Ohio State had chances, but could not sweep its two-game West Coast road trip.
The Buckeyes (11-5, 3-3 Big Ten) fell behind thanks to a 14-0 second-half run by Washington (10-6, 2-3) and dropped an 81-74 game in Seattle.
| TEAM | 1 | 2 | FINAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| OHIO STATE | 38 | 36 | 74 |
| WASHINGTON | 36 | 45 | 81 |
Forward Hannes Steinbach and guard Zoom Diallo led the action for Washington, collecting 21 and 20 points, respectively. Center Franck Kepnang also proved impactful for the Huskies, finishing with 11 points and seven rebounds.
Bruce Thornton, as usual, led the way for Ohio State with 28 points in a losing effort. Freshman Amare Bynum produced a career-high 20 points, but did so on just 8-of-19 shooting.
First Half
Bynum came out firing, assembling a 7-0 run for Ohio State by himself to take the Buckeyes from down 6-4 to up 11-6 in the opening minutes. He flexed his versatility as a scorer with that run, nailing a turnaround fadeaway jumper in the paint and an open 3-pointer.
Thornton tacked on a triple and a pretty finish through contact to cap a 12-2 run in totality, and Ohio State led 18-10 less than seven minutes into the contest. Bynum pushed the advantage to 21-12 on a 3-pointer, but soon the Huskies got hot from downtown.
Forward Nikola Dzepina splashed a corner 3, and guard Courtland Muldrew canned one of his own before guard Zoom Diallo made two triples taken from a good five feet beyond the arc. John Mobley Jr. hit his first 3-pointer of the game and center Ivan Njegovan added a hook shot, but Washington was right back in the game, down just 28-26.
The lead swung between four and two points as Ohio State and Washington alternated made field goals for the next 13 shots of the game. Steinbach was a huge factor for the Huskies in this stretch and throughout the first half, constantly finishing through strong contests, until he eventually hit two free throws to tie the game at 36.
Devin Royal worked into the paint and found space for a floater to take a 38-36 Buckeye lead into halftime. Bynum finished the first half with 12 points for OSU, and Steinbach with 14 for UW.
| OHIO STATE | STAT | WASHINGTON |
|---|---|---|
| 74 | POINTS | 81 |
| 27-63 (42.9%) | FGM-FGA (PCT.) | 28-56 (50%) |
| 7-22 (31.8%) | 3PM-3PA (PCT.) | 6-18 (33.3%) |
| 13-15 (86.7%) | FTM-FTA (PCT.) | 19-23 (82.6%) |
| 11 | TURNOVERS | 7 |
| 39 | TOTAL REBOUNDS | 29 |
| 17 | OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 9 |
| 22 | DEFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 20 |
| 4 | BENCH POINTS | 7 |
| 3 | BLOCKS | 6 |
| 4 | STEALS | 4 |
| 14 | ASSISTS | 14 |
Second Half
Ohio State opened the second half in style with an alley-oop from Mobley to Bynum for a massive slam. Thornton hit a slick step-back 3-pointer, and the Buckeyes were back ahead by seven. But down 45-38, Washington unleashed a 14-0 run.
Steinbach finished another layup through contact and hit the ensuing free throw, guard Quimari Peterson hit a 3-pointer and Diallo finished two shots around the rim over trees on the inside, using the highest reaches of the backboard. Bynum hit a layup to stop the bleeding, but the Huskies had their first lead since the first minute of the game, 52-47.
Hurting Ohio State during this stretch was the absence of starting center Christoph Tilly. While scoring eight points in the first half, he sustained a rib injury on a rough screen, seemed to aggravate it with 15:47 to play, and was taken to the locker room for evaluation. Sophomore center Ivan Njegovan played an increased role in his place. Tilly did not return to the game.
The Buckeyes hung within striking distance thanks to crisp interior passing, Thornton finding Bynum for a dunk and Taison Chatman feeding Royal for a layup. Thornton stepped into an open left-wing triple, Njegovan secured a rebound and cashed a layup on the other end to cut the deficit to 60-59. But Peterson banked in a 3-pointer for the Huskies, and they pushed their lead back to six.
Thornton kept fighting to keep Ohio State alive, even as Washington pushed its lead to eight; he answered with a drive and finish, then hit two free throws on the Buckeyes' next possession to make it a 71-67 ballgame. But a miss led to a Washington runout and a poor pass from Mobley led to a turnover and layup from the Huskies' Bryson Tucker. The Huskies were back up 75-67 with 1:50 remaining.
The Buckeyes never got closer than five points in the final two minutes.
What's Next?
Ohio State returns home after a six-day layoff to face UCLA at 1 p.m. on Saturday. CBS will carry the broadcast.
Game Notes
- Washington's second-leading scorer, guard Wesley Yares III (14.9 points per game), and its fourth-leading scorer, guard Desmond Claude (14.5 PPG), were out vs. Ohio State.
- Ohio State is now 5-9 all-time against Washington.
- The Buckeyes encountered some travel issues on the way to Washington. Their charter plane got stuck in Salt Lake City due to mechanical issues, so some of the team bused to Seattle while others took a last-minute commercial flight. Everyone made Saturday's practice, however.
