Sophomore guard Roddy Gayle Jr. (1) is fouled during a shot attempt during the first-half against Miami (OH) Wednesday. Ohio State won 84-64 at the Schottenstein Center. Credit: Caleb Blake | Photo Editor
Ohio State men’s basketball (8-2, 1-1 Big Ten) fell to Penn State (5-5, 1-1 Big Ten) 83-80 in the final minute of its first Big Ten matchup on the road after leading by as many as 18 in the second half Saturday at the Bryce Jordan Center in State College, Pennsylvania.
Behind by three with a single second on the clock, an Ohio State full-court attempt was nowhere close to tying it at the buzzer, sending the team back to Columbus with a snapped seven-game win streak.
The Buckeyes came out of the gate strong, shooting 3-of-4 from the field in the first 2:19, leading 11-4, led by sophomore and graduate guards Bruce Thornton and Jamison Battle. Ohio State is No. 1 in 3-point shooting in the Big Ten through the first 10 games and No. 12 nationally.
However, things quickly went south, and the Buckeyes’ momentum faltered. They faced a six-shot scoring drought, while the Nittany Lions tied it up at 14 off a three from graduate forward Leo O’Boyle. A free throw from O’Boyle at the 12:01 mark gave Penn State its first lead, 17-16.
Freshman guard Scotty Middleton came to the rescue for the Buckeyes with a fast-break three, followed by a jump shot.
A Thornton layup thrown up as he fell on the ground and out of bounds helped Ohio State reclaim a solid lead, 31-22, as he was granted an and-1 on the play for a personal foul on graduate forward Qudus Wahab.
Penn State went cold shooting, having not made a shot since the 4:32 mark of the first half, as Ohio State took away opportunities by dominating the glass 26-12 heading into the break. The Buckeyes led the Nittany Lions 41-29 at the half.
The Buckeyes outscored the Nittany Lions 11-6 in the first five minutes of the second half, handing them their most substantial deficit of the season as Ohio State led 55-37.
From here, Penn State began hustling.
After a 14-4 scoring run by Penn State put it within 10 halfway through the second half, it came storming back. Ohio State couldn’t get a shot to go from any of four of its best shooters, meanwhile, Penn State cut its deficit down to five, thanks to junior guard D’Marco Dunn and junior forward Zach Hicks.
A jump shot by Hicks brought the Nittany Lions within one, 65-64, with 6:51 remaining. A Roddy Gayle 3-pointer gave the Buckeyes some breathing room, followed by four made free throws from him and Thornton.
With 2:33 left on the clock, O’Boyle’s fourth three of the night tied it at 74 apiece.
After trading twos, an Ohio State offensive foul by sophomore center Felix Okpara gave Penn State the ball back with 50 seconds remaining. The Nittany Lions wasted 18 seconds before senior guard Ace Baldwin Jr. fired a lead, putting his team on top for the first time since 12:01 in the first half, 79-76.
Two free throws by Thornton brought the Buckeyes back within one, but having to foul to stay alive, they suffered three consecutive free throws from the Nittany Lions as they then led by four. With only four seconds to go, fifth-year guard Dale Bonner cut it to two, but Ohio State ultimately ran out of time when sophomore guard Kanye Clary hit a final free throw with one second remaining.
The Buckeyes will play UCLA in Atlanta Saturday at 3 p.m. in the CBS Sports Classic.
