Behind a stout defensive performance, No. 16 Ohio State completed the season-sweep of Penn State with a 61-56 victory over the Nittany Lions Sunday.
The Buckeyes (11-4, 5-2 Big Ten) held Penn State (8-7, 3-4 Big Ten) to 40 percent shooting from the field and 27 percent from 3-point range en route to the win.
The duo of forwards junior E.J. Liddell and sophomore Zed Key were dominant on both ends of the floor. Defensively, Liddell and Key combined for four blocks while holding the Nittany Lions to 24 points in the paint.
On the offensive end of the floor, Liddell led the Buckeyes with 19 points — extending his double-digit scoring streak to 26 games. Key added support from the post, finishing with 10 points on 4-of-11 from the field.
Liddell and Key combined to shoot 10-for-22 from the field, while the rest of the Ohio State roster produced a 7-for-22 outing. The Buckeyes finished the game shooting 39 percent from the field and 25 percent from 3-point range.
Although Liddell and Key paced the Buckeyes throughout the game, Penn State remained within striking distance for much of Sunday’s contest. The Buckeyes never led by more than 10 points.
The Nittany Lions pulled as close as four in the second half.
Sophomore forward Eugene Brown III played a big role for the Buckeyes down the stretch, collecting all six of his points in the second half with all coming in key moments.
Penn State jumped out to a 10-4 lead heading into the under-16 timeout of the first half, but the Ohio State defense locked in from that point and held the Nittany Lions to 12 points for the next 16 minutes. The Nittany Lions finished the half shooting 30 percent from the field and 18 percent from 3-point range.
The Buckeyes took advantage of Penn State’s cold offensive stretch, utilizing a 19-6 run during the middle stages of the opening half to take a 27-22 lead into the half — a lead they did not relinquish.
Although the Buckeyes were able to muster enough offense to claim a halftime lead, Ohio State’s offense sputtered for much of the first half — shooting 33 percent from the field and 22 percent from 3-point range. The Buckeyes missed eight of nine field goal attempts to close the first half and did not hit a field goal across the final 5:52 of the opening frame.
Liddell was the lone exception to Ohio State’s first half offensive struggles, producing nine points on 3-for-6 shooting in the game’s first 20 minutes.
Ohio State controlled the boards throughout Sunday’s contest, out-rebounding the Nittany Lions 37-30. Liddell led the Buckeyes with eight boards.
Both teams struggled from the charity stripe as the Buckeyes shot 67 percent and Penn State converted on eight of its 14 free throw attempts.
Penn State senior guard Sam Sessoms led the Nittany Lions with 15 points on 6-for-12 shooting. Graduate forward Greg Lee added nine points while shooting 44 percent from the field.
The Buckeyes continue their home stand Tuesday when they host IUPUI at 7 p.m. The game will be televised on Big Ten Network.
