The (12-5) Ohio State Buckeyes took on the (9-9) Penn State Nittany Lions at Value City Arena in Columbus, OH at noon on Jan 20. The starting lineup for the Buckeyes consisted of fifth-year forward Jamison Battle and second-year center Felix Okpara, guard Roddy Gayle Jr, guard Bruce Thornton, and guard Evan Mahaffey. The starting lineup for the Nittany Lions featured fourth-year guards Puff Johnson and Ace Baldwin Jr., third-year guard Nick Kern Jr., second-year guard Kanye Clary, and graduate student forward Qudus Wahab. Ohio State is without guard Scotty Middleton due to suspension. The last time the two teams faced, Penn State beat Ohio State in a nail-biter, 83-80.
Photo Cred: The Columbus Dispatch
“We’re hungry to get out there and play,” Thornton said. “I just think that’s the type of team we have.”
The Buckeyes are currently coming off a 3-game losing streak. The first score of the game came from Roddy Gayle Jr, scoring off an assist from Felix Okpara, and the trend continued for the Buckeyes, starting the first quarter with a 16-0 run and forcing the Nittany Lions to take multiple timeouts in the first ten minutes of the game. The Nittany Lions got on the board with a 3-pointer from sophomore guard Jameel Brown.
The Nittany Lions offense picked up after a 30-second Penn State timeout, with the Nittany Lions forcing turnovers and matching the Buckeyes’ potent scoring with their own, erasing five points off their deficit and making the score of the game 24-11 with seven minutes remaining in the half. Bruce Thornton left the game at 5:43 in the first half with an injury, and fifth-year Dale Bonner entered the game. The score of the game at halftime was 33-19 Buckeyes. The Buckeyes shot 13-28 from the field to Penn State’s 7-32, with Penn State making five three-pointers to Ohio State’s zero.
Photo Cred: The Columbus Dispatch
“I think one thing we’ve learned to do, especially the past couple of games is when shots are not falling, don’t let that determine the whole game,” Ohio State forward Zed Key said.
The Buckeyes dominated in all other facets of the game, leading in rebounds and drawing fouls on Penn State, scoring seven points from the free throw line. Penn State’s Ace Baldwin Jr and Jameel Brown led the Nittany Lions in points with six apiece. Ohio State’s Roddy Gayle Jr. led the Buckeyes with 10. The second half kicked off with multiple fouls on both teams, warranting free throws and pass-ins from the sideline. Evan Mahaffey kicked off the scoring for the Buckeyes, and Qudus Wahab kicked off the scoring for the Nittany Lions.
Both teams started their original starting lineups for the second half. Penn State began a full-court press at the beginning of the second half. The Buckeyes capitalize on the press, and put up their largest scoring lead of the game, nineteen. The score at the 12:29 mark was 50-31 Buckeyes. As a result of the full-court press, Penn State committed many fouls in the second half, sending the Buckeyes to the free-throw line multiple times.
Penn State took a sixty-second timeout at the 11:07 mark in the second half, and their field goal percentage went up significantly from the first half. After not hitting a single three-pointer in the first half, Bruce Thornton put one in for the Buckeyes. Penn State continued with the full-court press late into the second half to force the Buckeyes to commit turnovers and make mistakes. The press continued to be fruitless, as the Buckeyes managed to get past it almost every time. Dale Bonner hit another three-pointer for the Buckeyes with 4:48 remaining in the half.
Photo Cred: The Columbus Dispatch
“I thought Bonner gave the team a great lift today,” Penn State Head Coach Mike Rhoades said.
Penn State began rampping up their offense in the final five minutes, with Nick Kern and Kanye Clary hitting three-pointers. With 3:17 remaining, the score was 72-57 Ohio State. Penn State cut the lead into single digits with three-pointers from Kanye Clary and Zack Hicks at the 2:17 mark. .
“I mean, that was good to get a W, but you know it’s on to the next game now,” Key said. “We’ve got to really focus on Northwestern and Nebraska.”
Penn State fouled Ohio State to preserve time and limit scoring. Their attempts proved didn’t work, as the Buckeyes continued to make their free throws during the stretch. The final score of the game was 79-67, Buckeyes, snapping their three-game losing streak.
