Bruce Thornton banked in a 3-point shot with seven seconds left to cap a 31-point night and propel Ohio State to a 73-70 come-from-behind victory over No. 18 Maryland on Thursday in Columbus, Ohio.
Micah Parrish added 13 points for Ohio State (14-9, 6-6 Big Ten), which trailed by 17 points late in the first half and by 11 with just over seven minutes left before the late surge.
Thornton scored 17 of his points in the final seven minutes. He made 11 of 18 shots from the floor for the game and finished with five rebounds, six assists and three steals.
Devin Royal supplied seven points and 11 rebounds as the Buckeyes won for the fourth time in their last five games and handed the Terrapins their fifth straight loss in Columbus.
Julian Reese collected 24 points and 13 rebounds for Maryland (17-6, 7-5), which had won four straight games.
Rodney Rice scored 18 points, while Derik Queen added 13 points and eight rebounds for the Terrapins, who were ranked this week for the first time since the 2022-23 season.
It was a reversal from their meeting in December when the Terrapins led by as many as 40 points on their way to an 83-59 romp.
This time, Maryland led for the first 37:50 before Thornton gave Ohio State its first lead at 67-66 with 2:10 left.
Queen gave the advantage back to Maryland, 68-67, as he blocked a shot and followed with two free throws. But Thornton answered with a driving 3-point play to put the Buckeyes back in front 70-68.
After Rice tied it up with a floater in the lane with 36 seconds left, Thornton dribbled the clock down and took his game-winning fadeaway 3-pointer with a defender in his face.
In the opening minutes, Maryland made its first seven shots while Ohio State missed its first five.
With Rice draining three straight jumpers, including a 3-pointer, and Reese working inside for three baskets, the Terrapins jetted to a 15-2 lead in the first five minutes of the game.
Later in the half, the Buckeyes went nearly eight minutes without a field goal. The Terrapins stretched their advantage to 39-22 as Reese delivered two free throws and a layup.
But in the final 3:10 of the half, Thornton scored eight points and fed Mobley for a fastbreak layup as Ohio State sliced the deficit to 41-32 at the break.
–Field Level Media
