Junior forward Zed Key scored 22 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, while senior guard Tanner Holden hit a 3-pointer as time expired to give No. 25 Ohio State a 67-66 win over Rutgers Thursday at Value City Arena.
The Buckeyes (7-2, 1-0 Big Ten) relied heavily on Key and freshman forward Brice Sensabaugh for offense, with the duo combining for 35 of the team’s 67 points. Freshman guard Bruce Thornton led the Buckeyes with 39 minutes played and five assists, including the final one to Holden for the game winner.
With under a minute to go, Rutgers senior guard Paul Mulcahy and Thornton traded free throws to put the score at 65-64 Rutgers with seven seconds left. Scarlet Knights fifth-year guard Caleb McConnell made his first free throw but missed his second attempt to give Ohio State one last chance.
Sensabaugh hauled in a rebound and passed to Thornton in transition, who subsequently found Holden and watched as the ball swished the net, as the Buckeye fans at Value City Arena erupted in celebration.
Rutgers (6-3, 1-1 Big Ten) came into the matchup ranked first in the Big Ten in scoring defense and 3-point percentage allowed, but the Buckeyes shot 42.1 percent from 3-point range for the game. The Scarlet Knights were led by junior center Clifford Omoruyi, who scored 16 points and recorded eight rebounds.
The game was characterized by dueling scoring runs, with neither team able to put the other away. Rutgers led by as many as six, whereas Ohio State led by as many as 11 in the first half.
Key also erupted in the first half, shooting 7-of-9 from the field to the tune of 15 points and eight rebounds. Despite Rutgers outshooting Ohio State 50 percent to 43.3 percent from the floor in the frame, the Buckeyes shot better from 3-point range, knocking down 44.4 percent from downtown compared to the Scarlet Knights at 41.7 percent.
The Scarlet Knights ended the first half on a 9-0 scoring run, but Ohio State maintained a slim lead going into the locker room 31-29.
Both teams traded baskets until the final whistle as neither team led by more than five with ten lead changes in the second period.
Ohio State outrebounded Rutgers 35-27, with both teams dishing out 14 assists. Each team shot over 45 percent from the field, with Ohio State converting on 42.1 percent of its 3-pointers.
Thornton, Sensabaugh and redshirt senior forward Justice Sueing each recorded two steals, with Sensabaugh, Key and graduate guard Sean McNeil each recording a block.
Both teams shot poorly from the free throw line. Rutgers shot 63 percent from the line, while Ohio State shot 58 percent from the charity stripe.
Graduate guard Isaac Likekele missed the game while attending a family matter, and junior guard Eugene Brown III missed another game dealing with a concussion.
Ohio State next travels to New York City to face North Carolina in the CBS Sports Classic Dec. 17. CBS will broadcast.
