The Buckeyes’ NCAA Tournament run and 2022 season came to an end in Pittsburgh Sunday.

No. 7 Ohio State (20-11,12-8 Big Ten) mounted a comeback bid that ultimately came up short in the second half, falling 71-61 to No. 2 Villanova.

Trailing by as many as 15 points with 16:12 left, the Buckeyes used a 20-8 run to pull within two points as 5:39 remained.

The Wildcats (27-7, 16-4 Big East) closed the game on an 11-3 run to pull away and advance to the Sweet Sixteen.

Freshman guard Malaki Branham led all scorers with 23 points as he shot 10-of-19 from the field. Junior forward E.J. Liddell added 17 points alongside six rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocks.

Ohio State shot 42 percent from the field, including a 45.2 percent clip in the second half, and 32 percent from 3-point range. The Buckeyes had a 35-31 rebounding edge, but shot just 55 percent at the free throw line, going 6-for-11 at the charity stripe.

Graduate guard Collin Gillespie paced Villanova with 20 points. Graduate forward Jermaine Samuels added 17 points, redshirt sophomore forward Eric Dixon scored 13 and redshirt senior guard Caleb Daniels had 11.

Samuels and Liddell traded 3-pointers to begin the game until Villanova jumped ahead to a 17-7 lead with 12:24 left in the first half.

Ohio State pulled as close as within five points but trailed by as many as 12 in the opening period before starting hot in the second half.

The Buckeyes allowed Villanova to shoot 52 percent in the first half while shooting just 38.5 percent themselves. The Wildcats never trailed as they held a 39-28 edge at the end of the opening period, leading by as much as 12 points with 1:38 left in the first half.

Ohio State will enter the offseason expecting five incoming freshmen, including four four-stars. The Buckeyes’ 2022 recruiting class ranks within the top five across men’s college basketball, according to several recruiting services.Villanova will travel to San Antonio, Texas, to meet 11th-seeded Michigan in the Sweet Sixteen. The Wildcats and Wolverines will play at the AT&T Center Thursday with tip-off time still to be determined.