Ohio State junior guard C.J. Jackson (3) points to the crowd after making a three pointer in the second half of the game against Maryland on Jan. 11 in the Schottenstein Center. Dakich made three of four three point attempts in the first half aiding Ohio State to a 91-69 win. Credit: Jack Westerheide | Photo Editor
No. 22 Ohio State (16-4, 7-0 Big Ten) staved off a late comeback attempt by Northwestern (11-9, 2-5 Big Ten) on the road to win 71-65 Wednesday.
The Wildcats trailed the Buckeyes by as much as 15 points with 13 minutes left in the game, but a 10-2 run by Northwestern drew the game to within three with 43.2 seconds left. But junior guard C.J. Jackson made three free throws to push Ohio State’s lead to six and ice the game.
The Buckeyes outrebounded the Wildcats 38-25. Ohio State shot 47 percent from the field compared to 45 percent by Northwestern. A key difference between the two teams came in free-throw shooting, with Ohio State making 13-of-17 and Northwestern struggling at the line, going just 5-of-10.
Ohio State sophomore center Micah Potter led the team in points with 13. He was a perfect 5-for-5 from the field with a 3 and two made free throws. Redshirt junior forward Keita Bates-Diop scored just 10 points, his second-lowest total of the season.
Northwestern redshirt junior forward Vic Law led all players with 14 points, but struggled from the 3, making just 25 percent.
Northwestern got off to a fast start, grabbing the 12-6 lead with 14:14 left in the first half. But from that point on, Ohio State went on a 22-5 run to take the 28-17 lead. Freshman center Kaleb Wesson scored six points during the run.
During the first half, Northwestern had production from just four players. Senior forward Gavin Skelly had nine points, senior guard Scottie Lindsey had eight points, Law had seven points and freshman guard Anthony Gaines made a free throw. The rest of the team shot a combined 0-for-5 from the field.
