INDIANAPOLIS — Seth Lundy’s shot was nowhere to be found.
It wasn’t that Ohio State’s defense was anything special against the 6-foot-6 forward, allowing Penn State to shoot over 60 percent in the second half, shutting down the Nittany Lions in the first half.
Penn State remained within striking distance, though. And when Lundy found his shot, it changed momentum for good.
The Nittany Lions forward hit a layup — his first make after seven-straight misses — cutting their deficit to three before Myles Dread made it a whole new ballgame, hitting a 3 to tie the game with 6:35 left.
And when Penn State needed a make, taking them over the top, the Buckeyes couldn’t stop the ice-cold Lundy, hitting a 3, giving Penn State a lead it wouldn’t surrender, a win that was secured off an offensive rebound by forward John Harrar and a layup.
In its opening performance of the Big Ten tournament, Ohio State fell short, losing a 13-point lead it held midway through the first half and falling to Penn State, 71-68, in Indianapolis Thursday night.
Ohio State defense remains lackluster
With 7:45 to go in the first half, Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann made sure his players knew what was important. As the Buckeyes transitioned back after a layup by redshirt senior center Joey Brunk, he clapped his hands twice, relaying a simple message: “Get a stop.”
Through the first eight minutes, that mentality worked.
Penn State made only two of its first seven attempts from the field, recording five turnovers and zero offensive rebounds.
The Buckeyes’ offense was ice cold too in that span, but that didn’t matter, holding onto a lead – one that reached 13 points with 9:27 left in the first half – because of the defensive aggressiveness they showed early in the first half.
It worked for the entire first half, holding Penn State to 32.1 percent shooting, making three of their first 12 attempts from 3, while Ohio State recorded four steals, scoring five points off their five turnovers.
But Penn State’s offense heated up in the second half, and Ohio State’s defense cooled off dramatically.
The Nittany Lions shot 55.6 percent in the first 12 minutes of the half, outscoring the Buckeyes 16-4 in the paint and cutting its deficit down to three, all while Ohio State’s offense was nowhere to be found, missing four-straight attempts from the field and lasting more than three minutes.
The success continued, as Penn State boosted its field goal percentage to 46.3 percent on the day, making six of its 19 attempts from deep, doing enough to silence an Ohio State defense that really needed a positive showing heading into the NCAA Tournament.
E.J. Liddell doesn’t do enough
In its first win-or-go-home game of the season, Ohio State needed that familiar spark once again.
It was a spark that’s worked all season, from the drives down the lane, his blocks in transition. E.J. Liddell just oozes star power for a team that has desperately needed him to be just that all season long.
In a game where Ohio State needed someone, it needed a superstar scorer, one that would lead the team over the hump of adversity, one past the struggles that ailed the Buckeyes over the past week.
Instead, Liddell was a scorer, but not that spark, much due to the fact that he was really the only one once again to provide any semblance of offense or defense in a game in which Ohio State needed that from everyone.
On paper, Liddell was Liddell, leading all scorers with 25 points, making six of his 13 attempts from the field with 11 makes on 13 attempts from the free-throw line, adding six rebounds.
But it wasn’t enough. It wasn’t enough to give Ohio State any sort of momentum heading into the NCAA Tournament.
Malaki Branham fails to step up
Malaki Branham very nearly became another addition to Ohio State’s growing injury list early on against Penn State.
Racing down the floor two minutes into the second round of the Big Ten tournament, the Ohio State freshman guard tried for a midrange jumper, landing awkwardly on his ankle, instantly grimacing in pain.
Branham was quickly taken out of the game and attended to by trainers on the sideline.
The Buckeyes were already without much of a paint presence, losing Kyle Young to a concussion while Zed Key sat on the bench, seemingly available, but with Holtmann using Eugene Brown III in the post before the sophomore forward.
Branham watched from a stationary bike before eventually moving back to the bench, ready to contribute.
And the Buckeyes needed him too, making two of his four attempts from the field, including two free throws, while serving as the main offensive playmaker in the first half, dishing out four assists, while grabbing three rebounds, including an offensive board he brought down shortly after his return, which he dished out to Cedric Russell for an open 3.
Branham turned into “Robin" once again, finishing with 14 points with four rebounds and four assists. But in a game where he and Liddell both needed to be “Batman,” it wasn’t enough when it counted.
News and notes
Redshirt senior forward Kyle Young was unavailable for his third-straight game after suffering a concussion against Nebraska March 1.
Sophomore forward Zed Key was listed as a game-time decision heading into the second round of the Big Ten tournament with an ankle injury after re-tweaking his injury against Michigan, but did not play against the Nittany Lions.
What’s next
Ohio State waits for its assignment for the NCAA Tournament on Selection Sunday.
It wasn’t that Ohio State’s defense was anything special against the 6-foot-6 forward, allowing Penn State to shoot over 60 percent in the second half, shutting down the Nittany Lions in the first half.
Penn State remained within striking distance, though. And when Lundy found his shot, it changed momentum for good.
The Nittany Lions forward hit a layup — his first make after seven-straight misses — cutting their deficit to three before Myles Dread made it a whole new ballgame, hitting a 3 to tie the game with 6:35 left.
And when Penn State needed a make, taking them over the top, the Buckeyes couldn’t stop the ice-cold Lundy, hitting a 3, giving Penn State a lead it wouldn’t surrender, a win that was secured off an offensive rebound by forward John Harrar and a layup.
In its opening performance of the Big Ten tournament, Ohio State fell short, losing a 13-point lead it held midway through the first half and falling to Penn State, 71-68, in Indianapolis Thursday night.
Ohio State defense remains lackluster
With 7:45 to go in the first half, Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann made sure his players knew what was important. As the Buckeyes transitioned back after a layup by redshirt senior center Joey Brunk, he clapped his hands twice, relaying a simple message: “Get a stop.”
Through the first eight minutes, that mentality worked.
Penn State made only two of its first seven attempts from the field, recording five turnovers and zero offensive rebounds.
The Buckeyes’ offense was ice cold too in that span, but that didn’t matter, holding onto a lead – one that reached 13 points with 9:27 left in the first half – because of the defensive aggressiveness they showed early in the first half.
It worked for the entire first half, holding Penn State to 32.1 percent shooting, making three of their first 12 attempts from 3, while Ohio State recorded four steals, scoring five points off their five turnovers.
But Penn State’s offense heated up in the second half, and Ohio State’s defense cooled off dramatically.
The Nittany Lions shot 55.6 percent in the first 12 minutes of the half, outscoring the Buckeyes 16-4 in the paint and cutting its deficit down to three, all while Ohio State’s offense was nowhere to be found, missing four-straight attempts from the field and lasting more than three minutes.
The success continued, as Penn State boosted its field goal percentage to 46.3 percent on the day, making six of its 19 attempts from deep, doing enough to silence an Ohio State defense that really needed a positive showing heading into the NCAA Tournament.
E.J. Liddell doesn’t do enough
In its first win-or-go-home game of the season, Ohio State needed that familiar spark once again.
It was a spark that’s worked all season, from the drives down the lane, his blocks in transition. E.J. Liddell just oozes star power for a team that has desperately needed him to be just that all season long.
In a game where Ohio State needed someone, it needed a superstar scorer, one that would lead the team over the hump of adversity, one past the struggles that ailed the Buckeyes over the past week.
Instead, Liddell was a scorer, but not that spark, much due to the fact that he was really the only one once again to provide any semblance of offense or defense in a game in which Ohio State needed that from everyone.
On paper, Liddell was Liddell, leading all scorers with 25 points, making six of his 13 attempts from the field with 11 makes on 13 attempts from the free-throw line, adding six rebounds.
But it wasn’t enough. It wasn’t enough to give Ohio State any sort of momentum heading into the NCAA Tournament.
Malaki Branham fails to step up
Malaki Branham very nearly became another addition to Ohio State’s growing injury list early on against Penn State.
Racing down the floor two minutes into the second round of the Big Ten tournament, the Ohio State freshman guard tried for a midrange jumper, landing awkwardly on his ankle, instantly grimacing in pain.
Branham was quickly taken out of the game and attended to by trainers on the sideline.
The Buckeyes were already without much of a paint presence, losing Kyle Young to a concussion while Zed Key sat on the bench, seemingly available, but with Holtmann using Eugene Brown III in the post before the sophomore forward.
Branham watched from a stationary bike before eventually moving back to the bench, ready to contribute.
And the Buckeyes needed him too, making two of his four attempts from the field, including two free throws, while serving as the main offensive playmaker in the first half, dishing out four assists, while grabbing three rebounds, including an offensive board he brought down shortly after his return, which he dished out to Cedric Russell for an open 3.
Branham turned into “Robin" once again, finishing with 14 points with four rebounds and four assists. But in a game where he and Liddell both needed to be “Batman,” it wasn’t enough when it counted.
News and notes
Redshirt senior forward Kyle Young was unavailable for his third-straight game after suffering a concussion against Nebraska March 1.
Sophomore forward Zed Key was listed as a game-time decision heading into the second round of the Big Ten tournament with an ankle injury after re-tweaking his injury against Michigan, but did not play against the Nittany Lions.
What’s next
Ohio State waits for its assignment for the NCAA Tournament on Selection Sunday.
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