University of Maryland guard, Oluchi Okananwa was the star performer for her side, as she led The Terrapins to a very close-knit yet stunning 76-75 victory over Ohio State Buckeyes, Sports247 reports.
Okananwa was one of two top scorers for Maryland and she helped her side pull off a shock over Ohio State, after rallying from a 19-point first-half deficit for a historic victory.
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Maryland got a strong game from Okananwa, their leading scorer, and Yarden Garzon, as they each hit 17 points, but it was the team’s defensive effort in the second half that sparked their recovery.
The Terrapins’ squad, led by Brenda Frese, achieved the massive comeback from 19 points down in the first half and got a massive boost to their efforts in USA’s National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA).
The Buckeyes were also out-rebounded 47-34 by Maryland, and fell flat despite brilliant efforts of their star guard, Jaloni Cambridge, who got 29 points to lead all scorers, with 14 coming in the second half.
Although Chance Gray scored 25 points in the game, Cambridge was the only player to exceed six points in the second half, but her efforts were not good enough to stop Okananwa’s team from winning.
Okananwa and her teammates ended the day celebrating what turned out to be a victory laced with revenge, as they previously lost to Ohio State on January 11th, and then dropped four of their next five games.
The Nigerian-born lass, who will celebrate her 22nd birthday next week Friday, began her basketball career at Peabody High School and previously played for Duke University,
In her freshman year, which came during the 2023/24 season, she appeared in all 34 games, averaged 9.7 points and achieved a team-leading 6.1 rebounds per game while coming off the bench.
She made her collegiate debut on November 6, 2023, in a game against Richmond, and recorded 22 points, 12 rebounds, three steals and two assists in 25 minutes, then excelled during the Sweet Sixteen of the 2025 NCAA tournament.
Okananwa twinkled against North Carolina, as she got 12 points and a season-high 12 rebounds, for her third double-double of the season, helping Duke advance to the Elite Eight, but she soon took a transfer to Maryland.
