Lacking energy and defensive effort, No. 23 Ohio State was upset for the second consecutive game, falling 78-70 to Big Ten bottom feeder Nebraska Tuesday.
Ohio State (18-9, 11-7) allowed Nebraska (9-21, 3-16) to hit on 49 percent of shots, while the Cornhuskers raced to 10 fast-break points in the loss.
Junior forward E.J. Liddell tried to will the Buckeyes to victory in the second half, scoring 14 of his 27 points in the frame. Liddell was a menace defensively for the Buckeyes as well, finishing the night with 14 rebounds and six blocks — finishing with his seventh double-double of the season.
Ohio State withstood a slow offensive start, shooting 3-for-10 from the field out of the gates before hitting eight of its next 10 attempts. The Buckeyes’ offensive reemergence pushed them to as much as a seven-point lead, but Nebraska quickly answered.
While the Buckeyes missed eight of their last nine shots of the half, Nebraska surged — shooting 56 percent from the field and 50 percent from 3 in the opening frame. The Cornhuskers took advantage of their hot shooting to take a 43-39 lead into halftime.
The Cornhuskers’ offense remained in form in the second half, finishing the game behind 42.9 percent shooting from the field in the frame.
Nebraska rode the contributions of its bench throughout Tuesday’s game, outscoring the Buckeyes’ reserves 22-13. Leading Nebraska’s bench dominance was freshman guard C.J. Wilcher, who dropped 15 points while shooting 3-for-5 from 3-point range.
Although Ohio State’s reserves struggled to keep pace with Nebraska, graduate guard Jimmy Sotos provided the Buckeyes with a much-needed lift — scoring eight points and dishing out two assists.
Another freshman helped pace the Cornhuskers’ offense as Big Ten Freshman of the Year candidate and guard Bryce McGowens finished with 26 points on 8-of-15 shooting.
Facilitating the Cornhuskers offense was senior guard Alonzo Verge Jr., whose 11 assists played a key role in Nebraska’s success on that end of the floor.
Despite some offensive struggles, Ohio State was sound on the offensive glass — out-rebounding the Cornhuskers 14-4 on that end. Liddell corralled five offensive boards, while sophomore guard Eugene Brown III added three.
Graduate forward Kyle Young made his second start of the season, but his night was cut short due to an illness.
Without Young and sophomore forward Zed Key — who was out with an ankle injury — manning the paint, Nebraska held a 30-24 advantage in points in the paint.
Freshman guard Malaki Branham, who scored his career-high 35 points against Nebraska Jan. 2, was held in check Tuesday — producing 16 points on 5-of-11 shooting before fouling out.
The Buckeyes return to action Thursday, hosting Michigan State at 7 p.m. The game will be televised on ESPN.
