Home games against fellow NCAA Tournament bubble teams are the types of contests Ohio State can't afford to lose right now. That's the exact situation the Buckeyes faced on Wednesday.
USC came into the Schottenstein Center fired up by its own Big Dance ambitions. But primarily through the efforts of Devin Royal and Bruce Thornton, Ohio State won its Trojan War.
| TEAM | 1 | 2 | FINAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| USC | 43 | 39 | 82 |
| OHIO STATE | 40 | 49 | 89 |
Thornton collected 21 points and eight assists and Royal added 19 points as the Buckeyes (16-8, 8-6 Big Ten) defeated the Trojans (18-7, 7-7), 89-82, in the Schottenstein Center.
Royal shot a deadly 8-of-11 from the field and added a team-high seven rebounds to his 19 points. John Mobley Jr. added 13 points and freshman forward Amare Bynum picked up 11.
Guard Alijah Arenas led the way for USC with a 25-point outing, though it was all for naught. Four other Trojans also reached double figures.
First Half
Ohio State started the game colder than the bitterest Ohio winter night shooting the basketball, opening 2-of-12 from the field. Six consecutive USC free throws built a 6-0 run that provided early separation for the Trojans, who led 13-4 five minutes into the action.
Trailing 15-6, Thornton and Taison Chatman caught fire. Chatman knocked down a pretty 3-pointer before Thornton got to the line for a couple of free throws and converted a fast-break opportunity with a layup, then Chatman completed the 9-0 run with a mid-range jumper just inside the 3-point arc, knotting the game at 15.
Taison connects from distance
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Neither team pulled ahead by more than one possession for the next eight minutes. Forward Jacob Cofie collected a 3-pointer and two well-contested mid-range jumpers for USC, then Bynum hit a gorgeous spin move for a layup and knocked down a 3-pointer for Ohio State. Royal had a strong two-handed slam and Mobley got on the board for his first seven points, three off an and-one mid-range J.
Two free throws from Ausar at last gave USC a two-score lead, 36-31, but Royal answered with a step-back shot for two. A missed Chatman 3-pointer led to an easy runout and fast-break layup by Arenas, but Thornton got the shooter's roll on a floater in the final seconds before halftime to cut the Buckeyes' deficit to 43-40.
| USC | STAT | OHIO STATE |
|---|---|---|
| 82 | POINTS | 89 |
| 26-62 (41.9%) | FGM-FGA (PCT.) | 29-58 (50%) |
| 6-17 (35.3%) | 3PM-3PA (PCT.) | 7-22 (31.8%) |
| 24-33 (72.7%) | FTM-FTA (PCT.) | 24-25 (96%) |
| 10 | TURNOVERS | 12 |
| 32 | TOTAL REBOUNDS | 32 |
| 14 | OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 8 |
| 18 | DEFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 24 |
| 14 | BENCH POINTS | 16 |
| 4 | BLOCKS | 3 |
| 11 | STEALS | 5 |
| 10 | ASSISTS | 14 |
Second Half
Royal provided early offense with a pair of layups through strong contests, and combined with a Christoph Tilly 3-pointer and Thornton transition layup, Ohio State pulled even once more at 49 before the first media timeout of the second half.
Two Tilly free throws and a corner three from Puff Johnson capped a 9-0 Buckeye run that handed them a 54-49 edge. USC cut its deficit to 54-53, but Bynum brought his home crowd to a fever pitch with two ferocious dunks: One two-handed smash on an inbound, followed by a one-handed throwdown on an outlet pass.
A Mobley 3-pointer, his first distance make in five attempts, pushed the advantage to 61-57 Ohio State. Then he hit a second consecutive triple to make it 64-58, which stretched to 67-60 from a Royal layup through a foul.
After guard Kam Woods finished two layups for USC, Johnson hit a 3-pointer from about 10 feet beyond the arc with the shot clock expiring. The Trojans fought back to within one point again, but Tilly, Royal, Thornton and Bynum each scored a pair for an 8-0 run that made the score line 78-69 Buckeyes with four minutes remaining.
Still, the Trojans didn't die easily. They launched a 7-0 run fueled by four free throws – two on a very questionable foul call against Bynum on a Marsh 3-point attempt – before Marsh made a 3-pointer to pull his squad back to an 80-78 deficit. That lead got chopped further to 82-81 on an Arenas 3-pointer.
But Thornton delivered the de facto dagger. He finished a scoop layup through a foul to take a two-score lead for Ohio State with 40 seconds remaining, then iced the contest down the stretch with a quartet of free throws.
What's Next?
Ohio State heads to Nashville for a neutral-site game against No. 15 Virginia on Saturday. The Nashville Hoops Showdown tips off at 8 p.m. on FOX.
Game Notes
- Thornton passed Kelvin Ransey for fifth all-time in scoring in Ohio State history, now with 1,950 career points.
- Puff Johnson returned to action for Ohio State after missing two games with injury. He finished with eight points.
- Ohio State improves to 6-3 all-time against USC.
