Both teams played ugly but Ohio State's performance was just a bit uglier as Indiana turned back the Buckeyes, 69-66, this afternoon in Assembly Hall.
| 1 | 2 | FINAL | |
|---|---|---|---|
| OHIO STATE | 26 | 40 | 66 |
| INDIANA | 32 | 37 | 39 |
Shannon Scott led the Buckeyes with 16 points on 7/14 shooting but the rest of the squad was ice cold as Ohio State shot just 35% for the game.
Trailing for much of the afternoon, Ohio State cut the Hoosier lead to 53-51 and even 65-64 in the final minutes thanks largely to Sam Thompson who scored 11 of his 12 points in the 2nd half.
Jae'Sean Tate made the most of his extended minutes as Ohio State went small for large stretches tallying 12 points and five rebounds to go along with two steals and a block before he fouled out. D'Angelo Russell added 13 points but missed 11 of 14 shots from the field though he did lead the squad with eight boards.
After hitting the game winner in Ohio State's last outing at Minnesota, Marc Loving couldn't get anything going as he missed eight of 11 shots to finish with seven points. He missed all five three point tries and tweaked his knee late in the opening half though he did add six rebounds.
| OHIO STATE | STAT | INDIANA |
|---|---|---|
| 66 | POINTS | 69 |
| 23-67 (34.4) | FGM-FGA (PCT.) | 22-55 (40.0) |
| 3-21 (14.3) | 3PM-3PA (PCT.) | 4-18 (22.2) |
| 17-27 (63.0) | FTM-FTA (PCT.) | 21-28 (75.0) |
| 5 | TURNOVERS | 15 |
| 39 | TOTAL REBOUNDS | 48 |
| 18 | OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 16 |
| 21 | DEFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 32 |
| 16 | BENCH POINTS | 18 |
| 7 | BLOCKS | 7 |
| 9 | STEALS | 2 |
| 7 | ASSISTS | 9 |
| 15 | PTS OFF TURNOVERS | 9 |
| 2 | FAST-BREAK POINTS | 7 |
| 2 | SECOND-CHANCE POINTS | 5 |
| 34 | POINTS IN PAINT | 14 |
Ohio State's frigid output from the floor saw them miss 17 of 20 tries from downtown and 10 of 27 free throws which completely negated their 15-5 advantage in turnovers.
The Buckeyes were also demolished on the glass as the Hoosiers owned a 48-39 edge.
Indiana missed 14 of their 18 three-point tries but connected on 40% overall from the floor and outscored the Buckeyes by four at the stripe.
Freshman James Blackmon Jr. led the Hoosiers with 18 points and Troy Williams added 15 to go along with 12 boards in an impressive showing.
Ohio State charged out to a 9-2 lead as Indiana turned each Indiana starter turned it over once each in the opening four minutes but that lead would quickly evaporate as the Hoosiers unleashed a 24-6 run to take a 26-15 lead with 6:15 left in the half.
The Buckeyes were too quick to settle for long jumpers and made just two field goals during the nine minute stretch while getting hammered on the glass. Ohio State managed to cut the 11 point deficit to six at intermission, 32-26, but the stats weren't pretty. Thad Matta's squad was outrebounded 30-15 overall and 11-3 on the offensive glass.
Luckily, neither team could shoot in the first half as OSU shot 33% and Indiana 30%. The Buckeyes missed 10 of 12 three-point tries and 5 of 11 free throws in the opening half but turned it over just twice compared to nine for the Hoosiers. Tate was the lone bright spot with an active seven points, and three boards to go along with a block and a steal.
Next Tuesday, Ohio State returns home to take on Michigan at 7:00 p.m. at the Schott.
