No. 9 Ohio State Shocks No. 6 Maryland 80-71 In Big Ten Play
COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) -- Kelsey Mitchell scored 28 points, and No. 9 Ohio State stunned No. 6 Maryland 80-71 Saturday, dealing the Terrapins their first loss in Big Ten play since joining the conference last season.
Alexa Hart scored 20 points on 10-for-12 shooting to help the Buckeyes (10-3, 2-0) win their sixth straight and get even for a defeat in last year's Big Ten title game.
Maryland (12-2, 1-1) went unbeaten in its Big Ten debut last season, going 18-0 before capturing the conference tournament with a 77-74 win over Ohio State.
The Terrapins had won 31 in a row against Big Ten foes before coming up short in this one.
Brene Moseley led Maryland with 20 points and Shatori Walker-Kimbrough added 16.
Maryland finished with a mere 38-35 advantage on the boards despite coming in with a nation's best plus-20.5 rebounding margin. The Terps also committed 20 turnovers and were outscored 15-7 at the free throw line.
Down by eight points in the first half, the Buckeyes outscored the Terrapins 24-17 in the third quarter, going ahead for good on a layup by Mitchell with 4:16 left in the period.
The Buckeyes made it 70-63 when Ameryst Alston hit a 3-pointer with 7:11 remaining. Alston came in averaging 19.6 points, but finished with 12 on 4-for-17 shooting.
Maryland closed to 72-69 with 3:13 to go, but did not get closer.
Shayla Cooper had 10 points and 11 rebounds for the Buckeyes before fouling out with 8:12 remaining.
Ohio State trailed 42-37, before Cait Craft made two free throws to launch a 9-0 run that gave the Buckeyes their first lead. Maryland fueled the surge with four turnovers over a two-minute span.
After the Terrapins went back in front, Mitchell capped a 7-0 spree with a three-point play to make it 61-55 late in the third quarter.
Moseley had 13 points and five assists in the first half, and Maryland led by eight points on several occasions before settling for a 40-37 advantage at the break.
Alston scored only four points on 1-for-8 shooting, and the Buckeyes shot 38 percent from the floor.
Ohio State started 0 for 8 with four turnovers over the first five minutes and trailed 7-3 before Hart ended the drought with a sweeping hook in the lane.
Despite missing 11 of 16 field goal attempts, the Buckeyes were within 18-14 after the first quarter in part because the Terrapins committed seven turnovers.
It was 23-20 before Maryland's Kristen Confroy drilled a 3 and Moseley scored on a drive, giving the Terps their first eight-point lead.
TIP-INS
Ohio State: The Buckeyes have made a 3-pointer in 90 straight games since Feb. 10, 2013. ... OSU coach Kevin McGuff earned his first win against Maryland. He was 0-5, including his time at Xavier.
Maryland: The Terps' 28-game home winning streak ended. ... Maryland celebrated the 10th anniversary of its 2006 national championship with a video montage, a T-shirt giveaway Brionna Jones scored 10 points to go over 900 for her career. She came in with a 71 percent shooting rate and went 5 for 7.
UP NEXT
Ohio State: Hosts Indiana on Thursday.
Maryland: Home against Nebraska on Thursday.
(Copyright 2016 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
