No. 7 Maryland women’s basketball (11-1, 7-0 B1G) returns to action on the road against No. 17 Ohio State (7-1, 3-1 B1G) after an eight-day layoff.
The Terps have not taken the floor since last Sunday when they escaped Wisconsin with a win. Maryland dominated the glass in that game and Chloe Bibby led the way with 19 points and six rebounds. Mimi Collins added 11 points and a resounding 17 boards.
Maryland was scheduled to face Iowa at home this past Thursday, Jan. 21, but that game was postponed due to security concerns surrounding the presidential inauguration. The Terps see the layoff as a positive for the team heading into Columbus.
“It gives us extra time to work on ourselves,” sophomore Diamond Miller said.
Head Coach Brenda Frese’s group is on a 10-game win streak and leads the country in scoring, averaging 92.5 points per game. Maryland has won 24 consecutive games against Big Ten opponents dating back to last January.
Earlier this week, Bibby was named to the Big Ten Player of the Week honor roll after two dominant performances on the road. In those two road victories, coming against Wisconsin and Minnesota, she averaged 20 points, seven rebounds and four assists.
Ohio State is off to a great start this season and has yet to lose a game at home. The Buckeyes most recent win was against No. 11 Michigan on Thursday. Ohio State is one of five Big Ten teams ranked in the most recent AP Top 25 poll.
The Buckeyes may be without one of their top rebounders for this matchup. Junior forward Aaliyah Patty is day-to-day with an injury and it remains unclear if she will be ready to go against the Terps. Patty is second on the team in rebounding and if she is out, Maryland will look to have continued success crashing the offensive boards.
The Terps took all three meetings against the Buckeyes last year, including the Big Ten Championship Game which the Terps won 82-65. The Ohio State program will be serving a NCAA postseason ban this season, so the Big Ten is all they have their eyes set on.
“These are two teams that have always enjoyed our meetings together,” Frese said. “They’re always highly competitive and go back and forth.”
