Maryland Basketball: No. 12 Terps hand Buckeyes their 3rd loss in a row

Super Tuesday was not so super for Ohio State as they now have lost their third straight game after falling to Maryland Basketball. They started the season at 9-0 and are 2-4 in the last six games.

The No.1 1 Ohio State Buckeyes (11-4, 1-3 Big Ten) came to College Park, Maryland, on a mission to win after losing two straight games to West Virginia and Wisconsin. It was a failure. No. 12 Maryland basketball (13-2, 2-1 Big Ten) has had good fortune lately in beating the Bryant Bulldogs and Indiana Hoosiers.

They faced another tough frontcourt team in Ohio State who has Kaleb Wesson. Wesson has been playing like one of the most dominant big men in the conference right now. He is averaging 14.7 points per game, 9.3 rebounds per game and is shooting at a 46 percent rate from the field.

The Terps had to contain him and keep the other players from having dominant performances. They succeeded in that even though the Wesson brothers (Andre and Kaleb) and D.J. Carton combined for 43 points, 15 rebounds, and eight assists for Ohio State.

The Wessons got Ohio State on the board with two back-to-back threes. The Terps came out struggling to get shots to go down and they turned the ball over early.

Five minutes into this game, the Buckeyes had an 8-0 run. The Terps first point came from an Eric Ayala free throw.

Jalen Smith gave the Terps their first bucket with a three-pointer in the right corner. Ayala converted on both free throws in his second trip to the line. For the moment, the score was 9-6 Buckeyes with a little over 12 minutes to go.

Ayala’s three cut the Buckeyes lead to two points, 11-9, and a defensive stop and forced turnover by Chol Marial earned cheers from the Xfinity Center crowd on the other end.

The Terps fought back to take their first lead,12-11, thanks to Serell Smith Jr. hitting a three-pointer from the left corner. That was preceded by more solid defense from Marial.

At the 8:38 mark in the first half, Ohio State was shooting poorly (4-of-20) from the field and that was a good sign for the Terps.

Maryland basketball was able to settle in and play their game despite turning the ball over seven times under eight minutes left in the first half.

Three back-to-back threes by Smith, Anthony Cowan Jr., and Donta Scott pushed the Terps lead to eight, 28-20, under two minutes to go until halftime.

They were shooting 7-of-11 (63 percent) from behind the three-point line as a result. Ohio State, on the other hand, was 8-of-28 (28 percent) from the field.

A scary moment occurred for the Buckeyes as Andre Wesson went down for a brief moment holding his leg, but he was able to get up and jog to the other side of the court under his own power.

The Terps went into the halftime break up six, 28-22. Smith and Ayala led the Terps with six points apiece while D.J. Carton led the Buckeyes with seven points and two assists.

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That half was a complete turnaround after another slow start by the Terps. The Terps buckled down defensively and focused in on Ohio State’s best player, Kaleb Wesson. He only had five points and two rebounds at the half.

Carton got the scoring started for Ohio State in the second half with a running layup. Andre Wesson cut the Terps lead to three, 30-27, with a corner three.

At the 15:40 mark, the score was 36-31 in Maryland’s favor, but Andre Wesson was doing everything in his power to get the Buckeyes back in this game. Scoring, rebounding and boxing out well. He and Kaleb combined for 17 points with 14:01 remaining in the game.

Under 10 minutes to go, a Smith slam gave the Terps a 48-39 lead and Ohio State became stagnant shooting the basketball. The Xfinity Center crowd noise didn’t help either.

Maryland basketball’s excellent shot selection had a big part in helping them maintain the lead. At the 7:50 mark, they were shooting at 47 percent from the field and 53 percent from the three-point line.

Cowan Jr. had 13 points and four rebounds for the Terps. Scott had seven points and five rebounds. A hard-earned stat line for the freshman.

Maryland basketball secured this victory behind solid defense on Kaleb Wesson and an even better offense. They won this game 67-55 behind Cowan Jr.’s 20 points, six rebounds and two assists. The Baltimore-bred duo of Smith and Morsell combined for 21 points and 10 rebounds.

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The Terps have gained momentum in Big Ten play with this win as they are now two spots out of first place. Ohio State is two spots from last place. Maryland basketball has Iowa up next on the road Friday night and Ohio State will play Indiana on the road Saturday afternoon.

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