No. 18 Maryland men’s basketball falls 73-70 against Ohio State

Photo courtesy of Maryland Athletics

With under ten seconds remaining and the shot clock winding down in a tie game, Bruce Thornton stepped back for a 3-point shot with sophomore guard Rodney Rice playing tight defense. The ball bounced off the backboard and through the net, giving Ohio State the lead with 7 seconds remaining.

The Terps had two chances to tie as guards Ja’Kobi Gillespie and Selton Miguel both hoisted 3-point shots in the final seconds, but the ball clanked off the rim, ending Maryland’s win streak at four.

Backed by a second-half surge by Ohio State (14-9, 6-6 Big Ten), edges past No. 18 Maryland (17-6, 7-5 Big Ten) 73-70 on Thursday in Colombus, OH.

Reminiscent of their landslide victory over the Buckeyes to open conference play, the Terps jumped out to an early 14-2 lead. Maryland started a perfect 7-7 from the field, while Ohio State was stifled to the tune of 1-7 shooting. Rice found an early shooting groove, cashing his first three attempts. 

After a hot start for the Terps, Ohio State’s Micah Parrish knocked down a three and drew a foul, shifting momentum back to the Buckeyes. The fifth-year guard failed to convert the four-point play, resulting in Maryland maintaining its double-digit lead.

The Buckeyes struggled against the Terps’ pressure defense when the two met earlier in the season, and the same was true on Thursday night. With Maryland up 25-15, graduate student guard Jay Young hounded Ohio State’s Bruce Thornton at the top of the key. When Young poked the ball loose, Thornton swung his arm to protect the ball, hitting Young in the face and knocking him to the ground.

The initial call was a common offensive foul but was upgraded to a flagrant one foul, giving the Terps two free throws and possession.

For most of the first half, Maryland kept Ohio State at bay and protected its double-digit lead. The Terps cut off lanes to the basket, rotated well and closed out on jumpers, which helped limit Thornton — the Buckeyes’ number-one option.

The junior guard leads Ohio State with 17.1 points per game and can usually spark the offense from anywhere on the court.

But early in the first half, Thornton had no space to operate. Maryland held the guard to four points through the first 18 minutes of the game.

But in the final 2:17 in the first half, Thornton’s scoring picked up, tallying eight of the Buckeyes’ final 10 points, narrowing the game to 41-32 at halftime.

Defensively, the Buckeyes had no answer for senior forward Julian Reese. Ohio State’s 7’1 forward Aaron Bradshaw was ruled out before the game, leaving the Buckeyes undersized in the paint. 

The Terps took full advantage of their size advantage as Reese consistently cut to the basket and scored easy baskets on passes from Rice, guard Gillespie, and fellow frontcourt mate Derik Queen. Reese notched 14 first-half points on perfect shooting from the field and free throw line.

Despite shooting 59.3% from the field in the first half, Maryland struggled to score to begin the second half. While Maryland was 2-6 from three, the Terps struggled mightly from the field, finishing the half shooting 7-28

While the Terps’ physicality awarded them more free throws, they left points on the board in both halves. Maryland consistently struggled from the line, missing nine free throw shots in the game. 

Queen, a 75.7% free throw shooter on the season, began 4-9 from the line, while guard Selton Miguel missed both free throws on his first trip to the line.

While Maryland’s shooting continued to flounder, the Buckeyes started to heat up. Even without making a three, Ohio State boosted its field goal percentage to 48.1% and cut Maryland’s lead to three.

Down the stretch, Ohio State once again turned to Thornton.

The Fairburn, Georgia native drove and shot a floater that narrowly touched the backboard before Reese blocked it and was called for goaltending. Thornton was also fouled by Deshawn Harris-Smith and converted the free throw to put the Buckeyes up by two.

After Rice tied the game at 70, Thornton stepped back and threw up a deep, tightly contested three that banked in, and a final stand on defense allowed the Buckeyes to pull off a 17-point comeback.