Down big in the first half, Rutgers basketball battles back in loss at Ohio State

Rutgers basketball lost a tight Big Ten game at Ohio State.

On Wednesday night, Rutgers men’s basketball faced Ohio State in their first game of 2024. While the Scarlet Knights were able to keep things close, the Buckeyes emerged with a 76-72 win and improved to 8-1 at home.

Rutgers is now 8-5 (0-2 Big Ten) following the loss at Ohio State.

As Rutgers struggled to stop Ohio State, the Buckeyes’ Bruce Thornton was a scoring machine. Thornton, a guard, scored 24 points while dishing out seven assists. He has been Ohio State’s best player all season and he showed why in front of 10,614 fans at Value City Arena.

Although Clifford Omoruyi and Aundre Hyatt struggled, Rutgers got some solid offensive play from their backcourt. Derek Simpson led the way offensively with 23 points, and Noah Fernandez helped out with 17. The duo continued to step up when needed.

 

While Wednesday night ended in disappointing fashion, Rutgers showed a lot of fight. After being down 45-32 in the first half, Rutgers outscored Ohio State 40-31 in the second half. Had they not gotten off to a slow start, an upset was well within reach.

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After three days off, Rutgers will be back in action on Wednesday against Iowa. The Hawkeyes are off to an 8-6 start and have lost their last game on Tuesday. For Rutgers, taking care of the basketball will be vital after turning the ball over 11 times against Ohio State.