Late comeback falls short as Ohio State men’s basketball loses at Indiana, 69-66

Grant Miller
Sat, 10 Jan 2015 19:59:41 +0000
Basketball, Sports, basketball, Buckeyes, matta, ohio state, russell

OSU freshman forward Jae’Sean Tate in action during a game against Marquette on Nov. 18 in Columbus. Credit: Muyao Shen / Lantern photographer

Despite a fast start, the No. 22 Ohio State men’s basketball couldn’t maintain its advantage in a 66-69 loss to the Indiana Hoosiers on Saturday afternoon in Bloomington, Ind.

The Buckeyes (13-4, 2-2) had a chance to tie the game with less than a minute remaining, as Sam Thompson went to the free throw line while OSU was only down by one. But the senior forward missed his attempt, and the OSU comeback against the Hoosiers (12-4, 2-1) fell short.

OSU began the game with a 9-6 lead, aided by five Hoosier turnovers. Coach Thad Matta’s team remained in the lead until the 11:25 mark of the first half, when Indiana redshirt-junior guard Nick Zeisloft hit a three-pointer to give his team a 14-13 advantage.

The Hoosiers built on their lead, eventually going on a 24-9 run to put them up 26-15. Eventually, the Buckeyes fought back to come within six at halftime, with freshman forward Jae’Sean Tate leading the team with seven points.

OSU freshman guard D’Angelo Russell hit a three-pointer to open the second half, putting the Buckeyes within three. That was the closest they got until the 5:43 mark, though, when Thompson hit a floater to cut the deficit to only two.

Then the Hoosiers managed another scoring run, this time a 8-0 spurt, which looked to have put the home team out of sight. But the Buckeyes fought back as the clock wound down, and they had their shot to get even when Thompson was fouled after a basket. Unfortunately for OSU, the senior’s attempt hit the back of the rim, and Russell’s attempt to tie the game at the buzzer was also off the mark.

Senior guard Shannon Scott led the Buckeyes with 16 points, while Russell’s seven rebounds led the team on the glass.

Russell, OSU’s leading scorer on the season, made three of his 15 field goal attempts, and only one of his five tries from beyond the arc.

Freshman guard James Blackmon Jr. led the Hoosiers with 18 points, while sophomore forward Troy Williams led all rebounders with 12.

OSU returns home on Tuesday to face Michigan. Tipoff against the Wolverines is set for 7 p.m. at the Schottenstein Center.