Ohio State junior guard Duane Washington Jr. (4) takes a shot at the basket during the Ohio State-Morehead State game on Dec. 2. Ohio State won 77-44. Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Photo Editor
Despite being shorthanded, Ohio State avenged its Dec. 26 loss to Northwestern with a win over the Wildcats Wednesday.
The No. 21 Buckeyes (10-3) were without key backcourt players, as redshirt senior guard C.J. Walker and senior guard Jimmy Sotos were both out with injuries. However it did not slow the Ohio State offensive attack, as the Buckeyes got past Northwestern (6-5) 81-71.
Although the game followed similar trends to the Dec. 26 matchup between the two teams, the Buckeyes were able to hang on this time around thanks to a 14-5 run in the final stages. Head coach Chris Holtmann said he was proud of the way the team fought in the win.
“This is the most proud I’ve been of our team the entire year,” Holtmann said. “Being down a couple ball handlers, having a number of guys step. They had a week to prepare, I knew they would play well and they did.”
The Buckeyes were dealing with a depleted backcourt due to the losses of Walker and Sotos, which caused them to turn to junior guard Duane Washington Jr. and redshirt junior forward Justice Sueing to provide steady hands in running the offense.
Although it was his first game as a primary ball handler, Sueing said he felt comfortable in the new role.
“I had to learn it pretty quick, learn it pretty fast, but my coaches and my team have a lot of confidence in me,” Suing said. “Once I got the hang of it, they just let me play and just really play through the game.”
Washington dueled with Northwestern redshirt sophomore guard Chase Audige throughout Wednesday’s contest.
Washington dominated in the early goings, scoring 17 points on 5-of-10 shooting in the game’s first 20 minutes.
Washington finished with 23 points on 41 percent from the field while adding six assists in a ball handling role.
Audige also got off to a hot start and kept the Wildcats in the game in the first half — scoring 21 of the team’s 33 first half points on 9-of-15 shooting. Outside of Audige, Northwestern shot 18.8 percent from the field and 0-7 from three-point range in the opening half.
Audige continued his scoring onslaught for the full 40 minutes and finished with a career-high 25 points on 48 percent from the field.
Sueing and junior forward Justin Ahrens also stepped up in backcourt roles with clutch buckets down the stretch.
Ahrens provided the Buckeyes with 12 points on 4-of-5 from beyond the arc, while Sueing added 13 points and 7 rebounds.
A huge three-pointer from Ahrens with 3:55 remaining in the game gave Ohio State a four-point lead and sparked the Buckeye run to close the game.
“My defender’s hand was down so I put it up,” Ahrens said. “I honestly didn’t know if it was going in or not but I was confident. So, when it went in, I was pretty fired up.”
Freshman guard Meechie Johnson Jr. took advantage of his expanded role due the injuries of Walker and Sotos, hitting his first two three-point attempts.
Johnson scored 6 points on 2-of-3 from the field in 11 minutes off of the bench.
Although Ohio State lacked depth in the backcourt, its frontcourt remained at full strength.
Senior forward Kyle Young had a flawless shooting night, finishing with 12 points while hitting all five shots.
The Buckeye frontcourt duo of Young and sophomore forward E.J. Liddell lifted Ohio State to an 39-35 rebounding advantage — securing a combined 10 boards.
Ohio State struggled to hold onto possessions, finishing with 11 turnovers which Northwestern turned into 16 points.
Despite a slow start, Northwestern junior forward Miller Kopp produced a strong showing in the second half — scoring 14 of his 16 points in the final frame.
Kopp hit two of Northwestern’s six three-point attempts as the Buckeye defense locked up the perimeter and held the Wildcats to just 26.1 percent from three.
As the Buckeyes continue through Big Ten play, Ahrens said he’s confident in the team’s ability to keep the momentum rolling.
“When we’re at our best I feel like everybody is out there playing 100 percent, playing confidently,” Ahrens said. “We can keep building off these wins and ultimately keep it rolling,”
The Buckeyes head back on the road as they travel to Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, to take on the No. 14 Fighting Illini.
This story was updated Jan. 13 at 10:29 p.m. with quotes from Chris Holtmann, Justice Sueing and Justin Ahrens.
