Ohio State basketball bounces back in overtime vs. Indiana

The Ohio State basketball team lost their first home game of the season on Saturday when they fell to Iowa. They had a quick turnaround on Monday when they were taking on Indiana. IU was missing two point guards, so this was a must-win for the Buckeyes.

Ohio State once again had a halftime lead, leading this one by five points. They struggled early offensively but played some really strong defense. That defense early on was the tone-setter that they needed to show to let IU know they wanted revenge from a loss earlier in the season.

They had a second-half lead of 11 points, but that soon dwindled. In fact, it looked like the Ohio State basketball team was going to blow the game. They were down four with four minutes left. Then, Malaki Branham went ahead and took over the game.

Branham helped run the offense down the stretch to allow the Buckeyes to tie the game and send it into overtime. He finished the game with 27 points on 9/13 shooting, including 8/8 from the free-throw line. Ohio State needed every single one of those points as they won 80-69 in OT.

E.J. Liddell had 16 points and 7 rebounds in the game. There were times when he certainly got frustrated, including when he picked up a technical foul in overtime. He and Branham were the two guys down the stretch that helped seal this victory from the jaws of defeat.

This is the type of win that can help rejuvenate a program. Ohio State could not afford a second loss in a row at home, especially in a game they led by 11. They had to come back and win this game with them heading to Illinois next game.

Chris Holtmann has to be proud of his squad. Hopefully, they can take some of this momentum into their game into Urbana-Champaign.