Instacap: Ohio State Falls Short Against No. 8 Maryland, 66-61

By Eric Seger on January 31, 2016 at 3:15 pm
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Ohio State looked like a completely different team than the last time it played Maryland, but it still wasn't enough.

TEAM 1 2 F
OHIO STATE 31 30 61
MARYLAND 37 29 66

The Buckeyes hung with the Terrapins all game Sunday at the Schottenstein Center, but still fell to the nation's eighth-ranked team, 66-61. Maryland thrashed Ohio State by 35 points in College Park 15 days ago.

Ohio State led with under seven minutes remaining when Marc Loving's jumper while being fouled and presumptive free throw made the score 49-48. It was Ohio State's first lead in more than 21 minutes. A back-and-forth affair ensued, but back-to-back 3-pointers by Maryland guards Rasheed Sulaimon and Melo Trimble with under three minutes to play helped the Terrapins secure the win.

Maryland (19-3, 8-2 Big Ten) scored the first two points of the game, but didn't take the lead again until the 4:28-mark of the first half. Ohio State, led by Jae'Sean Tate and A.J. Harris, outpaced the Terrapins in the game's first eight minutes. The Buckeyes made their first three 3-pointers and six of their first nine shots.

Tate tallied 10 of Ohio State's first 18 points, but he and the Buckeyes collectively went cold over the final eight minutes of the half. Ohio State made just two of its final 14 shots in that span, while Maryland showed why it is one of the nation's top teams. The Terrapins shot 50 percent in the first 20 minutes and finished the half on a 6-0 run to lead 37-31 at intermission.

OHIO STATE STAT MARYLAND
61 POINTS 66
21-59 (36) FGM-FGA (PCT.) 21-50 (42)
5-15 (33) 3PM-3PA (PCT.) 4-16 (25)
14-24 (58) FTM-FTA (PCT.) 20-23 (87)
8 TURNOVERS 13
35 TOTAL REBOUNDS 41
13 OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS 10
22 DEFENSIVE REBOUNDS 31
15 BENCH POINTS 3
1 BLOCKS 4
6 STEALS 3
7 ASSISTS 12

The scoring pace slowed mightily in the second half, before Maryland made the necessary plays and enough free throws to leave Columbus with its eighth conference win.

Maryland made 20-of-23 from the free-throw line, while Ohio State went just 14-of-24.

Trimble, the Preseason Big Ten Player of the Year, led a balanced offensive attack for Maryland, scoring 20 points and dishing out four assists. Jake Layman added 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, while Diamond Stone and Robert Carter each added 10 and a combined 15 rebounds.

Tate was the lone Buckeye in double figures with 16 points. Loving and Kam Williams each had nine, while Keita Bates-Diop added eight and six rebounds.

Ohio State (14-9, 6-4) visits Wisconsin Thursday. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.

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