COLUMBUS, Ohio – Guards Ashley Owusu and Katie Benzan combined for 55 points, but it wasn't quite enough as No. 7 Maryland fell just short at No. 14 Ohio State, 88-86, Monday night at the Schottenstein Center.
 
Owusu scored 23 points in the second half to lead the Terrapins (11-2, 7-1 B1G). She finished with 33 points, one shy of tying her career-high, nine assists and six rebounds. Benzan went 7-for-12 from outside the arc, totaling 22 points with a personal best seven boards and three assists. 

"We always have great battles with Ohio State," head coach Brenda Frese said. "I think both teams always bring the best out of each other. These kinds of games prepare us for what lies ahead come postseason. An opportunity for us with a tough road loss to be able to learn from our mistakes and be able to move on. But all the credit goes to Ohio State. I thought they came out and punched first. We were really on our heels in the first quarter, five turnovers in the first five minutes of the game. I thought they were extremely aggressive. Loved our response in the second quarter. I thought we were able to gain some of our composure and really made some great plays in that second quarter. "
 
Ohio State (9-1, 5-1) went 7-for-10 to start the game and jumped out to a 15-7 lead. The two teams traded buckets the rest of the quarter with the Buckeyes ahead 26-20 at the end of the period. Benzan went 3-for-3 from three-point range to keep the Terrapins in it early.
 
Senior Chloe Bibby hit a three-pointer early in the second quarter to start a 15-2 Maryland run. Maryland led 39-36 at halftime.
 
It stayed a one possession game for much of the third quarter, with Owusu scoring nine of Maryland's 21 points in the period.
 
The Terrapins opened the fourth quarter on a 7-0 run, including five points from Owusu, to take a 67-62 lead with 7:34 to play. Ohio State's Jacy Sheldon answered with aa 7-0 run herself and gave the Buckeyes a 69-67 lead with 6:34 left.
 
Back-to-back 3-pointers by Braxtin Miller put the Buckeyes up 75-69 with 4:22 left. The Terps missed 12 of their next 13 field-goal attempts, allowing the Buckeyes to build a lead down the stretch.
 
The Terps pulled within five on a pair of foul shots by Owusu with under a minute left. A late 3-pointer by Bibby and another by Benzan at the buzzer weren't enough.

Madison Greene led Ohio State with 24 points and Sheldon had 21.
 
Maryland's next scheduled game is Thursday, Feb. 4 vs. Wisconsin (3-10, 0-10) at the XFINITY Center. Any schedule changes, as well as game time for the Feb. 4 contest, will be announced when the information is available.