Maryland Basketball: Terps roll Ohio State

Feb 11, 2017; College Park, MD, USA; Maryland Terrapins guard Anthony Cowan (0) reacts after making a three pointer in the second half against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Xfinity Center. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 11, 2017; College Park, MD, USA; Maryland Terrapins guard Anthony Cowan (0) reacts after making a three pointer in the second half against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Xfinity Center. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports

The Maryland basketball team needed to reestablish themselves after their first two-game losing streak of the season.

On the same afternoon that Lefty Driesell had his banner lifted to the rafters, the Terrapins cruised past Ohio State 86-77 on Saturday afternoon.

Anthony Cowan led the way with 19 points (3-of-5 shooting) while fellow freshman guard Kevin Huerter added 18 points (7-of-12).

Maryland came out “locked in” as they opened with a 9-0 lead nearly five minutes in. From this point on, Ohio State never held a lead, but Maryland had to keep things interesting.

With 3:16 left in the first half, Michal Cekovsky threw down one of two monster dunks, giving Maryland a 16-point advantage. 45-31 would be the score at halftime with nine different Terps on the board.

Ohio State’s lack of depth caught up to them late as they tried to make a come back. Only five Buckeyes scored throughout the entire game, along with two players fouling out late.

Down the stretch, Maryland relied on some clutch freshman shooting. With the shot clock nearing expiration, Huerter and Cowan hit threes on back-to-back possessions, keeping Maryland ahead throughout the contest.

Cowan was easily the surprise of this game for fans as he finished with 10 made free throws and three makes from deep. Huerter added another three conversions from long-range.

Jaylen Brantley also finished with 11 points.

Melo Trimble was not struggling per say, but it was great to see the team didn’t falter without him in outright control.

The annual Gold Rush game had the sellout crowd of 17,950 fans buzzing with excitement. But the Terps also honored the great Lefty Driesell, by unveiling his banner in the rafters at Xfinity Center.

The banner serves as a reminder for his Top 10 ranked finishes, 786 Division 1 coaching wins, and the creation of Midnight Madness.

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Maryland advances to 21-4 on the season, and 9-3 in Big Ten play. The Terps hope that this win is enough to maintain a spot in the Top 25 after the loss at Penn State on Tuesday.