Ohio State redshirt senior guard Linnae Harper drives the ball during the first half of the Buckeyes’ game against Quinnipiac on Nov. 15. Credit: Colin Hass-Hill | Sports Editor
In a season filled with high expectations, the Ohio State women’s basketball team has continued to fall short.
Its latest setback came Monday when the No. 12 Buckeyes fell 99-69 to No. 14 Maryland on the road, which gave the Terrapins sole possession of first place in the Big Ten.
Maryland (17-3, 6-1 Big Ten) ended the first quarter leading 27-19 and continued to extend the lead, never allowing Ohio State (16-4, 5-2 Big Ten) to pull within eight points for the remainder of the game. The Buckeyes never led.
Maryland shot 55 percent from the field and drilled 11-of-18 triples, while Ohio State hit just 39 percent of its shots and connected on 6-of-22 3-point attempts. The Buckeyes missed 11 of their final 13 shots.
The decimation follows Ohio State’s 84-75 loss to Michigan at home and gives the Buckeyes their first two-game conference losing streak since the end of the 2015-16 season, when they dropped an overtime road game to Minnesota and lost in triple-overtime on the road to Michigan State.
Sophomore guard Kaila Charles led Maryland with 32 points on 12-of-16 shooting and pulled down seven rebounds. Junior forward Eleanna Christinaki added 26 points and eight rebounds. Senior guard Kelsey Mitchell was one of five Ohio State players in double-figure scoring. She led the team with 15 points and added seven assists.
Maryland dominated the interior, holding a 47-32 rebounding advantage and a 46-30 edge in points in the paint.
Ohio State will attempt to bounce back when it takes on Iowa at 8 p.m. Thursday on the road.
