Lendeborg scores 29, Michigan tops Maryland, 101-83

James Hawkins, The Detroit News on Dec 13, 2025

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COLLEGE PARK, Md. — All good things must come to an end, even Michigan basketball’s ridiculous streak of six consecutive wins by at least 25 points. That’s the bad news.

The good news? The second-ranked Wolverines remained unbeaten and swept their early pair of Big Ten contests by besting Maryland, 101-83, Saturday at Xfinity Center.

Yaxel Lendeborg had a monster performance with a season-high 29 points, nine assists, eight rebounds, three blocked shots and two steals and Aday Mara scored 18 for Michigan (10-0, 2-0 Big Ten), which rallied from a nine-point deficit and shot a blistering 75% from the field during a 56-point second half.

After Maryland hit 10 3-pointers in the first half to take a five-point halftime advantage over Michigan, the Terrapins continued their long-range assault out of the break to grab their largest lead.

David Coit hit his seventh 3 of the game and Elijah Saunders followed with his own deep ball to make it 56-47. But after Saunders’ shot, Solomon Washington was given a technical foul after shoving Nimari Burnett. It was Washington’s second of the game — he was assessed one in the first half after celebrating a 3-pointer — and he was ejected.

Lendeborg made both technical foul free throws, as Michigan began to claw back. Lendeborg drained back-to-back 3s, went on an 8-0 personal run and scored Michigan’s first 10 points of the second half to cut the deficit to 56-55.

That sparked a 25-9 run for the Wolverines. Mara made two free throws after he was shoved in the back on a rebound by Maryland’s George Turkson Jr., which was reviewed and ruled a flagrant foul. Mara followed that up with a finish at the rim off a pick-and-roll with Lendeborg. Then after Mara blocked a shot on defense, he was double-teamed and tossed a behind-the-back pass to Elliot Cadeau (12 points, 10 assists) for a 3-pointer that put Michigan in front, 62-60, with 14:42 to go.

The Wolverines weren’t done. Mara threw down a dunk. After Morez Johnson Jr. blocked a shot, Lendeborg was fouled on a 3-pointer and made all three free throws. When Lendeborg capped the run with a deep ball, Michigan held a 72-65 lead with 11:23 to play.

Coit did his best to keep Maryland in it, as his eighth 3-pointer made it a one-possession game. But Michigan quickly created separation and pulled away with a 14-2 burst.

L.J. Cason (12 points) immediately answered Coit with a deep ball. Mara threw down a reverse dunk off an alley-oop from Lendeborg. Cason buried another 3. A steal by Lendeborg led to a fast-break layup for Roddy Gayle Jr. that made it 88-73 with 6:32 remaining.

The Wolverines never let the Terrapins get closer than 13 the rest of the way and took their largest lead when Cadeau scored at the rim to make it 101-81 with 19 seconds left. The Wolverines shot 60.3% from the field, 12 for19 from deep and 19 for 22 on free throws.

Coit had scored 31 — 22 coming in the first half — and Myles Rice 15 for Maryland (6-5, 0-2). The Terrapins shot 49.2% from the field and 14 for 27 from deep but were outscored 56-33 after halftime.

Maryland showed it was up for a fight and threw the first punch behind a hot start from Coit, who scored nine points less than three-and-a-half minutes into the game. Coit buried three 3-pointers within the span of five possessions, the last a step-back 3 over Lendeborg that gave Maryland a quick 10-5 lead.

Michigan countered with a 12-2 burst to quell the momentum and quiet the rowdy crowd. Cadeau and Burnett each knocked down a deep ball. Then after Cadeau scored on a driving layup, he came away with a steal and Lendeborg scored on the other end to put Michigan in front, 17-12, with 13:53 left in the first half.

The sides kept going back and forth. Mara scored three straight baskets — an and-1 finish in transition off a lob pass from Cason, a two-handed jam off a pick-and-roll with Cadeau and a hook shot off the glass — as Michigan took a 31-25 lead.

Maryland kept knocking down deep balls and cashing in on second-chance opportunities to pull back in front. Rice hit two 3-pointers — one coming after an offensive rebound — and scored eight straight during a 10-0 surge that gave the Terrapins a 35-31 advantage.

A scary scene occurred at the 4:36 mark when Lendeborg was knocked down after a rebound and fell backward into Pharrel Payne’s right knee. Payne, Maryland’s leading scorer and rebounder, went crashing down to the court in pain and stayed down for several minutes before he was helped off the floor and exited.

The somber moment didn’t seem to rattle Maryland, as Coit kept bombing away and seemingly couldn’t miss. He drained his fifth 3 of the half after an offensive rebound. On the next trip down, Coit hit a step-back 3 over Johnson – his sixth and Maryland’s 10th in the first half.

For the first time in weeks, Michigan found itself in a tight one and trailing 50-45 at the break.

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