Maryland Basketball: Layman, Terps End Losing Streak At Ohio State

Jake Layman recorded his seventh career double-double as Maryland basketball held off Ohio State for a 66-61 win on Sunday.

Despite blowing out Ohio State by 35 points earlier this month, the Maryland Terrapins knew how difficult it was to get a win on the road in Columbus.

The last two meetings at Value City Arena had the Terps lose by 16 and 15 points, and Jake Layman was the only starter to play in those games. He was not about to lose again in his senior season.

Layman scored 16 points and added 10 rebounds, and Melo Trimble scored 20 as the Terps defeated the Buckeyes 66-61. It was Layman’s seventh career double-double and the third of the season.

Ohio State led most of the first half, until the Terps were able to tie the game at 27 on a Trimble three-pointer. Both teams would go almost three minutes without a basket before Maryland finally took control of the game.

It was Layman that got the Terps out in front as the first half came to a close. With the two teams tied at 31, Layman ripped down an offensive rebound and got the put back to give Maryland the lead. Ohio State would turn the ball over on the next possession and Rasheed Sulaimon connected with Layman on an alley-oop. Then Layman would get another offensive rebound and drove to the basket. He was fouled on the play, made both free throws and Maryland took a 37-31 lead at the half. 

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The second half was a poor half for both teams as the Terps scored just 11 points in 13 minutes, but still held a 48-46 lead. Ohio State took an 51-50 advantage with six minutes remaining, but Trimble hit a pair of free throws to get Maryland back in front. Sulaimon hit his first field goal of the game with just under three minutes remaining to give Maryland a 57-53 lead. On the next possession, Sulaimon found Trimble across the court and Trimble drilled his second three of the game to give the Terps a 60-55 lead.

The Terps ability to make free throws has been the key to their success most of the season. The Terps shot 87 percent (20-of-23) compared to 58 percent (14-of-24) from the charity stripe. Ohio State tried to keep it interesting Jae’Sean Tate hitting a 3-pointer with 5.9 seconds remaining to make it a 64-61 game, but the Terps successfully made their final six free throws in the game to end the Buckeyes hopes of an upset.

The Terps got terrific play from the bigs as Diamond Stone had 10 points and eight rebounds, and Damonte Dodd was force on the defensive end, swatting away three shots and recording six rebounds. Robert Carter nearly had a double-double of his own with 10 points and seven rebounds.

Sulaimon had a very quiet afternoon, scoring just the one basket and finishing with seven points after a terrific performance against Iowa during the week. He did make plays when it mattered most, and that has been the case for many of the Terps all season long. Even when they have an off day, they find a way to do just enough to get the team a win.

Next: Sulaimon Leads Terps to Huge Win Over Iowa

The Terps head to Nebraska next for their next Big Ten matchup on Wednesday. The Cornhuskers are 3-7 in the conference and sport a 12-10 record overall. It is the only time the two teams will face off this season. Tipoff is scheduled for 8:30 and the game can be seen on the Big Ten Network.