The Terrapins used a 14-0 run out of halftime to build an insurmountable lead over the Buckeyes.
The Ohio State men's basketball team is in the midst of its first two-game losing streak of the season after falling at Maryland, 80-73, on Sunday afternoon.
The Buckeyes were led offensively by freshman forward Brice Sensabaugh, who tied a career high with 22 points, and sixth-year senior forward Justice Sueing, who was the only other Ohio State player in double digits with 21.
The Terrapins, meanwhile, got a career-high-tying 30 points from senior guard Jahmir Young and saw all five starters reach double figures. In fact, they combined to score 74 of Maryland’s 80 points on Sunday.
With the loss, the Buckeyes fall to 10-5 overall and 2-2 in Big Ten play this season. They’ll look to bounce back when they welcome Minnesota to Value City Arena on Thursday (6:30 p.m. on FS1).
First Half:
- Freshman center Felix Okpara started in place of junior forward Zed Key, who was sidelined with a shoulder injury suffered in Thursday’s loss to top-ranked Purdue.
- Fifth-year senior forward Sean McNeil knocked down a pair of early three-pointers as Ohio State opened an early one-point advantage, but Maryland went on a 9-2 run to take a 19-14 lead.
- The Terrapins scored more points in the first seven and a half minutes than they did in the first half of their last two games, including an 81-46 loss at Michigan and 64-50 loss at Rutgers.
- McNeil had his ankle, which he rolled in the first half against the Boilermakers, stepped on right before the under-12 timeout. He remained on the bench out of the break before checking back in at the 7:38 mark.
- Maryland pushed the lead to 23-16 on forward Donta Scott’s three-pointer, but the Buckeyes went on a 7-0 run over the next two minutes to tie it at 23-all.
- Ohio State missed its next five shots before junior guard Eugene Brown knocked down a three-pointer from the top of the key to cut the Terrapins’ lead to 27-26.
- Okpara picked up his third foul with 4:46 remaining in the first half, putting Maryland in the double bonus, which forced head coach Chris Holtmann to put Brown at the five in a small-ball lineup.
- After the Terrapins took a 31-26 lead, the Buckeyes went on another 7-0 run over the next 58 seconds to pull ahead, 33-31, on a layup by Sueing in transition with 3:36 remaining.
- Sueing scored six of Ohio State’s final eight points before halftime, which the Buckeyes entered with a 39-34 lead. He had a team-high 11 points at that point, while Sensabaugh chipped in 10.
Second Half:
- Maryland opened the second half on a 14-0 run as Ohio State went 0-for-5 from the field and had five turnovers before fifth-year senior guard/forward Isaac Likekele ended the run with a layup at the 14:59 mark.
- The Terrapins pushed the lead to 60-46 with 9:41 on a basket from forward Julian Reese, who was called for a technical for saying something to Brown after backing him down in the post.
- Freshman guard Bruce Thornton knocked down two free throws, Sueing added a layup and Sensabaugh knocked down a three-pointer within 51 seconds of game time to trim the deficit to seven points with 8:49 left.
- The Buckeyes pulled within three on several occasions, the latest being a three-pointer by freshman guard Roddy Gayle as the shot clock expired to make it 69-66 with 3:37 remaining.
- Gayle’s turnover with 1:42 left on the clock ended up being the dagger, as Young's floating layup in the lane on the next possession put Maryland up by six.
- Sueing missed a three-pointer that would have made it a one-possession game with 48 seconds left, while Sensabaugh fouling out on the rebound. The Terrapins then made their free throws down the stretch to put it away.
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