Story By: Sol Tucker
Photos By: Sol Tucker
College Park, MD–
Coming into the game against Ohio State, the Terps really needed a conference win if they wanted to keep from skidding too far down in the conference standings. Enter Jahmir Young, who not only took over in the second half, but had a career-high 30-point, 11-rebound outing to lead the Terps to an 80-73 victory over the Buckeyes.
After the game Young was asked about his performance, which was the best since he dropped 24 points against Illinois.
“Just trying to do anything to win,” Young said. “My teammates believe in me, and I believe in them, so just doing whatever it takes. … Just coming back, getting on our home court felt great. I’m just trying to come out here and be aggressive from the start.”
All five of Maryland’s starters — Young, Don Carey, Hakim Hart, Donta Scott and Julian Reese — scored at least 10 points. It was a vastly improved offensive showing for a team that had gone freezing cold shooting the ball in recent contests.
Like the Terps, the Buckeyes found their own way to struggle on the offensive end, but took a 39-34 lead and plenty of momentum into the halftime break. However, they did not return that offense to open the second half and the final minute of the game the Terps pressure was a bit too much to handle.
“Especially early in the game, I felt Jahmir, even when he was missing shots, I thought he was aggressive,” Maryland head coach Kevin Willard said. “Like, just staying tenacious after the ball, getting offensive rebounds, getting fouled. I thought that gave us a huge jump.”
Freshman sensation Brice Sensabaugh led the scoring for Buckeyes, finishing with 22 points.
Sensabaugh is the conference’s top-scoring freshman and has established himself as one of the nation’s best first-year players. Willard had joked prior to the game today that the best part about the top freshmen in the Big Ten is “that they won’t be around next year.” He is clearly referring to Sensabaugh getting quite a few NBA looks. He is projected to be a top pick in the 2023 NBA draft.
Redshirt senior forward Justice Sueing rounded out the scoring for Ohio State, with 21 points.
Next up for the Terps is a match up against Iowa on the road, January 15th at 1:00pm
