Ohio State ran into a motivated and hungry Maryland team early on in the first half Monday. The Terps came out more aggressive, looking to make a statement in a game that would be a feather in the cap towards putting together a push for postseason play.
Then the Buckeyes responded.
OSU used a 16-5 run to close out the first twenty minutes to head into the locker room up 35-30 in a very physical, grinding first half of play.
Ohio State did it a little differently than what one would expect against a smaller Terrapin squad. Rather than pound the ball into the lane with E.J. Liddell, Kyle Young, and company, the Buckeyes bombed away from deep, hitting on 8-of-16 three-pointers. Guard Duane Washington led the charge with thirteen points on three 3-pointers and 5-of-8 shooting overall. Justin Ahrens and Seth Towns also hit two triples in the first half.
Surprisingly, E.J. Liddell finished the half scoreless on 0-of-3 from the field as Maryland has put a lot of effort into neutralizing him in the post. That has, however, opened things up for perimeter players to knock down shots.
Break time#GoBuckeyes #Team122 pic.twitter.com/gBqj1iQw67
— Ohio State Hoops (@OhioStateHoops) February 9, 2021
Maryland used balanced scoring with a lot of dribble drives to have success early on, but OSU amped up the defensive effort during the run to end the half. Aaron Wiggins led the Terps with eight points.
You can bet the Terrapins will come out with a lot of intensity and continue to play a very physical game out of the locker room. It’ll be up to Ohio State to continue with what it found during the latter part of the first half to close this one out.
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