Recap: No. 19 Ohio State Upsets No. 8 Maryland 89-76

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) in front of 8,623 fans at the XFINITY Center in College Park, Md., on Jan 11.

The Buckeyes used a tenacious effort on the defensive end and some efficient three-point shooting to pull off their biggest win of the season.

In addition to turning over the Terrapins 17 times, the Buckeyes shot 11 of 22 from three-point range (50.0 percent), their best mark 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-one layups to Maryland guard Oluchi Okananwa. Kitts got Ohio State on the board with a three-point jumper, but Maryland extended its lead to 13 points with a trio of three-pointers in the first quarter.

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 12-2 scoring run that made the score 30-25 with just over seven minutes remaining before halftime. Kennedy Cambridge led the Buckeyes on the run by draining back-to-back three-point jumpers.

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.

Forcing four Maryland turnovers the rest of the half, Ohio State was able to go on a 15-6 scoring run to tie the game at 40. Yarden Garzon made a mid-range jumper in the final seconds of the half to put Maryland up 42-40 heading into the third quarter.

Early in the third, Kitts led Ohio State on an 8-0 run with a three-point jumper and a converted three-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. Gray scored five points in the final minute to put the Buckeyes up 61-59 heading into the fourth quarter.

Maryland made an early three-point jumper in the fourth, 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 three 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.

Jaloni Cambridge led the Buckeyes with eight points on the run, which included two three-point jumpers.

Maryland scored the next four points, but made only one field goal in the final 3:57.

“I thought we showed really good competitive character, because they punched us in the face to start the game and we didn’t react well to it, but at the end of the first quarter, we really got ourselves together,” McGuff said after the game. “We came out, and we fought, and we stayed together, and as the game went on, our execution improved. By the time we got to the second half, we were really fighting and scrapping, and our execution was at a high level. That allowed us to get the victory.”

Ohio State was led in scoring by Jaloni Cambridge, who had a game-high 28 points (9-of-19 shooting) and also tacked on nine rebounds and another game-high total of eight assists.

Kitts also had a stellar performance, finishing the game with 18 points on (7-of-13 shooting) and also added eight rebounds. Gray (11 points) and Kennedy Cambridge (14 points) also finished with double-figures. Lemmilä had a game-high 11 rebounds.

As a team, Ohio State shot an efficient 34 of 68 from the field (50.0 percent) and held Maryland to just 28-of-68 shooting (41.2 percent).

The Terrapins were led by Okananwa, who scored 27 points and grabbed a team-high nine rebounds in the loss.