COLLEGE PARK, Md. _ The 14-point lead over Ohio State was down to two Saturday. The big crowd at Xfinity Center, which came for a "whiteout" and thought it was seeing a blowout, was understandably nervous.
No. 24 Maryland was not, having gone through a similar scenario in Tuesday's down-to-the-wire win at No. 21 Iowa, the program's first road victory over a ranked team in 11 years.
And sophomore center Bruno Fernando certainly wasn't. Having gone scoreless in the first half, Fernando finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds to help the Terps beat the Buckeyes, 72-62.
Junior guard Anthony Cowan Jr. had helped Maryland (21-7, 12-5 Big Ten) to its big lead, with 10 of his game-high 19 points in the first half. Cowan now has 1,291 for his career, one more than Joe Smith.
Freshman guard Serrel Smith Jr. did his share of damage, too, scoring a career-high 14 points and getting extended minutes after fellow freshman Eric Ayala left in the first half feeling ill.
But it was Fernando who took charge when the Buckeyes _ themselves playing without senior guard and second-leading scorer C.J. Jackson because of a shoulder injury _ got close.
Smith hit three free throws after being fouled on a 3-pointer, and sophomore guard Darryl Morsell made a pair before Fernando showed off his growing skill package.
First he grabbed a missed shot by Morsell and fed a fast-cutting Aaron Wiggins for a dunk. Then, after a 3-pointer by freshman forward Justin Ahrens cut it to 64-58, Fernando spun from his right to his left and scored again.
Ohio State (17-10, 7-9), led by freshman guard Duane Washington Jr.'s 15 points, never threatened again.
The victory was the fourth in five games for the suddenly revived Terps. Maryland plays its final road game of the regular season Wednesday night at Penn State before hosting No. 7 Michigan next Sunday and Minnesota March 8.
