The Drought is Over
Caleb Downs scores Ohio State’s first punt return touchdown since 2014.
Initially it looked like Ohio State had more life than the last time it played a Big Ten road game, but Maryland showed why it is the class of the conference complete with a deadly potent offense.
| TEAM | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| OHIO STATE | 30 | 35 | 65 |
| MARYLAND | 48 | 52 | 100 |
The No. 3 Terrapins used stellar outside shooting to jump out to an early lead Saturday in College Park, Maryland, then coasted to an easy 100-65 victory over the lifeless Buckeyes at the Xfinity Center.
Maryland shot the ball well from the field, free-throw line and behind the 3-point arc all game. Ohio State didn't do much to stop a stellar Terrapin offensive attack and trailed by 24 before preseason Big Ten Player of the Year and Maryland point guard Melo Trimble tallied his first points.
Freshman guard JaQuan Lyle paced Ohio State in the opening 10 minutes of the game as the teams traded scores, and his bucket at the 11:41-mark made it 19-17. Maryland, however, ended the first half on a 14-4 run to take a 48-30 lead into the locker room. The Terrapins made 10 of their first 15 shots from the field and finished a blistering 7-for-10 from beyond the arc in the first 20 minutes.
| OHIO STATE | STAT | MARYLAND |
|---|---|---|
| 65 | POINTS | 100 |
| 22-59 (37) | FGM-FGA (PCT.) | 37-59 (63) |
| 3-12 (25) | 3PM-3PA (PCT.) | 11-21 (52) |
| 18-25 (72) | FTM-FTA (PCT.) | 15-21 (71) |
| 13 | TURNOVERS | 14 |
| 30 | TOTAL REBOUNDS | 35 |
| 12 | OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 7 |
| 18 | DEFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 28 |
| 16 | BENCH POINTS | 33 |
| 4 | BLOCKS | 5 |
| 9 | STEALS | 7 |
| 7 | ASSISTS | 23 |
Ohio State struggled defensively to shut down forward Robert Carter (15 first-half points, including Maryland's first eight) and guard Rasheed Sulaimon (13), who nearly scored as many points as the Buckeyes did in the first half between the two of them. Carter finished with a game-high 25 points on 10-of-13 shooting, while Sulaimon had 22, Diamond Stone 15 and Jake Layman 10.
After being within two points near the midway point of the first half, Ohio State was outscored 81-48 the rest of the game. The lead ballooned to as many as 44 points in the second half.
Keita Bates-Diop led Ohio State with 15 points. Jae'Sean Tate added 12 and Trevor Thompson 10, and was the first Ohio State player to reach double digits in scoring when he made two free throws with 10:55 left.
The 35-point loss is Thad Matta's worst at Ohio State, surpassing a 76-48 decision against West Virginia in 2008. The 100 points scored by Maryland is the second-most allowed by an Ohio State team under Matta, the first time an opponent hit triple digits in regulation in his tenure.
Ohio State hits the road again Thursday at Purdue. Tipoff against the Boilermakers is set for 9 p.m.
