Second-year guard Bruce Thornton (2) brings the ball up the floor during Ohio State’s 76-72 win over Rutgers Jan. 3. Credit: Caleb Blake | Photo Editor
Thirteen straight.
That’s how many consecutive road games the Ohio State men’s basketball team has dropped, going back to January 2023.
It was no different Tuesday night at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska. The Cornhuskers (15-5, 5-4 Big Ten) decimated the Buckeyes (13-6, 3-5 Big Ten) 83-69 behind a career-high 34 points for Nebraska’s junior forward Rienk Mast.
Ohio State started fast, making its first four shots from the field.
Senior forward Zed Key dropped in a layup with 14:13 left in the first half, which sparked a 9-0 Buckeye run, increasing Ohio State’s lead to nine, a game-high.
With 10:51 to go in the half, Nebraska finally snapped Ohio State’s run and started one of its own.
The Cornhuskers outscored the Buckeyes 10-2 in the next 3:56 of play before sophomore guard Evan Mahaffey finally got one to land for Ohio State with 6:11 left in the first half.
After some back and forth, Nebraska beat Ohio State 11-3 in the final 3:14 of the first half, giving the Cornhuskers a 43-35 lead heading into the break.
Nebraska shot 7-for-17 from beyond the arc in the first half, compared to the Buckeyes’ sloppy 2-for-8.
While Ohio State was able to hang around in the first half, the Cornhuskers were unbeatable for most of the second.
Despite an 8-1 Ohio State run early in the second half that resulted in the Buckeyes reclaiming the lead, Mast was shooting the lights out.
Undeterred by his 0-for-4 mark from three in his past two games, Mast finished the contest shooting 6-for-8 from beyond the arc and tallying a career-high 34 points.
“I just think his ability to shoot it and space it, it’s just a difficult matchup,” head coach Chris Holtmann said. “We have to get better with our traditional lineup of guarding that.”
Nebraska, as a team, shot 14-for-27 from three, including 70% in the second half alone.
Ohio State will look to get the bad taste out of its mouth Saturday when it heads to Welsh Ryan Arena in Evanston, Illinois, as it will take on Northwestern. The game will be broadcast on Big Ten Network. Tipoff is set for 8:30 p.m.
