It was thought to be one of the premier games on Thursday night but the Ohio State Buckeyes defeated No. 16 Maryland 80-56. From start to finish, the game was controlled by the Buckeyes as they jumped out to an early 11-5 lead in the first ten minutes of the game. The lead was started off by forward Marc Loving as he made his first two three-point field goal attempts.
The Ohio State fans were active as well when they taunted Dez Wells as he limped to the bench after receiving a knee to his upper leg. The students were also in full blast following several dunks and big three-pointers.
One of the biggest threes on the evening came from freshman guard D’Angelo Russell. Russell came down the court, hit a three and to make things worse for Maryland was fouled on the shot and made the and-one.
At one point, OSU forward Sam Thompson was called for an over-the-back foul and ESPN broadcaster Jay Bilas called it, “The worst call in the history of basketball.”
This play didn’t have an effect on the team as they continued to make Maryland uncomfortable.
Head coach Thad Matta switched defenses and went to a 2-2-1 press that led to two quick turnovers and easy buckets.
With 2:30 to play in the first half, Russell had 12 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Loving chipped in with 11 points and was still perfect from three-point range.
The Maryland players tried as best as they could to stop the bleeding before halftime but still trailed 34-26. Melo Trimble didn’t have a memorable half as he only scored one point.
As the second half got underway, Trimble looked aggressive when he drew an early trip to the line. He made both attempts but those would be his last points of the contest.
The night truly belonged to Ohio State and the combo of Russell and Loving. They combined for 37 points and 20 rebounds.
As a team, the Buckeyes shot 46 percent from the field, 58 percent from deep, and 53 percent from the charity strip.
As for Maryland, they shot a dismal 30 percent from the field and 34 percent from deep. The Terrapins’ high-point man was Wells, who scored 12 points but only on 4-14 shooting.
Maryland will make their next appearance Feb. 4 at home against Penn State. Ohio State will look to push their current win streak to four games as they play the Purdue Boilermakers on the same day.
*Section Photo credit and Featured Photo (above) credit to to Jamie Sabau, Getty Images.
