Bruce Thornton's sheer will for victory has never been questioned. On Sunday, he put on another display.
The Buckeyes' four-time captain and brightest star scored close, scored from midrange and scored deep to rack up 24 points. He played excellent perimeter defense against a 3-point-centric Notre Dame team.
But it was Christoph Tilly who proved the hero in the end. Racking up 18 total points, the Buckeyes' final play in the waning seconds fell into Tilly's hands as he rolled to the basket through a contest. He cashed in the post look with 10 seconds to play, and after a missed shot by Notre Dame on the other end, the Buckeyes (4-0) conquered the Fighting Irish (3-1) 64-63.
TILLY FOR THE WIN! @OhioStateHoops escapes Notre Dame with the win! pic.twitter.com/dakw5fB867
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) November 16, 2025
| TEAM | 1 | 2 | FINAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| NOTRE DAME | 34 | 29 | 63 |
| OHIO STATE | 31 | 33 | 64 |
Guard Markus Burton paced Notre Dame with 14 points in a losing effort. Guards Jalan Harelson and Braeden Shrewsberry added 13 and 11 points, while forward Carson Towt secured a game-high 12 rebounds.
Thornton and Tilly saw their biggest support from guard John Mobley Jr., who had nine points (though he was just 2-of-10 shooting) and Devin Royal, who picked up seven points and six rebounds.
First Half
Ohio State's defense kept it in the game early, but on the offensive end, the Buckeyes got off to another cold shooting start, the same as their last game vs. Appalachian State. Except that Notre Dame's defense was a major leap above the Mountaineers. Forced shots late in the shot clock and contested looks were frequent.
The Buckeyes opened the contest 3-of-13 shooting and turned the ball over five times in the first 11 minutes. Notre Dame built a 21-10 lead as seven different Fighting Irishmen scored points during the stretch.
But Ohio State battled right back in with an 8-0 run. Gabe Cupps showed some scoring ability with a drive for a layup, adding a steal on the other end to pair with a pair of 3s by Mobley and Thornton. Suddenly, it was a one-score game again at 23-20.
Another frigid 1-of-6 stretch of shooting by the Buckeyes let Notre Dame rebuild its lead to 34-26, but a trio of free throws from Mobley and a floater by Thornton that could have cleared skyscrapers sliced Ohio State's deficit back to 34-31 before halftime.
Second Half
| NOTRE DAME | STAT | OHIO STATE |
|---|---|---|
| 63 | POINTS | 64 |
| 24-51 (47.1%) | FGM-FGA (PCT.) | 19-50 (38%) |
| 3-10 (30%) | 3PM-3PA (PCT.) | 7-23 (30.4%) |
| 12-20 (60%) | FTM-FTA (PCT.) | 19-23 (82.6%) |
| 13 | TURNOVERS | 10 |
| 36 | TOTAL REBOUNDS | 28 |
| 7 | OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 4 |
| 29 | DEFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 24 |
| 17 | BENCH POINTS | 6 |
| 1 | BLOCKS | 4 |
| 6 | STEALS | 6 |
| 8 | ASSISTS | 12 |
Notre Dame's advantage on the inside became ever more apparent as the game continued. Through the first half and the first four minutes of the second half, the Fighting Irish outrebounded the Buckeyes 19-12 and outscored them 28-10 in the paint. Some interior offense, coupled with a triple from Braeden Shrewsberry, made it a 42-34 lead for the Irish in the opening minutes of the second half.
Thornton's will to keep his team afloat did not waver. He rattled off eight straight Ohio State points with two 3-pointers, trimming the Notre Dame lead right back to two points. Tilly netted two free throws a few minutes later, and the contest was tied at 46 as the clock wound under 11 minutes.
Then two more free throws from Tilly gave the Buckeyes their first lead in nearly 25 minutes. Shrewsberry hit a triple to regain the edge for the Irish, and the lead started swinging back and forth.
Freshman forward Amare Bynum slammed a dunk through a foul to give the lead back to Ohio State. Notre Dame forward Carson Towt answered with his own dunk. Tilly finished a layup through a foul for a three-point play. Burton knocked down two from the charity stripe to tie things at 53.
Four more free throws and a stepback midrange Thornton jumper made it a multi-score lead for the Buckeyes for the first time, capping a 6-0 run at 59-53. Notre Dame surged right back with a 6-0 run to tie the game, but Thornton pump-faked to make a defender fly past him and canned a triple from the top of the key. Shrewsberry hit the second of two Irish buckets to set the score at 63-62 Notre Dame with less than two minutes left.
Both teams saw a stretch of more than one and a half minutes without scoring before Ohio State brought the ball up the court and called a timeout with 24 seconds left, drawing up one final play for a potential go-ahead basket. Mobley connected with Tilly on a beautiful roll toward the hoop with 13 seconds remaining. Notre Dame missed a shot on the other side and victory was secured.
What's Next?
Ohio State continues its six-game season-opening homestand with a mid-major opponent in Western Michigan on Thursday. Tipoff is at 8 p.m. on Big Ten Network.
Game Notes
- After being honored with a statue outside the Schottenstein Center on Friday, Jerry Lucas became the first basketball player in Ohio State history to dot the 'i' in Script Ohio, doing so with the Ohio State athletic band at halftime.
- The Buckeyes extended their series lead to 10-4 over the Fighting Irish.
- Notre Dame entered Sunday shooting 42.5% from 3, making 12.3 shots from behind the arc per game. Against Ohio State, the Irish made just three triples and shot 30% from deep.
- Interior play will be an area to work on for Ohio State moving forward, as Notre Dame outscored the Buckeyes 38-18 in the paint and outrebounded them 36-28.
