Sophomore forward E.J. Liddell surveys the defense during the Ohio State-Purdue game on Jan. 19. Ohio State lost 65-67. Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Photo Editor
For the second time this season, the Buckeyes trailed the Nittany Lions by 8 points in the second half.
Like the meeting Jan. 27, the second half surge by Penn State (7-11, 4-10) was not enough to down No. 4 Ohio State (18-4, 12-4), who won the game 92-82. Trailing 59-51 with 14:53 remaining in the game, the Buckeyes utilized an 18-2 run to collect their seventh consecutive win.
The Buckeyes used a 15-0 run throughout the middle stages of the second half to turn a six-point deficit into a 69-61 lead, which they never relinquished. Penn State was held without a field goal for more than seven minutes during the second half.
Redshirt senior guard CJ Walker said basketball is a game of runs and that the Buckeyes just needed to stick with it in order to turn the tide.
“I’ve been in college basketball for a long time, the game is full of runs,” Walker said. “I just gathered my team together to know it’s one possession at a time and just keep fighting — I feel like that’s what our team does really well is keep fighting one possession at a time.”
Sparking Ohio State’s comeback efforts with a 3-point make at the end of the shot clock, Walker produced 9 of his 13 points in the second half. Walker also tallied seven assists in the game.
Head coach Chris Holtmann said Walker’s value to the team exceeds his off-the-bench status.
“Certainly, he’s a sixth starter, there’s no question that he sees it that way, as do I,” Holtmann said. “He was tremendous tonight, tremendous.”
The Buckeyes’ sizzling 65.4-percent shooting performance in the first half was highlighted by a stretch of nine consecutive made field goals.
Despite the onslaught, the Nittany Lions held their own through the first 20 minutes by delivering on 7-of-13 shots from three and 53.6-percent of their field goals to limit the Buckeyes’ halftime advantage to 4 points.
Ohio State utilized its hot shooting to score in bunches — delivering on 6-of-9 3-point shots in the opening frame. Junior forward Justin Ahrens led the way with three first half triples — including a buzzer beater to close out the first half.
Ahrens finished the game with 9 points on 3-of-7 shooting from deep.
Junior guard Duane Washington Jr. also had an efficient night from beyond the arc, hitting four of his five 3-point attempts. Washington finished with 21 points.
Sophomore forward E.J. Liddell came out of the gates scorching — dropping 17 first-half points on 6-of-8 from the field. The Illinois native’s hot start was not limited to scoring as Liddell added three rebounds and two assists in the game’s first 20 minutes.
The sophomore ended with 23 points on 8-of-12 from field while adding five rebounds.
As the high-low duo of Liddell and Washington dominated Penn State from all angles, Holtmann said they provided a boost for Ohio State’s offense — which led them to victory.
“I thought our offense carried us,” Holtmann said. “We’re not always gonna get that production offensively, we’re gonna play teams that present different challenges, our offense just carried us tonight.”
Penn State senior forward Jamari Wheeler kept pace with Liddell in the first half, scoring 11 points on a flawless 3-of-3 from beyond the arc.
Wheeler did not score for the rest of the game.
Wheeler’s backcourt partner, junior guard Myreon Jones, provided the Nittany Lions with an offensive boost — totaling a team-high 18 points while shooting 3-of-5 from beyond the arc.
Sophomore forward Seth Lundy, who scored 26 points on 4-of-8 shooting from three in the Jan. 27 meeting in Columbus, struggled to shoot from deep in the five games between the matchups with Ohio State.
Entering the game hitting four of his last 24 3-point shots, Lundy delivered on 4-of-7 threes Thursday and dropped 12 points.
As a matchup with rival No. 3 Michigan approaches Sunday, redshirt junior guard Musa Jallow said the Buckeyes are using tonight to celebrate the win.
“That’s a big game but right now we’re just gonna enjoy this one and then lock in on Michigan,” Jallow said.
The Buckeyes continue the Big Ten gauntlet in a clash with Michigan in Columbus. The game is set to tip Sunday at 1 p.m. on CBS.
This story was updated Thursday at 11:21 p.m. with quotes from CJ Walker, Chris Holtmann and Musa Jallow.
