It took less than 10 minutes for the Terrapins to tear the Buckeyes to shreds on Wednesday.
Ohio State's offense looked anemic and turnover-infested with its defense unable to match up with Maryland, as a 34-7 first-half run from the Terrapins (8-1, 1-0) launched them to a dominant 83-59 win over the Buckeyes (5-3, 0-1) to open Big Ten play for both schools.
| TEAM | 1 | 2 | FINAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| OHIO STATE | 17 | 42 | 59 |
| MARYLAND | 50 | 33 | 83 |
Guard Ja'Kobi Gillespie led the charge for Maryland, collecting 23 points on 7-of-11 shooting. Forward Derik Queen followed with 17 points and 11 rebounds.
Devin Royal paced Ohio State with 18 points in the loss. John Mobley Jr. picked up 15.
First Half
There was nothing slow and steady about how the Terrapins started from behind the 3-point line.
Maryland opened the game 3-of-3 from beyond the arc, including two swishes from NBA distance for Gillespie. His second long-range make catalyzed a 16-2 run, which Tafara Gapare put an exclamation point on with a tomahawk slam and another triple. Maryland led 25-8 less than 10 minutes into the game and the Buckeyes never got back in the race for victory.
The Terrapins rattled off a 6-0 run to make it a 20-point lead at 31-10 before the under-eight media timeout. They already held an 11-0 edge in points off turnovers at that time. Ohio State finished the first half with 12 turnovers to Maryland's two.
When the lead was cut to 31-12, the Terrapins took off on another 9-0 run to push their advantage all the way to 28. That made it an extended 26-4 jaunt for Maryland over a span of roughly 10 minutes.
Maryland rattled off another 8-1 stint to make it an extended run of 34-7 and obtain their largest lead of the first half at 48-15, maintaining the edge at 50-17 entering the locker room.
Second Half
| OHIO STATE | STAT | MARYLAND |
|---|---|---|
| 59 | POINTS | 83 |
| 22-58 (37.9%) | FGM-FGA (PCT.) | 29-62 (46.8%) |
| 4-19 (21.1%) | 3PM-3PA (PCT.) | 7-25 (28%) |
| 11-18 (61.1%) | FTM-FTA (PCT.) | 18-24 (75%) |
| 17 | TURNOVERS | 11 |
| 35 | TOTAL REBOUNDS | 39 |
| 9 | OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 10 |
| 26 | DEFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 29 |
| 18 | BENCH POINTS | 14 |
| 1 | BLOCKS | 3 |
| 6 | STEALS | 6 |
| 9 | ASSISTS | 10 |
Maryland hit cruise control for most of the second half. Forward Julian Reese and Gillespie combined for five points to start the period and make it a 55-17 ballgame for the Terrapins.
A 3-pointer from guard Selton Miguel broke the 40-point threshold for Maryland's lead at 63-23. Ohio State started chipping away a bit to try and make it a more respectable final scoreline and gain some momentum for its next game, getting its first two threes of the contest from Mobley and Meechie Johnson Jr.
Johnson hit a layup with 10:22 remaining to reel the lead back in to 30 at 68-38. Bruce Thornton and Mobley combined for a quick five to slice it to 73-47.
Another Mobley triple made it a 78-56 ballgame but it was about 10 miles short and 10 hours past being enough as Maryland coasted to a 24-point win.
What's Next?
Ohio State returns to Value City Arena for its second Big Ten game of the season against Rutgers before returning to nonconference play. Tipoff is at noon Saturday on FS1.
Game Notes
- Center Aaron Bradshaw remains out for Ohio State while being investigated for a domestic dispute. Senior guard Ques Glover and freshman forward Colin White also remain out with injuries.
- The Buckeyes had twice as many turnovers (12) as they did made field goals (6) in the first half.
- It took more than 23 minutes of game time before Ohio State scored four points in a row against Maryland.
- Ohio State started 0-of-10 from 3-point range before Mobley hit the team's first triple with 13:39 remaining in the game.
- Maryland's 33-point halftime lead was the largest in a Big Ten game since the 1996-97 season.
