Maryland basketball vs. Ohio State final score, with 3 things to know from the Terps’ 86-77 win

Maryland basketball ended its brief two-game losing streak with an 86-77 win over Ohio State Saturday. The Terps never trailed despite a late-game scare, and move to 21-4 ahead of two big road games at Northwestern and Wisconsin.

The Buckeyes came into the game short-handed, as family issues kept regular starter JaQuan Lyle and role player Keita Bates-Diop from making the trip. The Terps were only missing guard Dion Wiley, and looked as close to full strength as they have in a while.

Kevin Huerter, Anthony Cowan and Jaylen Brantley all powered Maryland’s offense for stretches, hearing roars of approval from a sellout crowd at Xfinity Center. Huerter and Cowan finished the game with 19 points each, and Brantley tossed in 11 in 21 minutes off the bench.

Maryland started the game on a torrid 9-0 run, and missed a a couple open three-pointers that could have made for a lopsided beginning. But Ohio State got back into it with six straight points before threes from Trimble and LG Gill ended the brief run.

Ohio State’s top scorer, Jae’Sean Tate, didn’t pick up his first field goal until he converted a layup with just under three minutes to go in the first half. He was 2-for-8 in the first half, but finished with 20 points in a strong second-half showing.

The Terps kept their lead at around 10 points for the rest of the half, and a Damonte Dodd putback dunk gave them a 45-31 lead at halftime.

After Ohio State started the second half on a 16-9 run, Cowan and Huerter went to work. The freshmen had 27 of Maryland’s 41 second-half points, and kept the Buckeyes at just enough of a distance. The Terps’ saw their 14-point halftime lead shrink to five with 2:30 left in the game, and Ohio State countered a Kevin Huerter three with one from Kam Williams. But Cowan hit another with 41 seconds left, and that kept the Buckeyes at bay.

Three things to know

1. The Terps got a win after losing two straight games. The Terps’ loss to Purdue was nothing to lose sleep over, but Penn State is a team Maryland should beat just about every time. With trips to Northwestern and Wisconsin looming, this team needed another win.
2. Maryland’s defense shut down an inefficient offense. The Buckeyes only shot 36 percent in the first half. They improved on that a little in the second, but were quite stoppable when Maryland had its starters on the floor.
3. The Terps honored former head coach Lefty Driesell before the game. Driesell is one of the most famous figures in all of Maryland sports, and his name is now displayed for all to see on the rafters at Xfinity Center.

Stats: