With Maryland men’s basketball’s postseason hopes rapidly dwindling, the Terps were in desperate need of a momentous victory. They had the opportunity to claim that win on three separate occasions against the Buckeyes.
Jahmir Young had two chances. Donta Scott had one. But Ohio State walked off the Schottenstein Center court with the last laugh.
Roddy Gayle Jr. slammed home a windmill dunk in the waning seconds, shortly after Scott’s game-tying layup attempt was denied at the rim by Zed Key, as the Buckeyes claimed a 79-75 win over Maryland in double overtime.
The Terps’ (13-11, 5-8 Big Ten) slide down the standings continued with their third consecutive loss. They now sit in 12th place in the Big Ten with a 5-8 conference record. Saturday’s contest marked one of just three remaining quadrant one games for Maryland, the team’s best chances to pad its resume for a potential NCAA tournament berth.
As the losses continue to pile up, the Terps’ odds of matching last season’s success continue to fade away.
Entering the afternoon with lots on the line, Kevin Willard opted for a lineup change against Ohio State (14-10, 4-9 Big Ten). Maryland’s head coach inserted Jamie Kaiser Jr. and Mady Traore, who replaced DeShawn Harris-Smith and Jordan Geronimo. Both had been mainstays in the Terps’ starting lineup to this point in the season.
Willard was hesitant to make changes to his rotation for much of the season. Noah Batchelor started in place of Geronimo in an early-season matchup with Davidson. Kaiser Jr. did the same in a November game against Villanova.
But since that point, Willard had gone with the same starting five for the entire season, barring injury. The coach took a gamble on Kaiser, a highly-touted freshman who’s struggled mightily up to this point in the season, and Traore, a New Mexico State transfer who played just 49 minutes as a Terp entering Saturday.
Traore’s season-high in minutes entering Saturday was 14 — he surpassed that total just minutes into the second half. The 6-foot-11 forward’s last time seeing extended minutes in a game was Nov. 28 against Rider.
Despite the long layoff, Traore put forth a solid showing, ending the afternoon with eight points and five rebounds. His length was noticeable on the defensive end, where he worked to contain ballhandlers and clog driving lanes.
“I’d hate to have him guarding me,” Willard said following Maryland’s season-opening win against Mount St. Mary’s. “He’s got a 7-foot-6 wingspan, he’s 6-foot-11, so I have a lot of confidence in the fact that he’s gonna make guys drive, no one’s gonna be able to shoot over him. He could be an elite defender, not only at this level but the next.”
Maryland started the game off strong, jumping out to a nine-point lead just over five minutes into the action. Traore started the Terps’ scoring with a putback layup, while Young, Scott and Julian Reese teamed up for the rest of their early points.
Ohio State quickly closed the gap once Maryland opened up its bench, going on a 10-2 run across the ensuing two minutes. That run was sparked by guard Bruce Thornton, who drilled two jumpers for his initial five points of the afternoon.
The Terps once again took control from there, claiming their first-double digit lead of the game more than halfway into the period. Much of that run was sparked by Scott, who ended the first half as Maryland’s leading scorer but lost his touch in the second period. The fifth-year forward made just one second-half field goal to end the afternoon with 19 points.
Maryland held a comfortable five-point lead less than two minutes before the halftime break. But the Buckeyes continued to claw, going on a six-point unanswered run to close out the period with its first lead of the game.
Both teams struggled offensively in the second half, neither side shooting above 40 percent from the field. The game remained tightly contested all the way until the final two minutes, when both teams had a chance to come out victorious but came up short.
Scott missed a pair of free throws in the final minute. Thornton missed a mid-range pull-up. And on the final possession, Young missed a step-back two-pointer to prompt overtime.
Reese also missed two free throws down the stretch of overtime, while Young missed another possible game-winner to bring on double overtime. Scott missed a potential game-tying layup on Maryland’s final possession, handing the Buckeyes the hard-fought victory.
