The Ohio State men’s basketball team huddles on the court during the Ohio State-Minnesota game Thursday. Ohio State lost 70-67. Credit: Katie Good | Asst. Photo Editor
In a back-and-forth, down-to-the-wire game that went to overtime, the losing streak extended to four as the Buckeyes fell 68-64 Sunday at Rutgers.
Freshman forward Brice Sensabaugh made free throws with 1:50 remaining in overtime to give Ohio State (10-7, 2-4 Big Ten) a 61-60 advantage.
But the Scarlet Knights (13-5, 5-2 Big Ten) didn’t allow the Buckeyes to lead again.
Rutgers junior center Clifford Omoruyi made a layup, and junior forward Mawot Mag drilled a 3-pointer, sending the Scarlet Knights ahead 65-61 with 38 seconds left.
Ohio State made one field goal in the final four minutes, going 1 of 6 as Sensabaugh made a 3-pointer with two seconds left.
It was their first meeting since senior guard Tanner Holden made the game-winning 3 at the buzzer Dec. 8, 2022, after which the Big Ten stated officials missed calling play stoppage after Holden stepped out of bounds before catching the pass from freshman guard Bruce Thornton.
Tied at 55 points with less than two minutes to go, Omoruyi slammed home a pass from senior guard Paul Mulcahy as the Scarlet Knights went ahead 57-55.
Sensabaugh made a jumper from the left elbow with 49 seconds remaining to tie the game. He and Spencer missed 3-point attempts to put the game away, sending the contest to overtime where Rutgers ultimately prevailed.
The lead changed or tied 12 times from 18:27 to 13:38 in the second half, and neither team pulled away from the other by more than two points in that span. The Buckeyes turned the ball over three times leading Omoruyi to sink free throws, giving the Scarlet Knights a 38-35 lead.
Buckeyes freshmen helped retake the lead and begin to pull away. Guard Bruce Thornton, center Felix Okpara and Sensabaugh, who made his second 3-pointer on a personal five-point run, pushed Ohio State ahead 44-38 with under 11 minutes to go.
Rutgers raced back ahead and scored seven unanswered points to hold a 45-44 advantage with 7:54 left. Spencer sunk free throws to flip the lead, and he finished with a game-high 21 points.
Sensabaugh and Spencer led the charge as the teams continued to trade leads in the final 7 1/2 minutes. Both Ohio State and Rutgers shot 34 percent from the field, and it was the Buckeyes’ worst rate offensively of the season after going 37.5 percent Thursday against Minnesota.
Neither team shot above 28.6 percent in the first half, and both began 0 of 7 from the field. The Buckeyes led by as many as 11 points almost midway through the opening period but were held to three points in the final eight-plus minutes and held a 23-20 advantage at the break.
Rutgers caught up and tied the game early in the second half. Through the first four-plus minutes, Ohio State made five rebounds on the offensive glass, led by graduate guard Isaac Likekele and junior forward Zed Key with two apiece.
Omoruyi blocked five shots in the first half, and finished with six to tie his season high. He tallied 14 points and 11 rebounds.
Sensabaugh posted a 20-point, 11-rebound double-dobule for the second-consecutive game. Key and graduate guard Sean McNeil, who fouled out less than one minute into overtime, finished with 11 points apiece.
Continuing their two-game road trip, the Buckeyes next play at Nebraska Wednesday. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Big Ten Network.
