Maryland has proven lately to be a second-half team.
Unfortunately for Gary Williams and Company, the Terrapins have found themselves trailing by too much at halftime to mount any serious comeback.
That was the case Wednesday night, when Maryland cut an 11-point halftime deficit, but couldn’t complete the comeback in a 61-55 loss to Ohio in a non-conference game before an announced crowd of 17,950 at Comcast Center.
Maryland (6-5 overall, 0-1 ACC) overcame a seemingly insurmountable 17-point deficit with 11:19 to play, and closed to within three points with 50.9 seconds remaining. But Maryland’s inconsistent offense was its downfall.
“It’s my responsibility to get the team to play,” Maryland coach Gary Williams said. “We have a different team this year than last year, and we have to understand we have to play differently.”
Maryland shot 40.4 percent from the floor, and opened with a 1-for-8 performance from beyond the three-point line in the first half. The team also struggled to maintain position on the inside block, with senior forward Bambale Osby continuing his struggles with catching the ball in the paint.
“We’ve got to make shots,” Williams said. “We had some pretty good looks. We dropped too many balls. We have to learn how to catch a pass — it’s as simple as that.”
Ohio (6-2 overall), which plays in the Mid-American Conference, won the rebounding battle, 37-27, behind a great night by Baltimore native Leon Williams.
Williams, who played high school basketball at Cardinal Gibbons, scored 17 points with 16 rebounds. Jerome Tillman scored a game-high 20 points and the Bobcats shot 48.1 percent from the floor.
Greivis Vasquez led the Terrapins with 13 points. Maryland turns its focus to American, which comes to Comcast Center Dec. 22 for a 4 p.m. tip.
