Before the game, former coach Gary Williams and players from the 2002 team — including Steve Blake, Lonny Baxter and program scoring leader Juan Dixon, all of whom have jerseys honored in the Xfinity Center rafters — visited with the current Terps.
“You felt their presence,” Russell said. “They came in the locker room, and Coach Williams said a couple words and he gave us motivation. When he talks, everybody listens. Seeing all the guys walk in there, Steve Blake, Juan Dixon, all of them, it was like we went out there just trying not to disappoint them. It was a legendary night.”
Malaki Branham (13 points) led four players in double figures for the Buckeyes (18-8, 11-6), who probably had no idea what sort of hornet’s nest they were entering in a late-season game against a sub-.500 team struggling to avoid the first day of the Big Ten tournament.
They learned soon enough.
Maryland scored the first eight points, and after absorbing a Buckeyes run it took a 32-28 lead into the break.
Ohio State wasn’t entirely out of it for much of the second half, trailing 57-53 with less than seven minutes left. After Xavier Green made a free throw and missed his second attempt, Julian Reese and Donta Scott collected offensive rebounds to extend a possession finished by a Russell three-pointer for the Terps.
Almost two minutes later, a similar sequence unfolded. Scott soared in to collect an offensive rebound, setting up Ayala for a three-pointer to make it 64-53 with 4:17 to go.
Russell and Ayala combined to shoot 8 for 15 from three-point range. It was the fourth time both veteran guards scored at least 20 points.
“Their backcourt was tremendous,” Ohio State Coach Chris Holtmann said. “We had no answer for them.”
Maryland hopes that can continue. It has won three of four as it heads into March, with only Wednesday’s home finale against Minnesota and Sunday’s trip to Michigan State remaining in the regular season.
“At a time like this, we’re dangerous,” Ayala said. “We’re a team that nobody wants to see. People who are in front of us, they’re going to get a fight from us, for sure.”
Here’s what to know from Maryland’s victory:
Reunion time
The 20th anniversary reunion over the weekend included all 11 surviving players, plus Williams and assistants Matt Kovarik and Jimmy Patsos. Dave Dickerson, the other assistant coach, is the head coach at South Carolina Upstate and could not attend because the Spartans are preparing for the Big South tournament.
The gathering comes at an unusual time in Maryland’s basketball history. Former coach Mark Turgeon departed in December, and the school probably will hire his full-time replacement next month.
Williams said he hopes the university and its community will be completely behind the new hire.
“A lot of things have changed, but at the same time, we know how to get it done,” Williams said. “In other words, we won a national championship. That can happen here again. A lot of schools have never won a national championship. We have that going for us.”
Russell 2K
Russell’s three-pointer to cap Maryland’s 8-0 run to open the game also pushed him past the 2,000-point plateau for his career. Russell is the 22nd active Division I player to reach 2,000 points in NCAA competition.
Russell played his first four seasons at Rhode Island and scored 1,594 points for the Rams. With his 27-point outing Sunday, he has 431 points for Maryland as a graduate transfer.
Dziuba’s statement
Sophomore forward Pavlo Dziuba had the Ukrainian flag draped over his shoulders when he came out for the pregame layup lines. The Kyiv native placed the flag on the back of his chair on the bench, and Manning and his staff wore blue sweatbands.
It was Maryland’s first home game since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last week.
“It’s just a show of support for Pav,” interim coach Danny Manning said. “I can’t imagine — I don’t know what to say. You turn on the TV and you see all types of projectiles falling through the air. You know he has family members there and friends and people he cares for. I’m pretty sure he’s seen some familiar places or what used to look familiar on TV that doesn’t look the same right now. It’s just for us to let him know we support him and love him.”
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February 28, 2022 at 07:53AM
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With 2002 title team in attendance, Terps play inspired ball to beat No. 22 Ohio State - The Washington Post
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