Some players called it an embarrassment, a humiliation the Terrapins will have to live with for eight days, through final exams, until their next game.
The Terrapins could find nothing positive in a 61-55 loss to Ohio at Comcast Center on Wednesday, as Maryland (6-5) will dwell on its most demoralizing defeat of the season for nine games until it hosts American on Dec. 22.
“This is a huge step back,” senior forward James Gist said. “Two losses on your home court early in the season. For us, we have [nine] days, we?ll think about this until our next game. It?s tough.”
The Terrapins did not practice yesterday and will take today off, too, so players can focus on final exams. But once the team returns to the court, Coach Gary Williams said the team has plenty of room for improvement.
“We were really sluggish with our offense,” Williams said. “They beat us to balls. We have to play at a high level this year to be successful. That?s what we have to work toward during the next [nine] days.”
Maryland trailed by 11 points at the half against the Bobcats (6-2), and despite a late push to pull to within 58-55 with 50 seconds remaining, the Terrapins fell to 0-4 when trailing at halftime.
Senior forward Bambale Osby, who struggled again with catching the ball in the post, thinks the break between games could be beneficial to a young team that features three starting sophomores and a freshman.
“This is a good opportunity for us to learn from a loss,” Osby said. “We have exam week coming up, so we have a few days off. Guys can rest, get themselves back together and we can move on.”
But it won?t be easy.
It was Maryland?s fourth non-conference loss in College Park in the past 19 seasons, and just the second at Comcast Center. The Terrapins? 69-65 loss to Florida in Dec. 2002 ended an 87-game non-conference home winning streak.
Maryland had never lost to a team from the Mid-Atlantic Conference.
“I?m definitely embarrassed,” sophomore guard Eric Hayes said. “For Ohio, coming in here, they?re in the MAC conference, and coming in here and beating us on our own floor, it?s definitely embarrassing.”
TERRAPINS (6-5) VS.
AMERICAN EAGLES (6-4)
» Tipoff: Dec. 22, 4 p.m.
» Where: Comcast Center
» TV: CSN
» Radio: 105.7 FM, 1300 AM, 88.9 FM
