andy Kostka can be reached at akostka@washingtontimes.com.
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