COLUMBUS — In its return to conference play, Ohio State jumped out to a sizable halftime lead but had to survive a late Rutgers charge to down the Scarlet Knights, 76-72, and run its winning streak to four games.
Bruce Thornton had a game-high 24 points and added seven assists to lead the Buckeyes, and Jamison Battle went 6-9 from three as part of a 22-point performance.
With the win, Ohio State improves to 12-2 overall and 2-1 in conference play.
Derek Simpson led Rutgers with 23 points and eight rebounds, and Noah Fernandes added 17 points. The two combined for just three three-points, though, and a poor three-point shooting night ultimately proved fatal for Rutgers as they connected on just 25% of its attempts.
There were no shooting woes for Ohio State early on as it came out of the gate scorching hot en route to a 13-point halftime lead thanks in large part to Battle’s efforts from three. His third of the first half pushed the Buckeyes ahead 11-8 just five minutes into the game, and both he and the Buckeyes were just getting started as they connected on eight of their first 10 three-point attempts in the half.
Gavin Griffith’s three-pointer momentarily gave Rutgers (8-5) its lone lead of the game with 11:30 remaining, but it was shortlived as Scotty Middleton buried a three of his own a minute later to give Ohio State the lead for good.
Middleton’s three sparked a 19-5 run that included two more threes from Battle and pushed the Ohio State lead to 17 points at 41-24 with 4:14 remaining in the half. Thornton also hit a pair of threes during the run, part of his 15-point effort in the first half.
Battle and Thornton accounted for 32 of Ohio State’s 45 points in the first half, the only two Buckeyes to have more than three points in the opening 20 minutes.
The shots stopped falling for Ohio State to begin the second half, and combined with carelessness with the basketball, allowed Rutgers to creep back into the game. Aundre Hyatt’s three-pointer, his lone three of the game, cut the Rutgers deficit to 58-51 midway through the second half.
A timely three-point play from Thornton momentarily recaptured some momentum for Ohio State, but Rutgers continued to chip away at the Buckeye lead as the game entered the final minutes.
Mawot Mag’s jumper capped off a 7-0 Rutgers run that cut Ohio State’s lead to just a single point at 67-66 with 3:20 remaining as a stunned crowd inside Value City Arena fell silent.
Ohio State responded with a five-point spurt on a jumper from Evan Mahaffey and a three from Roddy Gayle to regain a 72-66 lead and full control of the game, but Rutgers refused to go away.
Fernandes’ three immediately cut the lead back to a single possession at 72-69 with just over a minute to play, setting up a frantic final minute.
A pair of free throws from Thornton pushed Ohio State ahead 74-69 with 49 seconds, but Rutgers again came up with a critical basket as Simpson drilled a three, his second of the game, to keep the Scarlet Knights within striking distance with 15 seconds remaining.
Forced to foul, Williams sent Gayle to the line for a one-and-one situation and a chance to put the game away. He did just that, calmly knocking down both free throws to seal the win for Ohio State.
Following the game, Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann said, “(Rutgers) is a tough team, a tough-minded team, and we knew they would be good and hard to play against, and they were. I’ve got a lot of respect for them, their coaching staff, and their team, and it’s obviously going to be a dogfight going back up there (to Rutgers). I’m proud of our guys, and they showed great poise. We knew it was going to be a 40-minute game, and it certainly was that.”
Holtmann lamented his team’s inability to prevent Rutgers from getting to its spots offensively while simultaneously struggling to get to its own spots on possessions, a big reason why Ohio State’s lead dwindled. However, Holtmann was pleased with his team’s ability to overcome it with timely plays late in the game.
“The sign of this team has been really good poise for the most part down the stretch, and they showed that (tonight),” he said.
Ohio State will look to push its winning streak to five games on Saturday when it travels to take on the Indiana Hoosiers (10-3). Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. on FOX.
Reach Dillon Davis at 740-413-0904. Follow him on Twitter @DillonDavis56.
