It took extra time, but the Ohio State basketball team got back in the win column on Monday with a win over the Indiana Hoosiers.
The Buckeyes led by 33-28 at halftime and moved the lead out to double digits in the second half, but Indiana slowly reeled things in and grabbed a four-point lead with just under three minutes to go in regulation. E.J. Liddell came up big though with a steal with a little over a minute left, then got the game-tying dunk with just six seconds remaining to force the extra time on the clock.
In overtime, Ohio State finally took control after Indiana grabbed a brief lead. Jamari Wheeler hit a huge go-ahead three-pointer with just 2:58 left, and OSU never looked back, finishing on a massive run that ended up leading to the final score of 80-69.
OSU guard Malaki Branham was the star of the game, pouring in 27 points on a very efficient 9-of-13 from the field. He also got to the line often, nailing a perfect 8-of-8. E.J. Liddell and Eugene Brown also finished in double figures with 16 and 10 points respectively.
Indiana big man Trayce Jackson-Davis was held much more in check in Columbus than what we saw in Bloomington in early January. At Assembly Hall, Jackson-Davis scored 27 points, blocked five shots, and pulled down 12 rebounds. In this one, he scored just 13 points on 3-of-9 shooting.
It’s a great day to be a Buckeye #Team123 pic.twitter.com/JkWw1Nd20Y
— Ohio State Hoops (@OhioStateHoops) February 22, 2022
With the win, Ohio State keeps its hopes of staying in the Big Ten title race alive, improving its record to 17-7 overall and 10-5 in the conference. The Buckeyes will next try to pull off an upset on the road against Illinois on Thursday.
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