COLUMBUS, Ohio – As tough as the season has been, Ohio State finished the home portion of the schedule the right way, beating No. 21 Maryland 73-62 on Wednesday night inside Value City Arena.
The Buckeyes win for the second consecutive game and are now 13-17 overall and 5-14 in conference play.
The program honored its seniors Justice Sueing, Sean McNeil, and Isaac Likekele prior to the game.
Key Players
The Seniors
The Buckeye seniors made the most of their final night at the Schottenstein Center, combining for 37 points on 10-of-17 shooting. Sueing led all Buckeye scorers with 16 points, Likekele finished with 11 while McNeil added 10. This was just the second time this season in which all three seniors were in double figures.
Felix Okpara
Getting his third-straight start since the Buckeyes lost Zed Key for the season, the Buckeye first-year big man was up to the task, putting together his second career double-double, finishing the game with season-highs of 12 points and 12 rebounds while adding three blocks in 31 minutes of action.
Stats that Mattered
Players in Double Figures
Six players finished in double figures, marking the first time since 2020 that happened against a Big Ten opponent. Along with all three seniors and Okpara, both freshmen Brice Sensabaugh and Bruce Thornton also posted double digits on the night. Sensabaugh totaled 12 points, while Thornton added 10.
Free Throws
The Buckeyes were perfect from the charity stripe for the second time this season, finishing 20-for-20 from the free-throw line. The total set the program record for most free-throw attempts without a miss for the second time this year, as the team previously converted on 18-of-18 shots against Texas Tech at the Maui Invitational back in November.
How It Happened
The Ohio State seniors got things rolling. McNeil and Sueing each hit a three, and Likekele knocked down a pair of contested layups to help the Buckeyes open the game on a 14-4 run.
The Buckeyes would never trail again after taking the lead in the opening 20 minutes. The 10-point advantage would prove to be the largest lead of the half as Ohio State would match that lead, going up 25-15 on a three-point play by Likekele with just over seven minutes to play in the half.
Likekele and McNeil would combine for 19 points in the opening frame, shooting a perfect 7-of-7 from the field. McNeil led all scorers in the first frame, totaling all 10 of his points while knocking down a pair from three-point range.
Second Half
Ohio State would keep their foot on the gas pedal, keeping the advantage throughout the entirety of the second half. The Terps would get no closer than seven points, while the Buckeyes lead would swell to a game-high 15 on a three-pointer by Sueing.
The Buckeye defense performed well in the closing half, holding Maryland to just 35 percent shooting over the final 20 minutes to close out its second-consecutive victory. The win marked their first back-to-back triumphs since the team won three in a row at the turn of the new year.
COURTESY OSU ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS
