Ohio State basketball: Duane Washington found his groove

The Ohio State Buckeyes (15-4, 9-4) pulled off a slight upset over 8th ranked Iowa (13-5, 7-4) on Thursday night after coming back from a double-digit deficit in the second half. With the win, Chris Holtmann’s team moves into third place in the Big Ten and will almost certainly be ranked in the top-five in Monday’s newest AP Poll. 

Iowa trailed for the majority of the first half before leading by three points at halftime. It looked like the Hawkeyes might pull away in the second half as Luka Garza knocked down a 3-pointer to give Iowa a 61-50 lead with 14:32 remaining. Then Duane Washington buried back-to-back 3-pointers to get the Buckeyes right back into it.

“We were down 11 and I got some good looks and was able to knock them down,” Washington said in the postgame press conference. “I’ve been in the gym, never satisfied, especially not these last three games. This is my third year here so I’ve been through the slumps and the ups and downs. You just have to keep working and stay ready.”

With five minutes left in the game, the Buckeyes went on a 13-6 run to seal the victory, including three clutch 3-pointers from Justin Aherns. Washington led the way with 16 points and two assists, while E.J. Liddell and Kyle Young combined for 32 points and 13 rebounds. Garza was held to 16 points in the loss, which is tied for a season-low.

“They have a lot of weapons. They’re going to make tough shots and go on runs. Our guys bought into the highest level,” Washington said. “We made some huge, huge shots. Obviously, we’re confident with what we can do on the offensive end. We just knew we had to be the more aggressive team tonight.”

Iowa was nearly as efficient on offense but was outrebounded and outworked by the Buckeyes. Ohio State compiled 43 rebounds, 20 assists, and four blocks in the win. For the first time in school history, the Buckeyes have won four road games against top-15 opponents including Rutgers, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Iowa.

“I think coming into it we were very, very locked in. I love my team. This journey has been so great. I can’t express it enough how much they mean to me.” Washington explained. “We are who we are. We’re not going to stop being us. We’re all bought in and we’re going to keep this energy going.”

The Buckeyes return to the court on Monday night at Maryland.