Maryland Basketball: Terps edge Buckeyes in tight affair
By Chris Bengel
The Maryland basketball team had more trouble with Ohio State this time around.
The Terps did still manage to edge the Buckeyes 66-61 in a tight affair.
Despite a stagnant second half, Maryland still had four of their five starters finish in double figures. Guard Melo Trimble led the way with 20 points (7-of-16) to go along with four assists and four rebounds.
Maryland still find themselves trailing in the second half after a three-point play from forward Marc Loving put Ohio State up 49-48. It gave the Buckeyes their first lead since the 8:01 mark of the first half.
After Loving’s three-point play, Maryland looked out of sorts offensively, but still found a way to score. The Terps scored six consecutive points at the free throw line, which was helped by three offensive rebounds.
With 2:59 to go, guard Rasheed Sulaimon got free behind the three-point line and connected on a huge three-pointer. The shot gave Maryland a 57-53 lead and was Sulaimon’s first field goal of the game.
Just 54 seconds later, Trimble splashed home a three-point shot from the corner to extend Maryland’s lead to 60-55.
Maryland was able to fend off Ohio State as they were able to outscore the Buckeyes 12-8 over the final three minutes. The Terps also hit their final six free throws and only missed three during the entire game.
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Maryland had another strong game on the glass. The Terps held a 41-35 advantage in the rebounding category, including seven players grabbing multiple boards.
Ohio State came out shooting the ball extremely well as the Buckeyes made their first three shots to jump out to a 6-2 lead. Maryland did received inspired play from forward Robert Carter, who made his first three shots and was responsible for the Terps’ first six points.
After falling behind 20-13, Maryland put together a 7-0 run to tie the game, which was highlighted by a steal from Sulaimon and a layup by Trimble at the rim.
Center Diamond Stone was very active early on as he scored eight of Maryland’s first 24 points. Stone was very active around the rim and was the beneficary of some great passing from Sulaimon and Trimble.
Despite trailing several times, the Terps ended the first half strong on a 10-2 run. Forward Jake Layman was most impressive by far thanks to some very aggressive play.
Off a free throw miss from Stone, Layman was able to chase down an offensive rebound then knife his way back to the basket and draw the foul call on Ohio State’s Daniel Giddens. Layman would make both free throws to extend Maryland’s lead to 37-31 with 27 seconds left in the opening half.
Maryland would take their 37-31 edge into the locker room at halftime. The Terps really shared the basketball well in the first half as they held an 8-2 advantage in the assist department, despite seven turnovers.
The Terps also continued to rebound the ball well as they did against Iowa on Thursday. Maryland outrebounded Ohio State 23-18 in the first half.
Maryland sweeps the season series against Ohio State and will shift their focus to Nebraska. The Terps will travel to Lincoln for a date with the Cornhuskers on Wednesday evening.