A win was not going to come easy at the RAC.
Chris Holmtnan knew this, seeing what Rutgers had done to Michigan, Purdue and Michigan State on the same floor earlier this season. And combined with what the head coach views as a shutdown defense, Ohio State was officially on upset alert as soon as it got off the plane in New Jersey.
And through the first half, the dogfight met expectation, generating 10 lead changes and seven ties through the first 20 minutes, while leaving for the locker room at half with a one-point deficit.
It was a game that seemed to be in favor of the Buckeyes, one that seemed to be defined by their 3-point shooting against one of the best defenses in the Big Ten.
Geo Baker made sure that wasn’t the story.
The Rutgers senior guard erased Ohio State’s eight point lead with 3:48 to go in the game with a 6-0 run by himself as the Scarlet Knights erased its deficit with a dunk by sophomore center Clifford Omoruyi.
And Baker was able to finish it off from the free-throw line as Rutgers (14-9, 8-5 Big Ten) earned the 66-64 win against No. 16 Ohio State (14-6, 7-4 Big Ten) with a 10-0 run to end the game
Baker led the Scarlet Knights withHere’s 25 points, making nine of his 14 attempts from the field, including three 3-pointers on seven attempts.
Ohio State freshman Malaki Branham led the Buckeyes with 19 points, but had his final shot attempt of the game blocked with 3.2 seconds left to secure the upset.
Size keeps Ohio State in the game, comes up short late
The air-ball from Cedric Russell was ugly.
He was trying to cap off the seemingly hot start, hitting the second of his two previous tries from 3, but fell dramatically short. But it gave Ohio State an opportunity to show what it could do on the boards.
Redshirt senior center Joey Brunk extended for the ball, trying a contested jumper, but missed. But Branham battled in the middle of the paint, grabbed the second offensive board of the possession and laid it up and in, giving the Buckeyes the one-point lead late in the first half.
Even as the offense turned cold, Ohio State’s rebounding ability kept them in the game, out-rebounding Rutgers, 16-12, in the first 20 minutes, while recording seven offensive rebounds compared to the Scarlet Knights’ four.
Despite starting five players above 6-foot-4, Rutgers hadn’t really found much success on the glass, especially in conference play with a +0.5 advantage against Big Ten opponents.
It was an advantage that Ohio State was able to keep, out-rebounding the Scarlet Knights, 32-25, but it was size that hurt Ohio State late, as Ron Harper Jr. blocked Branham’s shot with 3.2 seconds left in the game to secure the comeback win.
Rutgers steps up defensively when necessary
Ohio State started hot.
Starting with a jumper in the paint from sophomore forward Zed Key just over two minutes into the game, the Buckeyes’ offense was on, hitting four of their first six attempts from the field, including 3s by Malaki Branham and Meechie Johnson Jr.
And when Ohio State missed three shots, it answered with three straight makes from Key, Branham and Justin Ahrens with a 3 on his first attempt of the game, continuing the hot hand he had against Maryland Sunday.
Then the cold front swept through the Ohio State bench at Jersey Mike’s Arena.
The Buckeyes missed seven straight attempts, including four from deep, not scoring a single point over the course of nearly four minutes.
Rutgers has done this against Big Ten opponents all season, especially in its top-tier home wins against Michigan, Michigan State and Purdue. The Scarlet Knights came in allowing conference opponents to shoot 42.2% from the field, fifth-best in the Big Ten, and 48% from inside the 3-point line, fourth-best in the Big Ten. Conference opponents are only scoring 66.3 points per game against the Scarlet Knights.
Out of halftime, Ohio State had the hot hand again, especially from deep.
Liddell opened the final 20 minutes with a deep 3 from the wing, starting a streak of six-straight makes from deep, including two by Branham and one by Wheeler. However, Ohio State made only one of its last 12 attempts from the field, finishing the final 3:48 scoreless.
Malaki Branham responds after ice-cold performance against Maryland
Holtmann has been clear that Branham’s still going to have his highs and lows as he continues to navigate his freshman season.
Sunday afternoon against Maryland was one of those lows, making only three of his 12 attempts for the field. But there was a bit of a hint as to what’s been working for the freshman guard, hitting two of his four attempts from deep against the Terrapins, his second-straight game with two makes from 3.
Wednesday night, he was one of Ohio State’s go-tos offensively, leading the team with 19 points, making seven-of-13 from the field and four-of-five from 3.
But he fell short when it counted most, getting his floater attempt with just over three seconds to go blocked to secure the victory for the Scarlet Knights.
News and Notes
Ohio State sophomore guard Eugene Brown III missed his second-straight contest with a toe injury. Holtmann said leading up to Wednesday’s game that Brown’s injury was minor and expects him to be back in the rotation soon.
In the middle of the second half, Johnson left the game after rolling his ankle, being helped off the court and into the locker room. Johnson did return to the bench in full uniform for Ohio State,
What this means
Ohio State can’t finish.
The Buckeyes held an eight-point lead with less than four minutes left in the game, one that was erased at the hands of one player.
This is a big loss for Ohio State, especially heading into their first road matchup against rival Michigan.
What’s next
Ohio State travels to Ann Arbor to face rival Michigan for the first time in the 2021-22 season. The Buckeyes have lost three of their last five games at the Crisler Center since 2015.
Chris Holmtnan knew this, seeing what Rutgers had done to Michigan, Purdue and Michigan State on the same floor earlier this season. And combined with what the head coach views as a shutdown defense, Ohio State was officially on upset alert as soon as it got off the plane in New Jersey.
And through the first half, the dogfight met expectation, generating 10 lead changes and seven ties through the first 20 minutes, while leaving for the locker room at half with a one-point deficit.
It was a game that seemed to be in favor of the Buckeyes, one that seemed to be defined by their 3-point shooting against one of the best defenses in the Big Ten.
Geo Baker made sure that wasn’t the story.
The Rutgers senior guard erased Ohio State’s eight point lead with 3:48 to go in the game with a 6-0 run by himself as the Scarlet Knights erased its deficit with a dunk by sophomore center Clifford Omoruyi.
And Baker was able to finish it off from the free-throw line as Rutgers (14-9, 8-5 Big Ten) earned the 66-64 win against No. 16 Ohio State (14-6, 7-4 Big Ten) with a 10-0 run to end the game
Baker led the Scarlet Knights withHere’s 25 points, making nine of his 14 attempts from the field, including three 3-pointers on seven attempts.
Ohio State freshman Malaki Branham led the Buckeyes with 19 points, but had his final shot attempt of the game blocked with 3.2 seconds left to secure the upset.
Size keeps Ohio State in the game, comes up short late
The air-ball from Cedric Russell was ugly.
He was trying to cap off the seemingly hot start, hitting the second of his two previous tries from 3, but fell dramatically short. But it gave Ohio State an opportunity to show what it could do on the boards.
Redshirt senior center Joey Brunk extended for the ball, trying a contested jumper, but missed. But Branham battled in the middle of the paint, grabbed the second offensive board of the possession and laid it up and in, giving the Buckeyes the one-point lead late in the first half.
Even as the offense turned cold, Ohio State’s rebounding ability kept them in the game, out-rebounding Rutgers, 16-12, in the first 20 minutes, while recording seven offensive rebounds compared to the Scarlet Knights’ four.
Despite starting five players above 6-foot-4, Rutgers hadn’t really found much success on the glass, especially in conference play with a +0.5 advantage against Big Ten opponents.
It was an advantage that Ohio State was able to keep, out-rebounding the Scarlet Knights, 32-25, but it was size that hurt Ohio State late, as Ron Harper Jr. blocked Branham’s shot with 3.2 seconds left in the game to secure the comeback win.
Rutgers steps up defensively when necessary
Ohio State started hot.
Starting with a jumper in the paint from sophomore forward Zed Key just over two minutes into the game, the Buckeyes’ offense was on, hitting four of their first six attempts from the field, including 3s by Malaki Branham and Meechie Johnson Jr.
And when Ohio State missed three shots, it answered with three straight makes from Key, Branham and Justin Ahrens with a 3 on his first attempt of the game, continuing the hot hand he had against Maryland Sunday.
Then the cold front swept through the Ohio State bench at Jersey Mike’s Arena.
The Buckeyes missed seven straight attempts, including four from deep, not scoring a single point over the course of nearly four minutes.
Rutgers has done this against Big Ten opponents all season, especially in its top-tier home wins against Michigan, Michigan State and Purdue. The Scarlet Knights came in allowing conference opponents to shoot 42.2% from the field, fifth-best in the Big Ten, and 48% from inside the 3-point line, fourth-best in the Big Ten. Conference opponents are only scoring 66.3 points per game against the Scarlet Knights.
Out of halftime, Ohio State had the hot hand again, especially from deep.
Liddell opened the final 20 minutes with a deep 3 from the wing, starting a streak of six-straight makes from deep, including two by Branham and one by Wheeler. However, Ohio State made only one of its last 12 attempts from the field, finishing the final 3:48 scoreless.
Malaki Branham responds after ice-cold performance against Maryland
Holtmann has been clear that Branham’s still going to have his highs and lows as he continues to navigate his freshman season.
Sunday afternoon against Maryland was one of those lows, making only three of his 12 attempts for the field. But there was a bit of a hint as to what’s been working for the freshman guard, hitting two of his four attempts from deep against the Terrapins, his second-straight game with two makes from 3.
Wednesday night, he was one of Ohio State’s go-tos offensively, leading the team with 19 points, making seven-of-13 from the field and four-of-five from 3.
But he fell short when it counted most, getting his floater attempt with just over three seconds to go blocked to secure the victory for the Scarlet Knights.
News and Notes
Ohio State sophomore guard Eugene Brown III missed his second-straight contest with a toe injury. Holtmann said leading up to Wednesday’s game that Brown’s injury was minor and expects him to be back in the rotation soon.
In the middle of the second half, Johnson left the game after rolling his ankle, being helped off the court and into the locker room. Johnson did return to the bench in full uniform for Ohio State,
What this means
Ohio State can’t finish.
The Buckeyes held an eight-point lead with less than four minutes left in the game, one that was erased at the hands of one player.
This is a big loss for Ohio State, especially heading into their first road matchup against rival Michigan.
What’s next
Ohio State travels to Ann Arbor to face rival Michigan for the first time in the 2021-22 season. The Buckeyes have lost three of their last five games at the Crisler Center since 2015.
