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Buckeyes, Bruce Thornton rally to beat No. 18 Maryland at home

2iQTwToy.jpg-mediumby:Mick Walker•about 9 hours•

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Bruce Thornton
Dec 29, 2024; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes guard Bruce Thornton (2) celebrates a three-point basket during the first half against the Indiana State Sycamores at Value City Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

COLUMBUS — Ohio State earned another ranked Big Ten win in the first year of the Jake Diebler era.

After stumping down the stretch in the second against Illinois on Sunday, the Buckeyes bounced back and beat No. 18 Maryland at home on Thursday night.

Final score: Ohio State 73, Penn State 70. That’s the second ranked win in the Big Ten for Diebler’s team, which continues to add to its resume ahead of the final stretch of Big Ten play that could determine its potential NCAA Tournament fate.

Junior point guard Bruce Thornton had had a game-high 31 points. He also had five rebounds and six rebounds assists to lead the Buckeyes. Thornton is the only player in college basketball this season to have multiple 30 point games against ranked teams, according to the Big Ten. Micah Parrish was second on the team with 13 points against Maryland. He was the only other Buckeye to finish in double figures.

Forward Devin Royal led Ohio State in rebounding with 11 boards to go along with seven points. Freshman guard John Mobley Jr. also had eight points and three assists. Forward Evan Mahaffey was a key figure for the Buckeyes off the bench he had six points but more importantly, he played some solid defense against the Terapins talent front court.

It was a cricial win for Ohio State as it approaches the home stretch of conference play. At 14-9 and 6-6 in the Big Ten, the Buckeyes are now headed to Lincoln to face Nebraska on Sunday afternoon. From there Jake Diebler’s squad returns to the Schottenstein Center for a three-game homestead

Ohio State hosts Washington on Feb. 12, Michigan, which current ranks as No. 24 in the AP Top-25, on Feb. 16 and Northwestern on Feb. 20

Win a few of those three, and the Buckeyes’ NCAA Tournament resume really begins to become cemented. Drop those games and the Buckeyes will spend the last few weeks of the season on the bubble as Diebler pushes for a tournament berth in his first season as a head coach.

Ohio State remaining basketball schedule


Feb. 9 at Nebraska
Feb. 12 vs. Washington
Feb. 16 vs. Michigan
Feb. 20 vs. Northwestern
Feb. 23 at UCLA
Feb. 26 at USC
March 4 vs. Nebraska
March 8 at Indiana
March 12-16 Big Ten Tournament (Indianapolis)

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