Tre Donaldson scores game-winning layup to upset Maryland, send Michigan to Big Ten title game

Tre Donaldson scored the game-winning layup with less than one second left to help the Michigan Wolverines upset the Maryland Terrapins and advance to the Big Ten Tournament championship game:

The Michigan Wolverines outlasted the Maryland Terrapins , 81-80, in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals on Saturday. In March fashion, Tre Donaldson scored the game-winning layup in the final second.

The Wolverines trailed 80-79 with five seconds left before Donaldson saved the day with a memorable game-winner. Vlad Goldin led Michigan with 25 points and 10 rebounds, while Danny Wolf posted 21 points and 14 rebounds in the win.

FIRST HALF

Both teams were operating at an efficient level on the offensive end in the early stages as it was tied 10-10 at the first media timeout. Burnett and Donaldson both made three-pointers to help the Wolverines get off to a quick start offensively.

Michigan struggled to limit Maryland’s frontcourt, with Derik Queen and Julian Reese scoring 12 of the first 16 points. The Terrapins held a small lead for a majority of the half, but the Wolverines remained within reach as Wolf led the way.

Wolf dominated the offensive glass, recording consecutive offensive rebounds and layups to cut the deficit to 23-20. The Wolverines continued to seize control by putting together a 9-0 run to take a 29-25 lead as Burnett finished a layup.

Michigan finished the half on a bang as Roddy Gayle Jr. hit a three-pointer — his first since Jan. 24 at Purdue — followed by a Goldin dunk. On the final possession of the half, Donaldson found Gayle for an alley-oop to take a 38-34 lead.

SECOND HALF

Goldin started the second half on a mission , scoring six points in two minutes and blocking a dunk attempt by Reese. The Wolverines’ center finished a dunk and sank a layup to cap off an 8-0 run and force Maryland to call a quick timeout.

Maryland eventually put together a 10-0 run to trim the deficit to single digits, but the Wolverines responded again. Donaldson made a floater to stop the run, and Gayle finished a layup to push the lead to 61-50 with 11:23 remaining.

It appeared Michigan might be able to extend the lead even further, but Maryland started to find a rhythm on offense. The Terrapins went on a 14-0 spurt, as Queen recorded seven consecutive points to put Maryland up, 64-61.

Just moments after hitting a game-tying hook shot, Goldin also sank a go-ahead three-pointer as the Wolverines went up 74-71 with less than four minutes left. Later in the half, Wolf found Goldin for a layup to take a 76-74 lead with 1:53 to go.

Donaldson came up huge in the final minute, knocking down a go-ahead three-pointer to go up with 27.9 seconds left. After a pair of free throws by Queen gave Maryland a one-point lead, Donaldson went coast-to-coast to score the game-winning layup with less than one second remaining to push the Wolverines to the title game.

KEY STATS

• Tre Donaldson: 12 points, 9 assists (career-high)
• Danny Wolf: 21 points, 14 rebounds, 4 assists
• Vlad Goldin: 25 points, 10 rebounds, 1 block, 1 steal
• Derik Queen: 31 points, 3 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 steal

UP NEXT

Michigan advances to the Big Ten Tournament Championship Game for the sixth time in school history and the first time since 2019. The Wolverines will take on the Wisconsin Badgers on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. on CBS.