On senior night at Value City Arena, the stars shined bright as Ohio State won its second-consecutive game for the first time since Jan. 1, defeating No. 21 Maryland 73-62 Wednesday.
The Buckeyes (13-17, 5-14 Big Ten) saw an all-around offensive performance in which six players scored in double-figures. The honored players — graduate guards Sean McNeil and Isaac Likekele, as well as redshirt senior forward Justice Sueing — combined for 37 points.
On the other hand, Maryland (20-10, 11-8 Big Ten) trailed throughout the majority of the contest, and never went on a large enough scoring run to catch up to Ohio State’s offense. Sophomore forward Julian Reese scored 17 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, while the Buckeyes held leading scorer graduate guard Jahmir Young to nine points on 4-of-13 shooting.
After trading baskets in the opening two minutes, Ohio State put its foot on the accelerator and played with aggression, leading to a 14-2 run and an early 14-4 lead at the 15:41 mark. Head coach Chris Holtmann got points from six different players in the first half.
Despite the Terrapins shooting at a 54.5 percent clip from the field, they were unable to cut the deficit to less than four after surrendering the early lead. Reese put up eight points and six rebounds, but Ohio State went into the halftime break with a 35-29 edge.
The second half saw Ohio State continue to make use of its second-chance opportunities. The Buckeyes scored 15 points off forced turnovers and 18 points on nine offensive rebounds. The Value City Arena crowd willed the Buckeyes on with an explosive reaction after an alley-oop from freshman forward Brice Sensabaugh to freshman center Felix Okpara to push the score to 60-50 with 6:20 remaining.
The Buckeyes made their free throws down the stretch and came away from their penultimate game of the season with a crucial win for momentum heading into postseason play.
Ohio State outrebounded Maryland 32-24 and shot 48 percent for the game compared to Maryland’s 44 percent. The Buckeyes were also a sparkling 20-for-20 from the free throw line.
Sueing led the Buckeyes with 16 points, and Okpara hauled in his second career double-double with a career-high 12 points and 12 rebounds. Likekele dished out four assists and scored 11 points before fouling out.
Ohio State will travel to East Lansing, Michigan, to face Michigan State in its regular season finale Saturday at noon. ESPN will broadcast.
