Chris Holtmann's magic came to an end Wednesday night.
After winning six games in a row to begin the season, including a pair of road victories against Cincinnati and Creighton, No. 16 Ohio State couldn't handle Syracuse and suffered its first defeat. The Orange beat the Buckeyes, 72-62, Wednesday at the Schottenstein Center.
| TEAM | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| #16 OHIO STATE (6-1) | 31 | 31 | 62 |
| SYRACUSE (4-2) | 29 | 43 | 72 |
Ohio State jumped out to an early lead on Syracuse and maintained the advantage until the Orange grabbed its first lead of the game with five minutes remaining in the first half. Both teams traded the lead before Syracuse re-gained the advantage and began extending it early in the second half.
The Orange continued to extend the lead and made it a double-digit advantage with 8:58 remaining in the game. Ohio State cut the lead to six points when Jackson hit a pair of free throws with 2:56 remaining, but layups from Tyus Battle and Elijah Hughes quickly gave Syracuse a double-digit lead, once again.
| OHIO STATE | STAT | SYRACUSE |
|---|---|---|
| 62 | POINTS | 72 |
| 15-46 (32.6%) | FGM-FGA (PCT.) | 22-45 (48.9%) |
| 6-22 (27.3%) | 3PM-3PA (PCT.) | 11-24 (45.8%) |
| 26-35 (74.3%) | FTM-FTA (PCT.) | 17-19 (89.5%) |
| 11 | TURNOVERS | 13 |
| 31 | TOTAL REBOUNDS | 29 |
| 11 | OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 5 |
| 21 | DEFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 24 |
| 9 | BENCH POINTS | 12 |
| 1 | BLOCKS | 3 |
| 5 | STEALS | 1 |
| 12 | ASSISTS | 13 |
Battle had 20 points and Hughes added 18 points. Oshae Brissett had 14 points
C.J. Jackson and Kaleb Wesson struggled to both find open looks and knock down shots. They combined to make 5-of-22 shots from the field and 2-of-9 3-pointers. Wesson and Jackson each did damage from the foul line, though, and hit a combined 20-of-26 free throws.
Ohio State shot just 33 percent from the field, and made just 6-of-24 shots in the second half. Syracuse, though, made 49 percent of its shots. The Orange proved deadly from beyond the arc, nailing 11-of-24 3-pointers. The Buckeyes made just 6-of-22 triples.
Syracuse had a significant size advantage. The smallest starter on the Orange stands 6-foot-5, while three Ohio State starters were 6-foot-3 or shorter. That size advantage wasn't readily apparent early in the game, though. The Buckeyes have struggled rebounding this season, but had a 17-12 advantage on the boards in the first half.
Syracuse nearly even it up in the second half and finished with 29 rebounds, compared to Ohio State's 31 boards.
