Ohio State sophomore guard Duane Washington (4) attempts a layup during the first half of the game against Michigan March 1. Ohio State won 77-63. Credit: John Huether | For The Lantern
Kaleb Wesson got the ball in the mid-post with less than a minute to play in the first half. The Ohio State junior forward missed a shot at the rim, got it back, and missed again –– rimming out off the right iron.
Wesson’s shots weren’t falling during a 1-for-9 first half against Michigan Sunday, but it didn’t matter. Everyone else was firing on all cylinders, keeping the Buckeyes ahead until the big man warmed up to make a few late plays of his own.
“It’s something that we say to each other all the time, that we’re built for this and this is what we’re made for,” sophomore guard Duane Washington said. “This is why we came to Ohio State, for moments like this.”
Five Buckeyes finished in double figures in their 77-63 win against the Wolverines, and their late-game resolve appeared a far cry from the crunch time crumbles of months past.
Washington set the tone for the Ohio State offense for the second straight game. He scored 14 in the first half Thursday against Nebraska, and he picked up where he left off with a 3-point barrage against Michigan.
Appearing to regain an early-season form that yielded big-time performances against Villanova and North Carolina, Washington could hardly miss from deep during a 12-point first half.
Washington hit 3-of-4 from 3, and his looks varied from catch-and-shoot to pull-ups off the dribble.
He didn’t add to his season-high-tying 20-point total in the final 10 minutes of the game, but he didn’t need to. Washington hit two 3s on three Buckeye possessions midway through the half, the second of which gave Ohio State a six-point lead. It didn’t trail the rest of the way.
Redshirt junior guard CJ Walker took the baton down the stretch, scoring eight of his 15 points in the final 7:57 against Michigan.
The score was tied twice heading into the home stretch Sunday, and both times it was Walker that put the Buckeyes ahead with a pair of pull-up midrange jumpers. The second one kicked off a 23-9 Buckeye run to close out the game.
“His play in general, in terms of his floor game, has been outstanding for really about how long? About four weeks now, maybe, with the exception of a few games,” Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann said.
With less than three minutes to play he did it again, penetrating to set up a pivot and fadeaway jump shot to give Ohio State a commanding 10-point lead.
Despite the cold start, Wesson caught the scoring bug late, scoring off the glass on a dribble drive from the 3-point line just 32 seconds after Walker’s jumper.
Wesson found the backboard again at 1:36, banking in a 3-pointer that blew the lid off the home crowd and gave the Buckeyes a 13-point lead, the game’s result well in hand.
Senior forward Andre Wesson banked in a 3 of his own just minutes prior for three of his 14 points on the day.
Walker said he and Washington made eye contact when the shot went up.
“We both said, ‘That’s good,’ at the same time when it dropped,” Walker said. “So it was just one of those days. The ball was falling.”
Sophomore guard Luther Muhammad added 10 points of his own, continuing a seven-game period where he’s averaging 10.6 points per game. Muhammad went 4-for-4 from the free throw line in the final 3:35.
With junior forward Kyle Young out with an ankle sprain, just seven Buckeyes played Sunday, and only six played double-digit minutes. The starters scored all but four of Ohio State’s points, and each were on the court for 33 minutes or more.
The Buckeyes have now won eight of their past 10 games, a turnaround that Holtmann said was the best he’s been a part of given the caliber of competition in this season’s Big Ten.
“The Big Ten is a tough conference, it has its ups and downs, and right now we’re on our up,” Walker said. “We’re just trying to stay consistent with that.”
In order for it to continue through the end of the regular season and beyond, Ohio State will likely need contributions from players not named Kaleb Wesson to remain as consistent and timely as they were Sunday.
