Fifth-year guard Celeste Taylor (12) drives to the basket during Ohio State’s 82-61 loss to Maryland at the Big Ten Tournament in Minneapolis, MN Friday. Credit: Courtesy of Ohio State Athletics

Searching for a statement win, the No. 8-seeded Maryland Terrapins used a dominant second quarter to lift themselves in a convincing upset over the No. 4-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes. 

Maryland (19-12, 9-9 Big Ten) upset the No.1-seeded Ohio State (25-5, 16-2 Big Ten) 82-61 in the 2024 Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals Friday at the Target Center in Minneapolis behind a 26-13 second quarter in which it shot 63% from the floor and 50% from three. 

It was the first ranked win of the season for the Terrapins, and it could not have come at a better time as they entered the game floating on the NCAA Tournament bubble, with their win over the Buckeyes being a much-needed boost for their tournament resume. 

Maryland junior guard Shyanne Sellers led the way with 25 points on 9-of-17 shooting, with 18 coming in the second half. Sellers also had eight rebounds and a team-high seven assists. 

The Terrapins dominated the glass all game, out-rebounding the Buckeyes 55-31, leading to 19 second-chance points. 

Ohio State head coach Kevin McGuff said Maryland played a very inspired performance and it translated on the court. 

“They played like a team that might’ve needed this to get in the tournament,” McGuff said. “Give Maryland credit, first and foremost, I thought Brenda [Frese] coached an excellent game, and I thought they played extremely well and they deserved to win the game.”

Graduate forward Rebeka Mikulasikova led the Buckeyes in scoring with 16 points while shooting 4-of-6 from distance, while junior guard/forward Taylor Thierry added 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting. 

Despite Ohio State using a 13-2 run in the first to take a 5-point lead heading into the second, Maryland turned on the afterburners and controlled the remainder of the game. 

The Terrapins started the second strong, going on a 14-2 run fueled by a 3-pointer from graduate guard Jakia Brown-Turner, and two threes from graduate guard/forward Brinae Alexander as they took a 26-19 lead at the 5:32 mark. 

Brown-Turner and Alexander each finished with 19 points for Maryland. 

Graduate guard Jacy Sheldon, who finished with 10 points on 5-of-13 shooting, said the Terrapins’ toughness allowed them to take control of the game. 

“They did a great job of that, they pressed a little and I think the idea was to slow us down,” Sheldon said. “They played a great defensive game and we weren’t ourselves today, we didn’t make a lot of shots we normally do so credit to them.” 

After both teams traded one basket each, redshirt-senior guard Madison Greene knocked down a much-needed three for Ohio State, cutting the Maryland lead to 28-24 with 3:13 remaining in the second. However, that did not stop the Terrapins from continuing their dominant second quarter. 

Despite every effort from the Buckeyes to cut into the lead, Maryland found a way to respond as it took a 38-30 lead into halftime culminated by a running jumper from Sellers at the buzzer. 

After some back-and-forth scoring in the third, Maryland went on a 9-0 run midway through the quarter to take a 51-39 lead, but the Terrapins were just getting started.

Graduate guard Celeste Taylor hit a timely three to briefly stop the bleeding for Ohio State, but the Terrapins’ confidence was through the roof as they built up a commanding 15-point lead with two minutes left in the third thanks to another triple from Alexander. 

McGuff said Maryland had a competitive spirit throughout the game that Ohio State was lacking, allowing the Terrapins to pull away in the second half. 

“We’ve not lost a game this year where our competitive character hasn’t been where it needed to be, but it wasn’t there today,” McGuff said. “They wanted the game more. You got to really fight on defense, you’ve got to fight to get rebounds and we didn’t fight and they did.”

After McGuff picked up a technical foul late in the third, Maryland took advantage as Sellers knocked down two technical free throws, following that up with two more after Thierry fouled her as the Terrapins extended their lead to 19.

But the Buckeyes continued to battle, as they went on an 8-0 run with 45 seconds left in the third. But Sellers continued her big afternoon, stopping the run with a layup with 14 seconds as Maryland went into the fourth up 65-52 on Ohio State. 

The Terrapins kept their foot on the gas, as Ohio State’s inability to score consistently on offense allowed them to build up their lead to as many as 22 with less than two minutes to go. Mikulasikova knocked down a pair of threes late, but it was too little too late for the Buckeyes. 

Sellers scored a stepback jumper with 1:05 left, proving to be the cherry on top as Maryland buried Ohio State late. 

Sheldon said despite the tough loss, the team’s veteran presence will help them bounce back as they continue their postseason play. 

“Everyone hates losing, especially this team,” Sheldon said. “I think moving forward having people who have been before and have played in March Madness and that tournament before I think that does help.”

The Buckeyes will get some time off to regroup before the first round of the NCAA Tournament, which starts March 22-23. Selection Sunday is on March 17, determining who Ohio State will play in the first round.