Ohio State’s Kyle Long (25), Justice Sueing (14), and EJ Liddell (32) move onto the court during the OSU v U Mass. Lowell game on Nov. 29. Ohio State won 74-64. Credit: Christian Harsa | Assistant Photo Editor.
Despite a large second half deficit and a scoring burst from Ron Harper Jr., the Buckeyes overcame all obstacles Wednesday to collect their first Big Ten win of the season.
No. 23 Ohio State (7-1) trailed by 16 points with 15 minutes remaining in the game, but a 14-0 run down the stretch of the game allowed Ohio State to secure a victory. Ohio State downed No. 11 Rutgers (6-1) 80-68.
Head coach Chris Holtmann said the double-digit comebacks against Rutgers and Notre Dame rely heavily on qualities found within each player.
“I would say that weighs heavily, heavily along the lines of intangible qualities,” Holtmann said Wednesday. “Our group has shown a resolve and a poise necessary and that’s good to see.”
The Buckeyes took their first lead of the second half with 4:25 remaining in the game.
Junior forward Ron Harper Jr. poured in 20 points on 40 percent shooting for the Scarlet Knights, but a trio of scorers helped the Buckeyes battle back.
Junior guard Duane Washington Jr. found a second-half rhythm and buried three 3-pointers in the half to cut into a deficit that peaked at 16 points. He would finish with a career-high 22 points to pair with six rebounds.
“Anybody who has been part of a basketball team or played basketball at any point of their lives knows basketball is a game of runs,” Washington said Wednesday. “You treat the game right, it will treat you back better, so like I said, we just stuck with it. We did everything right, played hard on the defensive end, rebounded the ball and fortunately some shots went in the second half when we shot them confidently.”
Sophomore forward E.J. Liddell poured in a career-high 21 points to go along with six rebounds.
The Buckeyes finished the game with 38 interior points — 20 more than Rutgers.
A key component of Ohio State’s interior advantage came from an unlikely contributor as senior forward Kyle Young poured in a career-high 17 points to go along with 12 rebounds.
Liddell said he and Young energize one another.
“I just feel like me and him feeding off each other is really good and I feel like this bond is going to keep growing for the rest of the year,” Liddell said Wednesday.
Young was able to exceed his normal offensive output, but redshirt junior forward Justice Sueing struggled to put things together against the Scarlet Knights. Sueing entered the game averaging nearly 13 points per game on the year, but he would tally 2 points in the opening half on just one shot from the field.
He finished the game with 2 points on 0-of-3 shooting.
The Scarlet Knights showcased their offensive efficiency in the opening half — shooting 47 percent from the field.
Utilizing the 3-point shot to score 21 points in the first 20 minutes, Rutgers led 38-28 at halftime.
Although shooting 10 percent lower from the field prior to halftime, the Buckeyes leaned on inside scoring to keep the game from getting out of hand. In the first half, Ohio State outscored Rutgers 20-8 in the paint.
The Buckeyes outscored Rutgers 52-30 in the second half.
“Obviously, a lot of good things to take from this game and a lot of things we’ve got to be doing better going into Northwestern,” Holtmann said.
Ohio State will seek its second Big Ten win of the season when it travels to take on Northwestern Saturday. The game is set to tip at 2 p.m.
This story was updated Wednesday at 7:41 p.m. with quotes from Chris Holtmann, E.J. Liddell and Duane Washington Jr.
