 used a 13-0 run to take a 52-36 lead. Although the margin dwindled to two points with 5:27 left, Maryland held on to improve to 14-2 at home, including 7-0 in the conference.With three Big Ten games left, including two at home, the Terrapins are in fourth place and in position to secure a double bye in the conference tournament.Fernando scored all of his points after halftime, and reserve freshman Serrel Smith Jr. contributed a career-high 14 points for Maryland. Despite a slow start, Fernando secured his ninth double-double in his last 10 games.Duane Washington Jr. scored 15 and Andre Wesson had 13 for Ohio State (17-10, 7-9). The Buckeyes have lost three of four and nine of their last 14.Maryland led 39-36 before Fernando scored six points and Cowan added five in the pivotal 13-0 spree.Fernando started the surge with a three-point play, Smith hit a jumper and Cowan followed with a 3-pointer. After Ohio State missed its seventh straight shot, Cowan was fouled on an attempt from beyond the arc and sank two from the line.Fernando capped the run with a foul shot and a short jumper.The Buckeyes stormed back, getting points from five different players in a 19-5 spurt that made it 57-55.Then it was Maryland's turn. Smith was fouled on a shot from beyond the arc and made all three free throws. Darryl Morsell followed with a pair of foul shots, and Aaron Wiggins capped the 7-0 run with a dunk off a pass from Fernando, who had snagged the rebound of a miss by Morsell.That was enough to assure the Terrapins of a series sweep of the Buckeyes. The Terps won at Ohio State 75-61 on Jan. 18.Cowan scored 10 points to stake Maryland to a 33-28 halftime lead. The Terrapins missed five of their first six shots before going 12 for 18 with four 3-pointers.Fernando missed both his shots and collected only four rebounds in nearly 18 minutes of play.POOR ENCOREComing off a 22-point performance against Northwestern, Ohio State's 6-foot-9 sophomore Kaleb Wesson was limited to seven points on 3 for 12 shooting. He came in averaging a team-high 14.7 points.AYALA AILINGMaryland starting guard Eric Ayala left in the first half and did not return after scoring five points in 10 minutes. A team official said the freshman ''was not feeling well.'' BIG PICTUREOhio State: The Buckeyes are sinking fast after losing only once before 2019. They shot 35 percent in the second half and 36.5 percent for the game.Maryland: The Terrapins keep surprising foes in the Big Ten. Despite relying heavily on freshmen, Maryland remains in the upper tier of the conference and might be tough to beat in the Big Ten Tournament.UP NEXTOhio State: Hosts Iowa on Tuesday night, the rematch of a game won by the Hawkeyes 72-62 last month.Maryland: Faces Penn State on Wednesday night. The Terps beat the Nittany Lions 66-59 on Dec. 1.---More college basketball: https://apnews.com/Collegebasketball and https://twitter.com/-Top25)
Feb 22, 2019No. 24 Maryland returns home Saturday to face Ohio State. It's about time.It is only the second home game this month for the Terrapins, who are coming off a 66-65 victory at No. 21 Iowa."It was kind of a gauntlet for us that we just went through -- four out of five on the road," coach Mark Turgeon said after the defeat of the Hawkeyes.Maryland (20-7, 11-5 Big Ten) has played six of its past nine games outside of College Park, a stretch that began on Jan. 18 -- the first time the Terps faced the Buckeyes.That night, junior guard Anthony Cowan Jr. had 20 points and six assists in a 75-61 victory. He's coming off arguably his best game since then, delivering 17 points, eight assists and just one turnover as Maryland earned its first road victory over a ranked team since January 2008."Eight assists, one turnover, that's terrific," Turgeon said. "I think Anthony's a heck of a player, and he gets scrutinized so much because he's our only upperclassmen who's really playing." While Maryland is well on track to secure an NCAA Tournament berth, Ohio State has some work to do, even after dispatching Northwestern 63-49 on Wednesday. The Buckeyes (17-9, 7-8) are 5-8 since Dec. 29 and had lost consecutive games before handling the first of their two games against Northwestern.Kaleb Wesson is coming off a 22-point, eight-rebound showing. He also had four assists, one shy of his season high."I thought Kaleb was really good the whole night on both ends," Buckeyes coach Chris Holtmann said afterward."I thought Kaleb was assertive. We've worked with him from the beginning of the year about passing out of double teams. When you have another 6-9, 6-10 long guy coming at you, it can be really difficult. His decision-making needs to be a little quicker. It was tonight." It needs to be again against Maryland, a formidable defensive team. The Terps also shot a robust 11 of 17 (64.7 percent) from 3-point range in the teams' first encounter, not an easy feat against Ohio State's stingy defense.The Buckeyes have allowed only two other foes to shoot better than 40 percent from beyond the arc this year: Syracuse and Purdue."We're probably where we are right now because of our team defense," Holtmann said."That's kept us in games and given us a chance this season. You look at our defensive numbers from beginning to end, and we've certainly had some moments we've not been great. A team like Maryland who's got scoring all over the place is a real problem in terms of figuring out how to guard. But our defense has been pretty consistent." Maryland, which plays three out of its final four regular-season games at home, will attempt to remain perfect in Big Ten home games after improving to 5-5 in road and neutral-site conference games Tuesday."I love our schedule," Turgeon said. "It's made us tougher. It's made us better." --Field Level Media
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