The Buckeyes hung on long enough and finished February on a winning note.
For the first time in 10 games, Ohio State (12-17, 4-14 Big Ten) earned a victory in its 72-60 win Sunday over Illinois, prevailing for the first time in over a month when it beat Iowa at home Jan. 21.
A tale of two halves saw Ohio State lead by as many as 15 points until a 3-of-10 start from the field in the second frame took some momentum out of the Buckeyes’ sails.
A 10-0 Illinois (19-10, 10-8 Big Ten) run brought the Buckeyes back down to earth in the opening minutes of the second half, dwindling their 12-point halftime lead down to four with 15:11 left.
Illinois senior guard Terrence Shannon Jr., who scored six-straight points during the Fighting Illini run, sank a pair of free throws less than two minutes later after junior guard Eugene Brown III was assessed a technical foul.
Graduate guard Sean McNeil and redshirt senior forward Justice Sueing worked down low to keep Illinois at bay, but Fighting Illini freshman guard Jayden Epps drained a 3-pointer to bring them within 53-52 with 6:53 to go.
Then, following a Sueing layup, freshman forward Brice Sensabaugh made an emphatic dunk on a fastbreak as part of a 6-0 run Illinois from which couldn’t recover.
The Buckeyes outscored Illinois 13-8 in the final five minutes, and head coach Chris Holtmann and Ohio State exited the floor with their first win in 10 games.
Sensabaugh totaled 14 points while freshman guard Bruce Thornton led all scorers with 20, the second time he’s reached the mark in his career.
Ohio State shot 54 percent from the field, including a 61 percent clip in the first half, but shots didn’t quite fall from distance as the Buckeyes went 3-of-14 from 3-point range.
The rebounding advantage went by a large margin to the Buckeyes 40-28, and their 46 points in the paint also were more than Illinois’ 28.
Ohio State got out to a 19-9 lead midway through the first half amid cheers echoing around the Schottenstein Center from section 331 where the “Orange Krush,” a student-ran charity organization and Illinois cheering section, competed with the Buckeye NutHouse and others to will their teams on.
Sensabaugh and Thornton combined for 13 of Ohio State’s points, including seven during the 9-0 run that put the Buckeyes ahead by 10 early.
Sensabaugh made a free throw to complete an and-one opportunity and put Ohio State ahead 41-26, its largest lead of the first game, with 29 seconds left.
Ohio State led 41-29 at halftime, its first lead at the break since beating Iowa in its most recent win Jan. 21.
Illinois junior forward Coleman Hawkins led the Fighting Illini with 14 points while fifth-year guard Matthew Mayer tallied 11 and Epps and Shannon had 10 apiece.
Sueing scored 14 points for the Buckeyes on 6-of-14 shooting. He also had 11 rebounds to record his first double-double of the season.
Ohio State’s final home game of the season is next on the docket. The Buckeyes will host Maryland Wednesday at 7 p.m. on Big Ten Network.
