Ohio State graduate guard Micah Parrish (8) looks for a pass during the game against Rutgers Dec. 7 at the Schottenstein Center. The Buckeyes defeated the Scarlet Knights 80-66. Credit: Sandra Fu | Photo Editor
Ohio State jumped out to an early 3-point advantage, leading for exactly 50 seconds.
However, the near-minute-long lead was the extent of the Buckeyes’ success against the Tigers.
A 25-5 run that spanned just over six minutes fueled No. 2 Auburn (9-1) to a 91-53 victory over Ohio State (6-4, 1-1 Big Ten) Saturday at State Farm Arena in Atlanta.
Despite an early deficit, the Buckeyes gained life as forward Sean Stewart capped off a Buckeye 6-0 run with a steal and emphatic poster dunk on the other end to cut the Tigers’ lead to 25-14.
But Auburn forward/center Johni Broome ended what was almost a seven-minute scoring drought for the Tigers with an and-1 putback to extend the Tigers’ lead back to 14.
Following the Broome basket, the Tigers went on a 20-7 run to end the half up 49-21 on the Buckeyes.
Auburn continued its dominance by kicking off the second half with a layup and dunk by center Dylan Cardwell.
After missing his first six shots from the field, guard Bruce Thornton netted his first basket with a 3-pointer with five minutes to play, cutting the lead to 36.
The Tigers extended their lead down the stretch of the second half, pushing it to as much as 44 points late in the period.
A dunk by Auburn forward Jahki Howard pushed the Tigers’ lead to 41 before Ohio State center Ivan Njegovan banked in a 3-pointer to finalize the score at 91-53.
The 38-point defeat marked the Ohio State basketball program’s largest loss since 1994.
Ohio State will return to action 8 p.m. Tuesday at the Schottenstein Center to take on the Valparaiso Beacons.
