COLUMBUS, OH – Abby Meyers scored a game-high and season-high 24 points, including nine in the fourth quarter, to lead No. 7 Maryland to a 75-74 win over No. 16 Ohio State on Friday night at Value City Arena.
With the win, the Terps improve to 24-5 overall and finish the Big Ten season at 15-3. The 24 wins surpass last season's win total of 23 and the 15-3 mark is Maryland's best since 2020-21, when Maryland went 17-1.
Maryland will be seeded No. 2 or No. 3 in the Big Ten Tournament as play for the Terps begins on Friday in Minneapolis. If Iowa loses to No. 1 seed Indiana on Sunday, the Terps will be the No. 2 seed and play at 6:30 p.m. ET on Friday. If the Hawkeyes win on Sunday, Maryland will be the No. 3 seed and play at 9 p.m. ET.
Along with Meyers' 24 points on 11-of-15 shooting, Diamond Miller and Brinae Alexander each had 16 points. Alexander hit four triples as she's gone 10-of-18 from beyond the arc in the last two games.
This was the Terps' seventh win over a ranked team this season as the Terps are 7-3 against ranked teams now heading into the Big Ten Tournament. Maryland beat a ranked Ohio State for the second time this season as the Terps blew out the then-No. 10 Buckeyes, 90-54, on Feb. 5 in College Park. The win by 36 points was the largest over a Top-10 team in Maryland program history.
Maryland's other wins over ranked teams include No. 6 Iowa, No. 6 UConn, No. 7 Notre Dame, No. 10 Ohio State, No. 13 Michigan, and No. 17 Baylor. The wins over Notre Dame and Baylor and this win over Ohio State all came on the road.
Alexander (11), Meyers (10), and Miller (10) all scored in double figures in the first half going a combined 13-of-23 from the field. Alexander hit a trio of triples in the first half including a pair in the second half which helped the Terps take a 38-33 lead into the halftime break.
The Buckeyes took a 63-58 lead into the fourth after a 30-point third quarter sparked by 10 points from Taylor Thierry.
Maryland was able to tie the game at 63-63 in the opening moments of the fourth thanks to five quick points by Meyers. Ohio State built out a four-point lead after that until
Lavender Briggs drilled a triple at the 5:43 mark to put the Terps back up 70-69.
After the Terps were able to go ahead 75-74, Ohio State had a chance to take the lead but missed a jumper with 25 seconds to go. Maryland cleared the rebound and called timeout to advance the ball to half court. Meyers hit the second of two free throws with 11 seconds remaining to extend Maryland's lead to two. On the ensuing Ohio State possession, Rikki Harris was fouled but missed both free throws. The Buckeyes were able to grab the rebound, but missed a potential game-tying lay-up with 5.9 seconds to go. Ohio State retained possession but could not get the game-tying bucket before the buzzer sounded.
Ohio State (23-6, 12-6) was led by 20 points from Cotie McMahon and 18 points from Taylor Mikesell. Taylor Thierry added 16 points, while Rebeka Mikulasikova rounded out the top scorers with 13 points.
Brenda's Takes
"Wow. That felt like a game you'd see in March in the postseason. So many elements there. You have Ohio State wanting redemption from our first game and the emotions of that, and then you have senior night. We just needed the one more stop. We've seen how much we've grown as a team."
"Obviously, Nae and Lav have been huge right now, just what they're giving us offensively, defensively, Nae stretching the floor and Lav defending. I thought Abby was fearless. She said this was the most fun she's ever had in a game in this environment. I thought she was huge, even stepping up and making that last free throw because it mattered. To finish conference play at 15-3 with the toughest slate in the toughest league, I'm just so proud of this group."
Breaking Down The Action
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Ohio State led 16-15 after the first quarter going 8-of-15 (53.3%) from the floor.
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The Terps took a 38-33 lead into the intermission thanks to an Abby Meyers step-through jumper at the free throw line just before the buzzer.
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A quick 9-3 run to start the second quarter put Maryland up 24-19 in the first three minutes. Maryland led by as many as seven before the Buckeyes managed to trim the lead to three before Meyers' shot to close the stanza.
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Ohio State was able to tie the game 46-46 on a three-pointer by Taylor Mikesell with 6:45 remaining in the third quarter.
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The teams traded five-point swings as Maryland re-took the lead before Ohio State tied the game at 51-51 forcing a Terps timeout with 4:38 to go in the third.
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Ohio State took a 63-58 lead into the fourth quarter after closing the third on a 7-2 run.
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A Meyers triple to open the fourth was followed by a steal and fastbreak lay-up as the Terps tied the game at 63-63.
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Maryland went on an 8-0 run in the fourth, sparked by a jumper by Meyers with 6:19 to play.
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The teams traded baskets down the stretch with a Meyers free throw with 11 seconds giving Maryland a 76-74 lead.
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Ohio State was able to get a look at a game-tying bucket, but could not get the shot off before the buzzer to force overtime.
Terps Beating Ranked Foes
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With the win over No. 16 Ohio State, the Terps are now 7-3 vs. ranked teams with wins over No. 6 Iowa, No. 6 UConn, at No. 7 Notre Dame, No. 10 Ohio State, No. 13 Michigan, at No. 17 Baylor.
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The last time the Terps had seven Top-25 wins in the regular-season was in 2014-15 with wins at No. 12 Nebraska, vs. No. 18 Rutgers, vs. No. 19 Nebraska, vs. No. 20 Iowa, at No. 23 Minnesota, at No. 24 Rutgers and at No. 25 Northwestern.
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That season was also the last time the Terps won three road games against ranked teams.
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Since Brenda Frese took over in 2002-03, Maryland now has 92 wins over Associated Press top 25 teams, including 11 in the 2014-15 season, which set a new school record.
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Under Frese, Maryland also has 29 wins over AP Top 10 teams, wth four this season.
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The Terrapins are now 92-73 against ranked teams over the last 20 years, all under Frese. Twenty-seven of those wins were on the road and 21 were at neutral sites.
B1G Time
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The Terps are now 198-53 (.788) all-time against their Big Ten opponents.
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Since joining the Big Ten in 2014-15, the Terrapins are 155-23 (.871) vs. their conference opponents, including their 19-3 record in the Big Ten Tournament.
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In the 21 years under Frese, the Terps are 168-27 (.862) against their Big Ten opponents.
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Frese is 181-32 (.854) all-time vs. Big Ten opponents, which includes her time at Minnesota and at Ball State.
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Since joining the league in 2014, Maryland is 73-6 (.924) against Big Ten teams at home.
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The Terrapins are also 138-8 (.945) when they score 70 points or more in Big Ten games since 2014-15.
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Since their first year in the Big Ten, the Terps are 120-4 (.968) when holding their league opponents to 70 points or fewer.
1,000 Point Update
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Miller stayed at 13th all-time in career scoring with 1,592 points. Next at No. 14 is Tianna Hawkins, who had 1,595 from 2010-13 before her WNBA career. No. 13 is Jessie Hicks, who scored 1,601 from 1990-03.
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Meyers now has 1,363 points in her career, with 947 in her three seasons of action at Princeton before joining the Terps this season.
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Three other Terps also have 1,000 career points: Lavender Briggs (1,162), Brinae Alexander (1,096) and Elisa Pinzan (1,017).
Diamond In The Record Book
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Miller continues to stand 10th in career blocked shots with 103. Next on the list at No. 9 is Hawkins with 117.
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She is also 16th in career made three-pointers with 102. Next on the list is No. 17 Chloe Bibby, who made 106 in her two seasons with the Terps in 2021-22.
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Miller remains 9th in career free throws made. She now has 380 and is looking to pass Laura Harper (2005-08) and Deedee Warley (1999-2002), who each had 386 and Kaila Charles (2017-20), who had 382.
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Miller moved to 21st in single season points as she now has 557. She passed Crystal Langhorne (549 in 2004-05).
Double-Figures Update
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With 16 points, Miller reached double-figures for the 27th time in 28 games played this season. She's recorded 10 points or more 82 times in her career of 111 games.
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Meyers netted 24 points for her 23rd game in double-figures and her 74th on her career with 51 coming at Princeton.
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Alexander's 16 points was her 11th game this season with double-figures and 53rd in 94 career college games.
Series History
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Friday's matchup was the 22nd all-time between Maryland and Ohio State. The Terps own the series at 14-8 and are 3-4 at the Schottenstein Center. Brenda Frese is now 13-8 vs. Ohio State in her career.
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Maryland beat Ohio State, 90-54, in College Park on Feb. 5. Diamond Miller led the way with 29 points and 10 rebounds. Abby Meyers scored 22 points and Sellers added 19 points.
Up Next
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Maryland will await its Big Ten Tournament matchup as the Terps will begin play on Friday in Minneapolis at the Target Center.
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Maryland will be seeded No. 2 or No. 3 depending on Iowa's result on Sunday against No. 2-ranked Indiana. If Iowa loses to No. 1 seed Indiana on Sunday, the Terps will be the No. 2 seed and play at 6:30 p.m. ET on Friday. If the Hawkeyes win on Sunday, Maryland will be the No. 3 seed and play at 9 p.m. ET.
