COLLEGE PARK, Md. — In an impressive debut in Big Ten play, Ja’Kobi Gillespie shone brightly by scoring 23 points, as Maryland triumphed over Ohio State with an 83-59 victory on Wednesday evening. Derik Queen also made a significant contribution, achieving a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds, marking his fourth double-double of the season.
Maryland secured a massive 33-point lead by halftime, matching the largest halftime advantage for any team in the Big Ten for a regular-season game since the 1996-97 season. The Terrapins’ previous record was a 28-point lead against Rutgers in January 2016.
The game turned decisively in Maryland’s favor during a remarkable 11-0 run that established a commanding 25-8 lead early on. By the end of the first half, Maryland had built a staggering 50-17 lead after successfully preventing Ohio State from scoring for the last four minutes of the half.
With 15 minutes still remaining in the game, Selton Miguel hit Maryland’s seventh 3-pointer to extend the lead to 63-23. At that moment, Ohio State had only managed to make nine field goals and struggled with their shooting, making their first 3-pointer with 13:39 left in the game after missing their previous 11 attempts.
Prior to this game, Ohio State had celebrated its best three-game stretch of shooting from beyond the arc since early in the 2009 season, having made 38 3-pointers in their last three outings.
In addition to Gillespie and Queen, Miguel and Julian Reese each contributed 10 points for Maryland, who improved to an 8-1 overall record and 1-0 in the conference. For Ohio State, Devin Royal led the team with 18 points, while John Mobley Jr. added 15 points, bringing the team to a 5-3 overall record and 0-1 in conference play.
Looking ahead, Maryland is set to face No. 8 Purdue on Sunday, while Ohio State will return home for a matchup against Rutgers on Saturday.
