No. 19 Ohio State (15-2, 5-1 Big Ten) pulled off an 89-76 upset win over No. 8 Maryland (16-2, 4-2 Big Ten) on Sunday behind a tenacious effort on the defensive end and some efficient three-point shooting.
In addition to turning over the Terrapins 17 times, the Buckeyes shot 11-22 from three-point range (50.0 percent) to secure their first top-10 win of the season.
Ohio State didn’t get the start it was looking for against the Terrapins. Before they scored a single point, the Buckeyes gave up back-to-back and-1 layups to Maryland guard Oluchi Okananwa. Redshirt freshman forward Kylie Kitts got Ohio State on the board with a 3-point jumper at the 7:51 mark of the first quarter.
Sophomore guard Jaloni Cambridge made a mid-range jumper nearly two minutes later to keep Ohio State down three points, but Maryland guard Yarden Garzon made back-to-back three-point jumpers to make the score 14-5.
Garzon made one more three-pointer in the first quarter at the 3:07 mark. That shot gave the Terrapins a 21-9 lead.
Freshman guard Bryn Martin helped Ohio State stay in the game with a three-pointer at the 1:34 mark, but the Buckeyes wouldn’t score the rest of the opening frame to trail Maryland 24-12.
Maryland scored two-point field goals on its first two possessions of the second quarter, but Ohio State responded with a 10-2 scoring run that made the score 30-25 with just over seven minutes remaining before halftime.
On the run, redshirt junior guard Kennedy Cambridge drained back-to-back three-point jumpers and Kitts and senior guard Chance Gray each made layups.
Maryland responded by holding Ohio State scoreless for nearly three minutes to take a 34-25 lead.
However, Jaloni Cambridge snapped Ohio State’s scoring drought with a pair of free throws and, on the other end, the Buckeyes amped up their defensive pressure.
After forcing several Maryland turnovers, Ohio State was able to go on a 15-6 scoring run to tie the game at 40.
Watson played a huge role in the Buckeyes tying the game. She had five points in the final 3:21 of the second quarter.
Garzon made a mid-range jumper in the final few seconds of the half to put Maryland up 42-40 heading into the third quarter.
Maryland led by four points in the third quarter after scoring on two of its first three possessions of the second half, but Kitts led Ohio State on an 8-0 run with a 3-point jumper and a converted 3-point play. Garzon ended the run with a layup at the 5:27 mark, but Ohio State still led 50-48.
After Watson extended Ohio State’s lead back to four with a mid-range jumper, Maryland surged back in front with a 9-2 scoring run. Trailing 57-54 with two minutes to play in the third quarter, Ohio State received a boost from Gray. The former Oregon guard scored five points in the final minute of the third quarter to put the Buckeyes up 61-59 heading into the fourth quarter.
Maryland made an early three-point jumper in the fourth quarter, but Kitts responded with her own three-pointer at the 8:09 mark that put Ohio State ahead 66-62.
After both teams traded buckets, Maryland made another three-pointer with 7:03 to go, before Kennedy Cambridge drained a long ball that made the score 71-67 with 6:40 left in the game.
Maryland continued its hot shooting start in the fourth quarter when Okananwa made a layup at the 6:14 mark, but Ohio State created some much-needed separation with a key 10-0 scoring run.
Maryland scored the next four points, but made only one field goal in the final 3:57, as the Buckeyes won by 13.
Jaloni Cambridge led the Buckeyes with eight points on the run, which included two made three-point jumpers.
Ohio State was led in scoring by Jaloni Cambridge in the game. She scored a game-high 28 points (9-19) shooting and also tacked on 9 rebounds and another game-high total of 8 assists. Kitts also had a stellar performance. She finished the game with 18 points on (7-13 shooting) and also added 8 rebounds. Gray (11 points) and Kennedy Cambridge (14 points) also finished with double-figures. Sophomore center Elsa Lemmilä led Ohio State with 11 rebounds.
As a team, Ohio State shot an efficient 34-68 from the field (50.0 percent) and held Maryland to just 28-68 shooting (41.2 percent).
The Terrapins were led by Okananwa, who scored 27 points and a team-high nine rebounds in the loss.
