Ohio State sophomore forward E.J. Liddell (32) looks for a teammate to pass to during the Ohio State-Michigan State game on Jan 31. Ohio State won 79-62. Credit: Christian Harsa | Asst. Photo Editor
It took more than four minutes for the Buckeyes to claim their first lead of the game, but the Buckeyes never looked back en route to their sixth consecutive win Saturday.
After 4 days off, No. 4 Ohio State (17-4, 11-4) did not miss a beat against Indiana (11-9, 6-7). With five less turnovers and nearly twice as many points off turnovers, the Buckeyes cruised to a 78-59 win over the Hoosiers.
Despite allowing two early threes to Hoosier shooters, the Buckeyes quickly found their rhythm on both ends of the floor. Ohio State jumped out to a 19-0 run that spanned through the middle stages of the opening half.
The Buckeyes never looked back after the first-half run as they did not trail for the rest of the game following the extensive run.
“I think I feel good that we were able to extend that lead against a quality team,” head coach Chris Holtmann said. “I just thought we played with maturity and that was good to see and played with maturity with the lead.”
While the Ohio State offense was humming during the run, it was the Buckeyes’ defense that impressed during that stretch. The Hoosiers shot 0-of-7 during the run, while turning the ball over six times during the span.
However, Indiana countered with an 11-0 run of their own towards the tail end of the first half — cutting Ohio State’s 16 point lead to 5.
Freshman forward Zed Key said the Buckeyes expected Indiana to counter the 19-0 run and they turned to the energy from their bench to give them spark during the Hoosier run.
“We knew that they were gonna have a run, because basketball is a game of runs. They weren’t just gonna lay down and just give up,” Key said. “We just gotta yell and scream and uplift the guys, because when stuff isn’t going their way, you just gotta keep talking to them and be like ‘You’re good’ and stuff like that. So the bench brings a lot of energy.”
The game of runs continued into the second half as Ohio State used a 22-6 run in the middle stages of the closing half to extend its 5-point lead up to 21.
Redshirt sophomore forward Jerome Hunter provided a spark off the bench for the struggling Hoosiers. Hunter scored 9 points off the bench in the opening half and finished the game with 10 points.
Junior guard Duane Washington Jr. efficiently matched Hunter’s output in the first half. Delivering on 75 percent of his shots in the opening 20 minutes, Washington provided 10 first-half points — 3 of which broke the 11-0 run by Indiana — for the Buckeyes.
Washington finished the game with 12 points on 4-of-8 shooting.
After being held scoreless for the first time in his collegiate career against Maryland Monday, Ohio State redshirt junior forward Justice Sueing bounced back on the offensive end, adding 16 points on 6-of-10 from the field. Sueing picked up his third double-double of the season with 10 rebounds.
Pointing to his versatility, Sueing said he heads into every game hoping to make a winning impact in any way that he can.
“The fact that I feel like I can bring, whether it’s offensively or defensively, just anything to the game that the coaches need or that my teammates need for us to come out with a win,” Sueing said. “As long as we’re winning, that’s the skill that I’m good with.”
Although his six-game stretch of scoring in double figures was snapped against Maryland Monday, sophomore forward E.J. Liddell reached 10 points in under 11 minutes into Saturday’s contest.
Liddell, who entered the game shooting 28.9 percent from three on the season, recorded the third game of his career with multiple made 3-pointers. He finished the game with 19 points on 2-of-4 shooting from deep.
Liddell was locked at the hip with Indiana star sophomore forward Trayce Jackson-Davis all afternoon, as the two battled on both ends of the floor.
Although Liddell was able to find early success against Jackson-Davis, the Greenwood, Indiana, native was still able to score 9 first-half points on 4-of-7 from the field.
Jackson-Davis finished with a game-high 23 points on 10-of-14 from the field and 9 rebounds.
Despite Jackson-Davis’ success on the interior, Ohio State was able to stake out a 34-32 advantage in the painted area.
Winning nine of their last 10 games, the NCAA selection committee placed Ohio State as a No. 1 seed in the first March Madness bracket.
However, Sueing said Ohio State’s focus remains in the present rather than in March.
“We’re just worried about the next game, the next week is gonna be the most important week for us,” Sueing said. “We try not to focus too much on what’s too ahead of us, like the tournament and stuff, we just continue to play and try to get better each and every day.”
The Buckeyes look to push their win streak to seven Thursday when they take on Penn State at 8 p.m. on Big Ten Network.
This story has been updated Saturday, Feb. 13 at 3:14 p.m. with quotes from Chris Holtmann, Zed Key and Justice Sueing.
