No. 7 Maryland (22-5, 12-4 Big Ten) saw its nine-game winning streak come to an end Feb. 23 as the Terps fell to No. 25 Ohio State (18-9, 8-8) 79-72 in Columbus.
With sophomore forward Jalen “Stix” Smith in early foul trouble and senior point guard Anthony Cowan Jr. eventually fouling out late in the second after after a questionable technical foul call, the Terps relied heavily on their supporting cast to stay within striking distance of the Buckeyes for most of the game.
The charge was led by sophomore wing Aaron Wiggins who finished with a career-high 20 points thanks to a career-high six made three-pointers. Fellow sophomore Eric Ayala also had a hot shooting hand Sunday as he netted 16 points of his own. Freshman forward Donta Scott also turned in a solid outing with 10 points and four rebounds.
Cowan left the game with just under four minutes left and was called for the technical after making his first field goal of the game. Cowan believed he was fouled on the play and his reaction afterwards — kicking the air in frustration — earned him his fifth foul. He finished with just 10 points but did dish out seven assists.
Like Maryland’s winning streak, Smith saw his nine-game double-double streak come to an end against the Buckeyes. He spent much of the first half on the bench in foul trouble and finished with eight points and seven rebounds in 29 minutes played.
Smith’s early foul trouble allowed freshman center Chol Marial to get the most run he’s had in over a month. Marial played 11 minutes against the Buckeyes, the second most of his young collegiate career. He played 14 Dec. 9 against Bryant. But Marial’s production was lackluster, only resulting in two rebounds and three personal fouls.
Both teams got off to fast starts offensively, but a five-minute scoring drought to end the first half put Maryland in a hole it was unable to fully climb out of. Going into halftime up seven, Ohio State used a 7-0 run to start the second half and take its largest lead of the game at 14.
Wiggins’ fourth make from beyond the arc with 5:52 left in the game brought the Terps within three down 58-55, but that’s the closest Maryland would get the rest of the game.
Ohio State won the game by sharpshooting from three and outrebounding the Terps. The Buckeyes entered the game leading the Big Ten in three-point makes per game (8.7) and three-point percentage (37.8) and it showed on Sunday.
As a team, Ohio State shot 10-for-25 from three against Maryland. Four of those were accounted for by sophomore guard Luther Muhammad, who finished with a game-high 22 points to add to his five rebounds.
The Buckeyes’ all-conference big Kaleb Wesson also played well on Sunday, netting 15 points and ripping down nine boards.
Ohio State guard Duane Washington Jr. finished with 13 points and Andre Wesson and CJ Walker each had 12 to give the home team five double-digit scorers in total.
Besides scoring at a high clip, the Buckeyes also beat Maryland on the glass, finishing with a plus-nine rebound margin including 13-6 on offensive rebounds that led to 14 second-chance points.
Maryland will now look to put this loss behind it as the Terps head to Minneapolis Feb. 26 to take on Minnesota with a two-game lead atop the Big Ten standings.
