Michigan State basketball: 3 takeaways from big road win at Maryland

It wasn't pretty, but is it ever? Michigan State basketball was up 44-32 at halftime and it looked like it was going to run away with a win on the road but the second half was a much different story.

The Spartans surrendered a big lead and allowed the Terrapins to get back into the game with poor shooting and sloppy half-court offense. The Spartans found themselves down 53-50 but then quickly went on a 6-0 run to take a three-point lead with time dwindling away.

From that point on, Michigan State was able to grit out a close win over Maryland thanks to a huge late 3-pointer by Tyson Walker.

What'd we learn from Sunday's win over Maryland to improve to 12-7?

3. Defense stole the show (again)

When the offense wasn't clicking (the entire second half), the defense stepped up and held Maryland in check down the stretch. And what secured the win for the Spartans in the final seconds? A defensive stop by Tre Holloman and a subsequent dive on the ball by Malik Hall, of course. The defense was the saving grace in the second half when the offense did the same in the first half.

Sure, Maryland isn't exactly one of the best offenses in college basketball, but the Spartan defense was still able to step up and shut the Terrapins down.

The 3-point defense still leaves a lot to be desired, but the interior defense was solid and so was the guard play on that end of the floor. More of this moving forward, please.