Although the No. 13 Buckeyes were without their head coach Chris Holtmann Sunday, Ohio State got back in the column with a 95-87 victory over Northwestern.
Junior forward E.J. Liddell helped first-time head coach Jake Diebler earn a win in his emergency debut — with Holtmann in COVID-19 health and safety protocols. The Belleville, Illinois, native connected on his first six shots en route to a career-best 34-point performance on 12-for-20 shooting.
Liddell had 17 points within the game’s first six minutes and was a flamethrower from beyond the arc, draining five 3-pointers on seven attempts. He also dished out two assists.
Defensively, Liddell turned away five shots — four of which came in the first half.
Liddell’s hot start lifted the Buckeyes to an early 15-point lead as Ohio State (10-3, 4-1 Big Ten) shot at an 83 percent clip from the field and were 7-for-9 from 3-point range in the game’s first eight minutes of action.
Freshman guard Malaki Branham aided Liddell’s early scoring surge, dropping 13 of his 24 points in the first half en route to his third-consecutive game with double-digit points. The Columbus native added four rebounds and five assists.
Although Ohio State entered the locker room with a season-best 51 points through 20 minutes, Northwestern (8-5, 1-3 Big Ten) remained in striking distance with a 13-point halftime deficit. The Wildcats forced eight first-half turnovers while scooping up six more offensive rebounds than Ohio State to create 10 more shots in the opening frame.
Northwestern cut into Ohio State’s lead in the first five minutes of the second half, pulling within four points thanks to an 8-0 run led by sophomore guard Ty Berry.
Berry was stellar throughout Saturday’s contest, dropping a career-high 23 points on 8-of-12 shooting.
Despite Northwestern’s second-half resurgence, the Buckeyes kept the Wildcats at arm’s length throughout the second half as they did not come within a single possession of Ohio State’s lead.
The Wildcats’ ability to force Ohio State into turnovers slowed the Buckeyes’ offensively as they turned the ball over 14 times, which resulted in 16 points for Northwestern. But Ohio State benefited from efficient shooting splits from its offense, as the Buckeyes shot 57 percent from the field and 44 percent from 3. Adept free throw shooting also kept the Wildcats at bay as Ohio State connected on 26 of 27 free throw attempts.
Ohio State’s 95 points are the most it has scored this season.
Outside of hot shooting from 3-point range from Liddell, guards freshman Meechie Johnson Jr. and graduate Cedric Russell stepped up from distance. Russell finished with nine points on 3-for-4 shooting from beyond the arc, while Johnson had six points on 2-for-2 shooting from 3-point range.
While Johnson and Russell paced the Buckeyes’ backcourt offensively, graduate guard Jamari Wheeler added five steals on the defensive side of the ball. Wheeler stuffed the stat sheet, producing eight rebounds and six assists alongside his eight points.
Although Wheeler held down the fort defensively for the Buckeyes, Northwestern redshirt junior guard Chase Audige finished with 20 points on 7-of-14 shooting. Senior forward and Ohio native Pete Nance added 20 points behind 60 percent shooting from 3-point range.
Ohio State travels to Madison, Wisconsin, Thursday to square off against the No. 23 Wisconsin Badgers at 7 p.m. The game will be televised on ESPN2.
