The Terps held a 33-point lead at halftime.
Maryland men’s basketball’s Big Ten opener against Ohio State was defined by defensive dominance.
The Terps forced 18 turnovers, held the Buckeyes to 37.9% shooting from the field and outrebounded them, 39-35, all en route to an 83-59 beatdown of Ohio State Wednesday night at Xfinity Center.
Maryland (8-1, 1-0 Big Ten) led by 33 points (50-17) at halftime, its largest halftime lead over a Big Ten opponent in program history.
“We had our best practice we’ve had all year yesterday,” head coach Kevin Willard said. “What you saw in the first half [is] how we practiced yesterday. Intensity was great, we got after each other.”
Maryland’s defensive brilliance started early.
The Terps deployed a light press, sending Ja’Kobi Gillespie and Rodney Rice up court to pressure ball handlers, while Selton Miguel, Derik Queen and Julian Reese remained in normal defensive positions.
While the press did not force many direct turnovers, it constantly drained five to seven seconds off the shot clock. With limited time to work with, Ohio State (5-3, 0-1 Big Ten) forced bad shoots and poor decisions. It shot 6 for 21 from the field (28.6%) and 0 for 7 from three in the first half. The Buckeyes also committed 12 turnovers, more than they average in full games this season.
Ohio State was third in the country in 3-point percentage heading into the contest, but did not make a three until the 13:39 mark in the second half and shot just 4-of-19 from distance on the day.
“That was a big emphasis on the scouting report,” Gillespie said. “They had four players shooting like 40% from three, so we just wanted to make them dribble and playmake.”
But perhaps the most important aspect of Maryland’s first half was its defense — specifically Gillespie’s — on Ohio State’s Bruce Thornton. The junior guard entered the game averaging a team-high 16.4 points per game on 54.8% shooting from the field and 53.6% shooting from three.
But Gillespie and the Terps did not even let Thornton show off his shooting prowess, holding him to three points on 1-of-2 shooting from the field in the first half. Gillespie and Jay Young kept Thornton within arm’s reach and helped force him into two first-half turnovers. Thornton finished the game with nine points.
The first half did not end without some offensive fireworks, though. Junior forward Tafara Gapare continued to dominate Maryland social media pages with emphatic dunks. After Gapare posterized multiple Bucknell defenders a week ago, Ohio State’s defense steered clear when he pump-faked and glided toward the rim with an open lane.
But what drew the loudest cheer out of the home crowd was an ankle-breaker, courtesy of Gillespie. Gillespie drove toward the lane on a fast break, stopped on a dime and caused Ohio State’s Evan Mahaffey to lose balance. Gillespie then stepped back and knocked down a 3-pointer to complete the highlight.
Gillespie ended with a game-high 23 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field and 4-of-8 shooting from three. He also added a team-high four assists.
“Ja’Kobi could be the best guard in this conference,” Willard said. “It was really the first time I thought he played with an edge, a real edge. … Tonight he came out with a purpose of trying to say, ‘I’m just as good as anybody in this conference.’”
The Buckeyes’ offense scored at a higher rate in the second half, but Maryland’s offense kept pace to maintain a 20-plus-point lead throughout the half.
Queen also performed well in his Big Ten debut, posting 17 points, 11 rebounds and two steals.
“Maryland fans better get used to watching him, in my opinion, because I don’t think he’s going to be here next year,” Willard said. “You’re watching a pro, and I’ve been around pros. You’re just seeing what a pro looks like at 19 years old as a freshman.”
Ohio State received more points in this week’s Associated Press top-25 poll than Maryland, but the Terps proved that was a significant misjudgment by voters Wednesday night.
Three things to know
1. Gapare impressed again. Aside from his exciting slam, Gapare proved he can be a consistent piece in Willard’s rotation. After averaging 14 points, seven rebounds and 3.5 blocks per game over the last two games, Gapare recorded 12 points, three rebounds and a block Wednesday, displaying his athleticism on both ends and shooting ability.
“Once he kind of gets what we’re doing defensively, he’s going to get better and better, and he’s going to see more time,” Willard said. “He’s coming from a totally different defensive scheme than what we play, and he gets lost a lot, especially early in the season he got lost a lot. He’s not getting lost anymore.”
2. Defensive excellence. Maryland turned in one of its best defensive performances against one of its toughest opponents this season. The Terps entered the game ranked 10th in the country in opponent points per game (58.6) and 15th in forced turnovers per game (16.8). They strengthened both of those numbers Wednesday.
3. A balanced attack. Five Terps — Gillespie, Queen, Gapare, Reese and Miguel — scored double-digit points against Ohio State, while Rice scored nine. Following a year where Maryland primary relied on Jahmir Young for its scoring output, Wednesday was a welcomed sight.