COLUMBUS, Ohio — A quick conversation between Justin Jackson and Ohio State coach Thad Matta at the end of the first half Tuesday night symbolized the freshman’s early-game domination.
“When I was in the corner,” Jackson recalled, “[Matta] tapped me and he said, ‘Jackson, are you going to miss for me? I need you to miss one for me.'”
“No, I’m not missing this one,” the Maryland men’s basketball forward shot back.
Jackson couldn’t follow through on his claim, his corner 3-pointed clanging off the rim for his only miss in six attempts before halftime. Still, he entered intermission with 13 points and added nine more in the second half to go along with 12 rebounds. His performance, paired with guard Melo Trimble’s crucial late-game conversions, helped Maryland hold off Ohio State, 77-71, for its seventh straight win.
“Just him playing with confidence,” said Trimble, who finished with 13 points. “A lot of teams, in my opinion, are not respecting him, not respecting his jump shot, and he’s been open, and he’s knocking them down.”
Despite a career-high 28 points in the Terps’ road win against Minnesota on Saturday, Jackson said he tries not to focus on scoring. Coach Mark Turgeon relies on him to excel in other areas, such as rebounding — he’s the team leader in boards per game — and defensively on the perimeter and in the post.
Tuesday was no different, as Turgeon said Jackson’s scoring production came as a result of the team’s offensive flow.
While Jackson put together a memorable performance, he didn’t score in the final 15 minutes, forcing the Terps to rely on several players to score during that span. In the final three minutes, Maryland knew where to turn for points.
“Of course, Melo was Melo,” Turgeon said. “Took him out at the five-minute mark — he was forcing some things. Put him back in at three and I said, ‘Take over.'”
For much of the game, Trimble struggled. The Upper Marlboro native was on pace for one of his lowest scoring totals of the season and committed five turnovers. Usually a menace for opponents when driving to the lane, he couldn’t convert inside amidst multiple Buckeyes defenders.
But in the final moments, Trimble delivered like he’s done so many times over his three-year career. Maryland led by one with about two minutes to play when Trimble nailed his first 3-pointer in six attempts. Two possessions later, he converted a difficult floater. Down four with 32 seconds left, the Buckeyes were forced to foul, and Trimble iced the contest with two free throws as the Terps (20-2, 8-1 Big Ten) won their ninth game by six points or less.
Freshman guards Kevin Huerter (nine points) and guard Anthony Cowan (11 points) helped out offensively. Forwards Jae’Sean Tate and Marc Loving paced the Buckeyes (13-10, 3-7 Big Ten), combining to score 38 points.
“We’re used to being in close games,” guard Kevin Huerter said. “So when teams make runs and the game is close at the end, I don’t think we freak out.”
Early on, Maryland built on Saturday’s 59-point second half performance against Minnesota by scoring 42 in the opening 20 minutes versus the Buckeyes to enter the break with a six-point advantage.
Aside from about a three-minute stretch early in the first frame, when Ohio State put together an 8-0 spurt, the Terps scored at ease in a variety of ways. There were the seven 3-pointers, three of which came Jackson, who finished 4 of 7 from deep. Forward Jared Nickens added two triples in eight minutes, continuing his hot shooting from behind the arc during conference play despite limited playing time.
The Terps’ hot outside shooting opened up the paint, and they took advantage by getting to the free throw line, making seven of their nine attempts. Still, Ohio State was within six at the break behind 52-percent shooting and Tate’s 13 points.
An 11-0 Maryland run spanning intermission helped it open up a double-digit lead, and Jackson helped the Terps maintain a comfortable advantage until the under-12 media timeout.
Ohio State scored the next five points out of the break, prompting Turgeon to call a 30-second timeout a little more than a minute after meeting with his team. The Buckeyes were within 58-55.
The game remained close to the final buzzer, but Ohio State could never pull even. With Jackson dominating early, and Trimble coming through late, Maryland escaped Value City Arena on short rest to remain atop the conference standings.
“I’m really proud of my team,” Turgeon said. “That was gut-check win for us.”
