Maryland women’s basketball’s Sarah Te-Biasu dribbled into the paint in the fourth quarter. She attempted a pass to Emily Fisher, but Kennedy Cambridge took the ball away.

Kennedy Cambridge found Jaloni Cambridge for an easy layup, marking more points off of giveaways for Ohio State. It also extended a 7-0 Buckeyes run that created a deficit too large for the Terps.

No. 8 Maryland committed 17 turnovers in a 74-66 defeat to No. 12 Ohio State at the Value City Arena on Thursday. The Buckeyes cashed in 20 points off turnovers.

One game after giving away possession 27 times against Texas, struggles continued for the Terps (16-3, 6-2 Big Ten). They led by 10 in the third quarter before being outscored 28-16 in the final 15 minutes of the game.

“We let them speed us up,” guard Kaylene Smikle said. “Our passes were lazy, we weren’t really making the right read … it’s something we should fix.”

Maryland’s early ability to get rebounds set the pace for its offense. The Terps collected 17 in the first quarter, with six coming on the offensive glass. They grabbed 11 more boards than Ohio State (18-1, 7-1 Big Ten) through the opening 10 minutes.

The Terps scored 10 second chance opportunities, including layups from forwards Allie Kubek and Christina Dalce and Smikle. Maryland’s ability to get to the basket extended to Te-Biasu, who drove into the paint and completed a three-point play.

[No. 8 Maryland women’s basketball suffers 89-51 blowout loss to No. 7 Texas]

Maryland’s defense only allowed five Buckeyes’ field goals in the opening frame, letting the Terps grow their lead to 22-12 after the first period.

Without high-scoring guards Shyanne Sellers and Bri McDaniel, Smikle took over as Maryland’s prominent scorer. The junior accounted for the Terps’ first four points of the second quarter, which included a made 3-pointer. Smikle eclipsed 10 points for the 17th straight contest, but only played one minute in the second frame after being whistled for two fouls.

Turnovers hindered Maryland’s offense. The Terps committed six in the second quarter and 11 in the first half. Ohio State scored 11 first-half points off of Maryland giveaways.

But the Terps’ lead never dipped below six points in the second frame despite Smikle’s absence and an almost five-minute streak without a point.

Ohio State’s leading scorers Cotie McMahon and Jaloni Cambridge, who both average over 15 per game, only combined for 12 points in the first half. The Buckeyes shot just 23 percent from the floor and trailed 34-27 at halftime. Ohio State’s point tally was tied for its lowest at halftime this season.

[Shyanne Sellers’ brilliance lifts No. 8 Maryland women’s basketball over No. 24 Minnesota, 99-92]

Smikle returned to the floor at the start of the third quarter and spurred Maryland’s offense once again. The guard scored a layup, added two free throws to begin the new half and dished out a pair of assists down low to Kubek. Smikle ended the game with 17 points and four assists.

The Terps started 6-for-7 from the field with Smikle off the bench, and grew their lead to 10.

But turnovers plagued Maryland once again. It turned over possession three times during a 15-0 scoring run by the Buckeyes, including a Kennedy Cambridge 3-pointer to give Ohio State its first lead since the opening quarter.

The Terps went another four minutes with no points in the third and entered the fourth quarter down 57-54.

“They decided to ramp up their physicality. It got a lot more physical, and we didn’t handle it,” coach Brenda Frese said. “There were a lot more turnovers, and I think fatigue played into that, with the aggressiveness that [Ohio State] played with.”

Giveaways and shooting struggles confounded a second-half collapse for Maryland. Te-Biasu’s errant pass was the lone turnover in the fourth period, but the Terps made just three field goals and shot 21 percent. They also missed six free throws, contributing to a 21-for-34 mark from the free-throw line overall.

Maryland’s rebounding prowess also faded in the second half. It grabbed just one more board than the Buckeyes and only scored six second chance points.

The Terps lost back-to-back games for the first time this season before their matchup with No. 1 UCLA on Sunday. Their second Big Ten loss drops them to fourth in the conference standings.

“I thought in the third quarter with a lot of fatigue and missed some uncharacteristic layups and free throws that we can clean up,” Frese said. “…We’re not going to get too high or too low in January.”