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Buckeyes Come Up One Possession Short for Third Consecutive Game

Writer's picture: aidanchandler22aidanchandler22

The 13-5 Indiana Hoosiers traveled to Columbus for a conference matchup with the 10-7 Ohio State Buckeyes. This matchup on the hardwood was a highly anticipated one after the result of the football game between these two schools. The Hoosiers have been embarrassed in two straight games, with back to back 25-point losses. Talk of Coach Mike Woodson’s future also has intensified in recent weeks as IU fans grow increasingly upset with his leadership. Ohio State on the other hand entered this game with back to back two-point losses, and were missing 13.9 points off offense as Devin Royal sat with an injury. Both teams were eager to get back into the win column.


Sean Stewart (13), Micah Parrish (8), and Aaron Bradshaw(4) pictured on the court pregame
Sean Stewart (13), Micah Parrish (8), and Aaron Bradshaw(4) pictured on the court pregame

The Buckeyes wasted no time getting on the scoreboard, with team captain Bruce Thornton sinking a floater just 57 seconds into the game. Ohio State's early lead stretched to three points, but the Hoosiers responded swiftly, taking the lead at the 15:31 mark with a Myles Rice layup. Indiana maintained their advantage until Ohio State's Micah Parrish drilled a crucial three-pointer with 12:47 left in the half.


As the first half progressed, both teams battled fiercely for control. By the third media timeout, with 7:21 remaining in the half, the score was locked at 20. The back-and-forth struggle continued, but the Buckeyes began to gain momentum late in the half. A free throw by Ques Glover with 3:12 on the clock pushed Ohio State's lead to seven points—the largest of the half. The Buckeyes carried that edge into the locker room, leading the Hoosiers 35-29 at halftime.


Indiana struck first in the second half, as McKenzie Mgbako scored to begin chipping away at Ohio State's lead. The Hoosiers reclaimed the advantage, 43-41, with 15:08 remaining when Luke Goode drained a three-pointer just as the shot clock expired.


The game became a tightly contested battle, with both teams trading leads. Goode delivered another pivotal three-pointer with 12:50 left, pushing Indiana to its largest lead of the night, 50-46. The Hoosiers maintained that edge for three minutes before the Buckeyes tied the game at 52 on a layup by Micah Parrish.


From that point forward, the contest turned into a back-and-forth exchange, with neither team conceding momentum. However, with 7:27 remaining, Ohio State found itself trailing by four in a game poised for a dramatic finish. Emerging from an Ohio State timeout, John Mobley Jr. drained his third three-pointer of the game, cutting Indiana's lead to just one. Indiana quickly squandered any Ohio State momentum, going on a 9-0 run over the next three minutes and eleven seconds. The Hoosiers extended their lead to as much as 10 points, reaching 68-58. However, Ohio State refused to back down.


Following a series of successful baskets and capitalizing on several Hoosier turnovers, the Buckeyes managed to narrow the deficit to just four points with 2:46 remaining, as momentum began to shift in their favor. With 1:59 remaining, Bruce Thornton's jumper cut the deficit to three, where Indiana's lead held steady for over a minute. Following a timeout with 46.2 seconds left, Ohio State’s John Mobley Jr. delivered a clutch three-pointer to tie the game at 71. The Hoosiers were denied at the rim on the ensuing possession, but Ohio State could not get a shot off as time expired, thus sending the game to overtime.

 

The first basket of the overtime period was scored with 3:42 left, on an Ivan Njegovan layup, but just like regulation time, the lead went back and forth. Ohio State led by 2, but Luke Goode delivered again from three for the Hoosiers with 1:07 left in OT to give IU a one point lead. After empty possessions by both squads, the Buckeyes had the ball with 14.2 left and a chance to come out on top. A Mobley Jr. jumper was blocked and recovered by the Buckeyes and Bruce Thornton could not convert an open three point attempt to win the game. The Hoosiers leave Columbus with a win, advancing to 14-5, 5-3 and the Buckeyes fall to 10-8, 2-5.


Final Ohio State Possession in Overtime

This Buckeye team is on the verge of figuring things out, but as Micah Parrish and Coach Diebler said postgame, it is the little things that continue to hold them back. Parrish mentioned that a game is not simply lost in the final five minutes, and that the team has got to figure out, through practice, how to capitalize on the 'little things.' Coach Diebler was frustrated postgame, but praised guys like Parrish and Mobley for stepping up when Royal was down. Diebler mentioned that his team is resilient and working hard, but it is time to make better decisions and pay more attention to detail. He stressed that that needs to happen right now, as they prepare for a matchup in one of the toughest college environments.


Ohio State is back in action Tuesday night on the road against conference powerhouse, Purdue.

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