Ohio State senior guard Taylor Mikesell (24) makes her way around Michigan State defense during the Ohio State-Michigan State game Jan. 12. Ohio State won 89-83. Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Photo Editor
No. 18 Ohio State came up short in an important matchup at No. 13 Maryland, losing 77-72 and dropping the Buckeyes to second place in the Big Ten Thursday.
Despite a combined 51 points from guards junior Jacy Sheldon and senior Taylor Mikesell, the Buckeyes (19-5, 11-4 Big Ten) were unable to pull out the win against the Terrapins (20-6, 12-3 Big Ten). The Buckeyes were tied for first with Maryland, Indiana and Michigan after their road win at Illinois Monday.
Although the Buckeyes did not get the outcome they wanted, head coach Kevin McGuff said he was pleased with the efforts his team showed throughout the entirety of the game.
“We fought, we played really hard, we played together. We just didn’t play quite well enough to win the game,” McGuff said. “But it was certainly a great measuring stick down the stretch here against one of the best teams in the league, one of the better teams in the country. And I liked our fight and competitive spirit, we just have to be a little bit better.”
The standout sophomore guard Angel Reese for the Terrapins did not start for undisclosed reasons but did see the court after the first media break. Additionally, junior guard Ashley Owusu did not start for the Terrapins after participating in warmups, which made graduate guard Katie Benzan the primary point guard.
Ohio State started and ended the first quarter strong. The Sheldon and Mikesell duo accounted for 14 of the Buckeyes’ first 19 points in the first quarter. The Buckeyes took the opening period, 19-12.
The Buckeyes’ energy continued throughout the second quarter. Mikesell led the Buckeyes at halftime with 18 points. Ohio State forced 10 turnovers in the first half, four of which came from Terrapin freshman guard Shyanne Sellers due to the Buckeyes’ full-court press.
Out of the half, the Terrapins’ intensity level skyrocketed, going on a 6-0 run and taking the lead by one, which forced the Buckeyes to take a timeout in just over the first minute of play.
One of Maryland’s keys to success in the third quarter was finding a way out of the Buckeyes’ full-court pressure allowing them to score easy buckets.
McGuff was given a technical foul late in the third quarter for his outward animations towards the referees for their lack of foul calling against Maryland.
Maryland got the better end of the deal in the third quarter, racking up 10 more points than the Buckeyes to put it ahead, 59-54.
Sheldon fell into foul trouble early in the fourth quarter, causing her to see the bench for two minutes. Despite this, Sheldon still hit two key 3-pointers to keep the Buckeyes alive down the stretch.
Ohio State cut an 11-point deficit to nine with 2:19 remaining, coming as close as five in the final minute, but Maryland still came away with its eighth-straight victory.
Mikesell said she doesn’t believe there was a drastic change in how her team played and believed the Buckeyes will see the Terrapins in the postseason.
“I don’t really know if anything’s changed, I think they just went on a run and we put them at the free throw line, let them score without the clock running. We missed some layups and some easy shots at the end of the day, but you know, we fought,” Mikesell said. “It could have went either way. I think full heartedly we’ll see them again.”
Although Reese did not start for the Terrapins, that did not slow her, as she recorded her 15th double-double of the season with 21 points and 15 rebounds.
Thursday marked the first time Mikesell played at her former university before transferring to Oregon after her sophomore season and eventually leading her to Ohio State.
Mikesell ended the night leading the Buckeyes’ offense with 29 points.
The Buckeyes split the regular season matchup with the Terrapins. Ohio State took the first Jan. 20 by a score of 91-85 in Columbus but could not prevail during the second contest.
The Buckeyes will return home Sunday to honor graduate forward Tanaya Beacham and senior guard Braxtin Miller for their senior recognition game against the Wisconsin Badgers (7-18, 4-11 Big Ten) at 2 p.m. The game will be streamed on Big Ten Network Plus.
