COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — As he heads toward the end of his college basketball career, Kyle Young is determined to expend all his energy during every minute he's on the court.
If he keeps playing this way, the Ohio State senior and his teammates just might keep running deep into March.
Young scored a career-high 18 points, Duane Washington Jr. also had 18 and the fourth-ranked Buckeyes used a relentless defensive effort to wear down Maryland in a 73-65 victory Monday night.
Young, a spirited 6-foot-8 forward, went 7 for 12 from the floor and grabbed four rebounds over 34 minutes. Coming off a 16-point effort against Iowa, Young sparked several key runs to help the Buckeyes (16-4, 10-4 Big Ten) secure their fifth straight win.
“It’s my fourth year, and I've been through a lot with these guys," Young said. “As my time here is winding down, you don’t want to take anything for granted. I want to give it all I’ve got."
Washington played well, too, but his face lit up when asked to talk about his feisty teammate.
“Kyle Young is the hardest-working dude I’ve ever played with," Washington said. “Tonight he got his career high. I’m super happy for him."
Young scored six points during an 11-2 run that turned Ohio State’s five-point halftime lead into a 46-32 advantage. After Maryland got within 10, Young scored five points and Washington popped a 3 during a 10-4 spurt that made it 58-42 with eight minutes left.
From there, Ohio State coasted to its first victory in College Park since the 1979 NIT.
The Buckeyes
Aaron Wiggins scored 17 points and Eric Ayala had 13 for the Terrapins (10-10, 4-9), who didn't have enough firepower to rally after going 0 for 9 to start the second half and falling behind by 14.
“Give them credit, they’re a good team," coach Mark Turgeon said of Ohio State. “We couldn’t make a shot to start the second half. We go through some lulls. That’s who we are."
finished 6 for 15 from the floor and Ayala missed nine of his 12 field goal tries.
“We had some really good possessions and just missed shots," Turgeon lamented.
The Buckeyes went 8 for 16 from 3-point range in the first half and took a 35-30 lead at the break despite being outrebounded 17-14 and outscored 18-4 in the lane.
Ohio State trailed 13-5 in the early going before rattling off a trio of 3-pointers in the span of 57 seconds to take the lead. Then, after Maryland went ahead 25-19, Washington connected from beyond the arc to spark a 14-1 run that flipped the momentum.
E.J. Liddell, Ohio State's leading scorer, had two fouls and no points in eight minutes before halftime. He finally got his first points by making two free throws with 16:48 remaining to put the Buckeyes up 41-32.
Young and Washington made up for an off night for Liddell, who finished with seven points.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
The Buckeyes justified their lofty spot in the Top 25 with their sixth road victory, more than any other team in the conference. Ohio State was previously 1-6 in College Park, 0-4 since Maryland joined the Big Ten in 2014.
BIG PICTURE
Ohio State: The Buckeyes showed their long-range shooting ability in the first half and defensive prowess after halftime. Both elements will be important down the stretch in their quest to track down first-place Michigan in the Big Ten.
Maryland: This was the 10th time in 13 Big Ten games that Maryland faced a squad in the Top 25. The Terps have four wins over ranked teams, tied for second-most in the country behind Ohio State's five. But Turgeon and his crew are thankful that Rutgers (No. 25) is currently the only ranked team of the final six on the schedule.
UP NEXT
Ohio State hosts Indiana on Saturday afternoon, the only regular-season meeting between the teams.
Maryland hosts Minnesota on Sunday night in a rematch of the Jan. 23 game the Terrapins won by 14 points on the road.
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