Frustrations piqued in the first half for the Buckeyes, and it couldn’t quite fuel them enough to complete an 18-point comeback Thursday.
Wisconsin (13-8, 5-6 Big Ten) forced the Buckeyes to make 16 turnovers and saw four players reach double figures in its 65-60 win, as Ohio State lost its eighth game in its past 10 outings.
Trailing by as many as 18 points after Wisconsin junior guard Max Klesmit made a layup to begin the second half, things began to click for Ohio State (11-11, 3-8 Big Ten) more than midway through the period.
Wisconsin fell cold and shot 1-of-9 before the under-eight timeout, and freshman guard Bruce Thornton drained a 3-pointer with 6:15 to go to key a 11-0 run over the next five-plus minutes to put the game at 62-58.
Taking a timeout with 41 seconds left, Ohio State had possession while the Badgers searched for scoring — going without a point at that point for the past 6:37 of game time.
Redshirt senior forward Justice Sueing drew an and-one foul after a jump shot with 30 seconds to go but missed the ensuing free throw.
Graduate guard Sean McNeil fouled Badgers sophomore guard Chucky Hepburn on the following possession, and Hepburn buried both free throws to ice the game.
Freshman guard Connor Essegian led Wisconsin behind 17 points, Hepburn added 15 in addition to junior forward Steven Crowl providing 14 and Klesmit scoring 12.
The Buckeyes kept Wisconsin from going wire-to-wire after matching 8-0 runs at the very start of the game, but after a tie at eight, it was all Badgers the rest of the way.
Before the Badgers closed the first half on an 8-0 run, head coach Chris Holtmann was ejected after arguing with officials following a charging foul called against Sueing as 27 seconds remained.
Freshman forward Brice Sensabaugh scored Ohio State’s first eight points, featuring 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions. He fouled out with 9:20 left in the second half and finished with a team-high 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting.
The Buckeyes outrebounded Wisconsin 45-26 and had 12 offensive rebounds, matching their most in the past four games.
Junior forward Zed Key scored 12 points, Sueing grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds, and Ohio State outshot the Badgers 43 percent to 42.
Wisconsin leapt out to an 8-0 start less than two minutes into the game after hitting its first three shots, including an open 3 by Klesmit that prompted Holtmann to call a timeout.
Sensabaugh answered right back for Ohio State, scoring eight-consecutive points highlighted by back-to-back three pointers, to knot the game at eight points apiece at 15:48.
The Buckeyes committed 11 turnovers in the first half, more than their totals in the previous two games. The Badgers closed the opening period on an 8-0 run, shooting 51.6 percent while Ohio State went 46.2 percent and 3-of-11 from distance.
Next up, the Buckeyes will face rival Michigan in Ann Arbor on Sunday. Tipoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. on CBS.
