Ohio State Basketball: Buckeyes Hang On In OT
By Dillon Davis
In their scrappiest performance of the season, the Ohio State basketball team was able to fend off a massive late game flurry from Illinois, winning in overtime by a score of 68-63. The Buckeyes finished the game the same way that they started it, surviving sustained runs by the Illini.
Illinois hit three of their first four shots to open the game, and Ohio State was off on their first four chances. Just three minutes into the game the Buckeyes found themselves down 8-0, prompting Thad Matta to call a time out to try and settle his team down.
Out of the timeout, the Illini pushed the lead up to 13-2, and the Buckeyes were reeling. It was a start all too familiar to Buckeyes fans. In road losses at Indiana and Maryland, the Buckeyes were not able to overcome poor starts, and those games were over before they ever really began.
The Buckeyes had an answer tonight, though, and Illinois isn’t Indiana or Maryland.
With 13 minutes left in the first half, and Ohio State down 11, Kam Williams knocked down a three that provided the spark.
The Buckeyes dominated the rest of the first half, finishing it on a 27-11 run that sent them into the break up 5.
The two teams traded baskets for the first 8 minutes of the second half, and Ohio State still held on to a 5 point lead. An 11-3 run by the Buckeyes over the next 6 minutes gave them a 13 point lead, and it appeared they were well on their way to scoring their second conference road win of the season.
Illinois, to their credit, was not ready to pack it in.
With 6 minutes left in the game, and coming out of a timeout, Jalen Coleman-Lands hit a three pointer that dropped the lead to 10 for the Buckeyes. Turnovers and bad shooting started to plague them, and Illinois was relentless.
Kendrick Nunn hit a couple free throws and a three ball to get the Illini within 5 with just over three
minutes to play. They had seized all control of the game, and the Buckeyes were again on their heels.
With a minute left in the game, Coleman-Lands completed the comeback for the Illini, hitting a three pointer to tie it up at 58. It capped off a 15-2 run by the Illini. Both teams had a possession in the final minute, but neither could finish.
In the extra period, the Buckeyes scored the first four points. Jumpers by Bates-Diop and Thompson seemed to again give them control of the game. But Kendrick Nunn came right back with a three pointer to bring the lead back down to one.
Bates-Diop put it back at 3 with a layup on a nice feed from JaQuan Lyle. The two teams traded misses on the next two possessions.
Jae’Sean Tate committed a very bad, and untimely foul with just 16 seconds left. It fouled him out of the game, and sent Malcolm Hill to the free throw line. Hill made both of them to make it a one point game, and immediately fouled JaQuan Lyle to send him to the line.
Lyle had a game to forget, by all measures. But with the game in the balance, he stepped to the line and calmly nailed both free throws to give the Buckeyes a 3 point lead with just 14 seconds left.
Illinois’ final attempt to extend the game ended with a turnover. Mickey Mitchell came away with the steal, and in a lapse of judgement by Illinois, was allowed to take it coast-to-coast to officially put the game away.
It was a very important win for Thad Matta and his team, in a game that they simply had to win if they still had hopes of dancing in March.
Many of the same things that have been said all year about this Ohio State basketball team can be reiterated in this performance. Turnovers and prolonged scoring droughts just about cost them a game that they had to win if they are to make a run at a tournament bid.
Still, a road win in the Big Ten is always an accomplishment, and the Buckeyes were able to do just enough to come away with it. While they are certainly a flawed basketball team, they are only two games off of the lead in the conference. Whether or not they have any realistic chances in the conference race is debatable at best, but the fact remains that the opportunity is there.
Keita Bates-Diop had his second straight strong performance. In what was practically a homecoming for him, he finished with a double-double, scoring 15 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. He is capable of that type of output every night, but consistency has eluded him. After back-to-back solid outings, perhaps he is starting to figure it out.
Ohio State is now 14-8, and 6-3 in the conference. They are back at home in their next game, hosting a Maryland team that beat them by 35 two weeks ago. That game is Sunday, and tip-off is set for 1:00.