A pivotal game for Ohio State’s NCAA Tournament chances turned into a disasterclass at Iowa on Wednesday.
With Ohio State sitting in most experts' first four out of the Big Dance and in desperate need of Quad 1 wins, the Buckeyes (17-11, 9-8 Big Ten) were embarrassed by the Hawkeyes (20-8, 10-7), 74-57, in an opportunity for such a victory.
| TEAM | 1 | 2 | FINAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| OHIO STATE | 23 | 34 | 57 |
| IOWA | 37 | 37 | 74 |
Guard Bennett Stirtz and forward Alvaro Fulgeiras torched Ohio State's defense, scoring 22 and 20 points. Iowa's defense, on the other hand, stymied the Buckeyes' attack all night, holding them to 41.9% from the field and star guard Bruce Thornton to 10 points.
John Mobley Jr. and Devin Royal led Ohio State in scoring with 15 and 16 points. Following its loss at No. 15 Michigan State, it’s the first pair of back-to-back losses for the Buckeyes this season.
First Half
Ohio State opened the game with white-hot flames firing from its hands. They were extinguished soon after.
Mobley splashed two circus 3-pointers, one contested off a dribble and another from the outer margins of Iowa's half-court logo. Bynum followed with a pair of triples and a crisp pass to Devin Royal for a dunk, thrusting the Buckeyes to a 14-2 lead in the opening minutes of action.
The Hawkeyes countered back immediately with a 21-1 run thanks to a calvacade of made threes, bad Ohio State turnovers and worse shot selection. Stirtz collected eight points during the stretch, including a made triple, before forward Cooper Koch hit a 3-pointer of his own. The Buckeyes went more than nine minutes without a made field goal and eight minutes without points of any kind.
Another 10-0 run followed directly after, making it an extended 31-4 jaunt by Iowa in total. Forward Cam Manyawu was the next Hawkeye to get hot, converting a pair of baskets inside, including a fast-break opportunity resulting directly from a misfired Mobley pass.
Manyawu closed a disastrous Ohio State first half with a layup to extend Iowa's lead to 37-23 going into the locker room. Star guard Bruce Thornton scored zero first-half points for the Buckeyes, facing constant double-teams. OSU finished the first half shooting a dismal 31.8% from the field.
Second Half
Iowa's lead only grew further in the opening stretches of the second half.
Stirtz strung an early five points together as an 11-2 Hawkeye run took a 40-30 edge and took it to 51-32, the largest margin yet. Any small spurts of Ohio State momentum were quenched, with Manyawu countering a couple of made baskets by Ivan Njegovan and Thornton with a layup.
Three minutes later, Iowa launched an 8-0 run that stuck a dagger into things with seven minutes to spare, taking its lead past 20 points to 66-43. The 6-foot-10 Folgueiras found favorable matchups against Mobley and Thornton and accounted for six of the eight points.
Things were never in question from there. The closest Ohio State got in the final 11 minutes was 15 points.
What's Next?
Ohio State returns to the Schottenstein Center for a tall challenge in No. 8 Purdue on Sunday. It's the Buckeyes' last chance to make a serious case for the NCAA Tournament, barring a big run in the Big Ten Tournament. Tipoff is at 1:30 p.m. on CBS.
Game Notes
- Now up to 2,047 points for his career, Thornton is 50 away from becoming Ohio State's all-time leading scorer.
- Ohio State falls to 81-85 all-time against Iowa.
- Starting center Christoph Tilly missed the game with an injury for Ohio State. Royal and Mobley were both questionable but started.
