Terrapins Show Resilience in Home Stand Against Ranked Buckeyes
The Maryland Terrapins, despite a valiant effort at the Xfinity Center, fell short against the visiting Ohio State Buckeyes with a final score of 84-76. The unranked Terrapins now stand with an additional loss to their record while the 18th-ranked Buckeyes improved their standing. The game saw both teams fiercely competing, leading to seven ties and eight lead changes throughout the contest.
The Terrapins started off strong in front of a home crowd of 5,112 spectators, edging out the first quarter by one point. However, as play progressed, they struggled to maintain that momentum against a determined Ohio State team. Maryland's performance was marked by aggressive defense resulting in nine steals but was overshadowed by committing 23 personal fouls and one player being fouled out.
Offensively, Maryland showcased their ability to drive into the paint scoring 36 points from close range and converting fast break opportunities into 17 points. Their shooting from beyond the arc was modest with four three-pointers made from fifteen attempts translating to a twenty-seven percent success rate. From two-point range they were consistent hitting forty-six percent of their shots.
Maryland's free throw accuracy was impressive at eighty-four percent but it wasn't enough to bridge the gap created by Ohio State's offensive onslaught which included fifty-two points scored in the paint and fifteen second chance points capitalizing on offensive rebounds.
The Buckeyes' offense proved too potent for Maryland's defense; they shot forty-six percent overall from field goals including an outstanding sixty-seven percent on two-point attempts. Despite struggling from three-point land at fifteen percent accuracy, they managed four successful shots which contributed to their total score tally.
Ohio State also demonstrated better ball distribution with seventeen assists compared to Maryland’s fifteen and capitalized on turnovers scoring eighteen points off them while maintaining an assists turnover ratio slightly lower than that of Maryland at 1.06 compared to Terrapins' ratio of 1.07.
Looking ahead after this hard-fought match-up, fans can look forward to seeing if Maryland can bounce back when they host Illinois Fighting Illini at Xfinity Center located at College Park on January 20th at 1:00 PM Eastern Time. This upcoming game promises another exciting chapter for college basketball enthusiasts who can catch all live action as it unfolds.